cross-posted from: https://feddit.online/c/euro@feddit.online/p/1817064/germany-tightens-sick-leave-rules-medical-doctor-note-required-from-day-one-telephone-s
Germany’s Chancellor Merz:
We can no longer accept the extraordinarily high levels of sick leave in our companies.
We are abolishing sick leave by telephone and introducing the requirement to submit a medical certificate from the very first day of illness.
We know this is a tough decision. But we can no longer afford this competitive disadvantage caused by prolonged absences from work.
My Dutch doctor would flat-out refuse. Something about patient doctor confidelity…
The employer never gets to see the diagnosis and is also forbidden from directly asking the employee. That won’t change in this reform either.
But the workload for doctors will skyrocket if employees with a common cold cannot simply call off from work without going to the doctor.
(Not to mention the fact that the doctor will then declare you sick for a week instead of people staying home for just 1-2 days)
Oh yeah! If the doc says one or two days (it’s a cold), but it lingers a bit, that person gets to come back to the doc on day 3. A smart doc will just write it for a week and tell you to rest up good.
Where is this assumption coming from that employers will know about any medical details? It’s just a note that says „Person shall rest until X. Signed, Dr“. This has always been the case and will continue to be so.
The change is mainly about WHEN employees will have to get this note and HOW they should get it.
Even that, a typical Dutch doctor just won’t do that. Probably because they know all too well what the effects would be, so confidentiality is a nice cover.
But the employer needs to know how long you are gone somehow… I don’t understand the issue here.
A doctor may not even confirm if a person is a patient of his/her, nor is he/she allowed to confirm, or deny, sickness of a patient. Privacy was an important thing before the internet took over. But some remnants remain. An employee can tell his employer “I am sick. I don’t know for how long. Deal with it”.
I don’t think it’s a big deal as long as they don’t see actual medical details, but I see your point. And if this works out then I’m all for it.
Though my point was that this specifically is not what the article is about.