A recent study by the German Trade Union Confederation (DGB) has found that two out of every three employees in Germany continue to work even when they are sick. The investigation, which surveyed over 7,000 people, was reported by the Süddeutsche Zeitung.
According to the DGB, 63 percent of those surveyed said they had worked at least one day despite being ill in the past year, while 44 percent reported working for a week or longer while sick. The DGB believes that the phenomenon of “presenteeism” or the tendency of employees to come to work despite being ill, has significantly increased over the past three years. In 2021, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, only 48 percent of those surveyed said they had worked at least one day while ill.
The DGB found that employees in precarious working conditions are more likely to work while sick. For example, 77 percent of cleaning staff said they had worked at least one day despite being ill in the past year, while 57 percent of them had worked for a week or longer while sick. Higher rates were also found in industries experiencing staff shortages, such as education, where 76 percent of teachers and educators said they had worked part of the time while sick in 2024 and in the healthcare sector, where 69 percent of employees said the same.
Regardless of the industry, the DGB believes that poor working conditions increase the likelihood of employees coming to work despite being ill. People, for instance, who worry about their job security are more likely to go to work while sick, with 82 percent of those surveyed agreeing with this statement. Those who said their workplace culture was poor also reported going to work while sick at a rate of 81 percent. Furthermore, 79 percent of those who felt their workload had increased significantly in the past year said they had worked part of the time while sick.
According to DGB President Yasmin Fahimi, the numbers show that the debate about employees being lazy and always on sick leave is simply an attack on the hard-won achievements of workers. The discussion is “a slap in the face of those affected, who are pushed to go to work despite illness out of fear of job loss.” Fahimi warns that going to work while sick not only harms one’s own health but also puts colleagues at risk. “Presenteeism is also economically damaging” she said.
In January, Allianz CEO Oliver Bäte had proposed reintroducing the one-day paid sick leave that was in place until the early 1970s, suggesting that employees should no longer receive a salary for the first day of their sick leave.