The government is discussing whether the waiting day should be introduced in Germany. This means that employees would not be paid wages on the first day of illness. With this regulation, which was abolished in 1970, some politicians want to motivate people in Germany to work more – also to counteract the current economic crisis. Fewer sick days would, in turn, increase our country’s productivity.
A current analysis by the market research institute Datapulse and the Institute for the Training of Works Councils (Ifb) now suggests that this is not a good idea. In European countries that have waiting days, absences are not necessarily lower than in countries where full wages are paid from the first day of illness. The analysts also found that productivity is not necessarily higher in countries with fewer absenteeism than in those with higher absenteeism.
Discussion about absenteeism in Germany: What has happened so far
Since the beginning of 2025, there has been increased discussion in German business and politics about why employees have been reporting sick more frequently in recent years than before. Why are we so far ahead when it comes to sickness rates in Europe? Said representatives deduce from the increasing absenteeism that employees are no longer willing to perform and that the system surrounding sick notes is an invitation to ignore it. This derivation is based on an incorrect classification of health insurance numbers.
The fact is: Between 2021 and 2024 there was a clear increase in absences reported to health insurance companies. In the meantime, health insurance companies have no longer attributed this increase to a higher number of illnesses or more failure, but rather to the introduction of electronic sick notes (eAU). This means that more sick days are recorded across the board than before. The rest of the increase results from a more sensitive approach to respiratory diseases after the corona pandemic and a consistently slow increase in mental illnesses. So far, so known – at least in the HR scene.
Germany is not the leader in Europe when it comes to absenteeism
The analysis by Datapulse and the Ifb now shows once again that Germany is generally not the leader in Europe when it comes to sick days. They analyzed data from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) from 2024, for which employees in 26 European countries were asked directly about their absence.
According to the study authors, this data basis is useful because it makes it possible to compare countries. If, on the other hand, you were to compare the health insurance data on absenteeism in the different countries, you would get a distorted picture because: The way in which absenteeism is collected varies greatly in Europe. The switch to electronic sick notes in Germany has shown what effect this can have.
The results make it clear that sickness-related absences in Europe have an enormous range. On average, European employees call in sick around 2.6 weeks per year. Germany is in seventh place here with 3.6 weeks per year. This puts the Federal Republic in the top third, but remains behind countries such as Norway (5.9 weeks), Finland (5 weeks), Spain (4.9 weeks), Slovenia (4.7 weeks), Portugal and France (4.1 weeks each) and on a par with Belgium.
In Greece and Romania, however, employees hardly reported sick. “The low level of absence typically indicates a high level of job insecurity,” the analysts speculate. “And: If you don’t show up, you often don’t get paid.”
A waiting day does not necessarily affect absenteeism
At first it sounds as if the waiting day could be a good idea. Datapulse compared the absenteeism numbers with the states’ sick leave regulations. It should be checked whether countries with low levels of absence have a waiting day and therefore employees are not paid for the first day of sickness.
The result: the waiting day often fails to achieve its goal. “Some of the most generous systems have the lowest absenteeism rates, while some of the strictest systems struggle with high numbers,” the analysis report says. In Spain, the first three days of illness are generally unpaid. However, there is one of the highest absenteeism rates there at around five weeks per year.
In Lithuania, on the other hand, employees only report sick for around 1.5 weeks each year, but are paid their full salary from the first day of illness. In Italy, on the other hand, there are unpaid waiting days and employees only call in sick for 0.9 weeks per year – the measure seems to work here. But it could also be due to other conditions in the country.
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Therefore, presenteeism should not be encouraged
In this context, the analysts also point out that being present when sick (presenteeism) – which could be promoted by introducing a waiting day – can have a negative impact on absenteeism. Other employees could become infected or the person in question could make expensive mistakes due to their illness. A consequence could also be that people’s illness prolongs.
Several studies suggest that the costs of presenteeism are similar to, or even exceed, the costs of absenteeism. A research team led by Michelle Freeling calculated for the care industry: Presenteeism costs employers between 13,700 and 21,000 euros per person annually.
And the comparable costs for sick notes? They should be lower. The Federal Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (BAuA) estimated for 2020 that lost work costs 2,125 euros per employee for the entire year. In addition, there would be costs of a good 3,500 euros per person, caused by losses in labor productivity and a loss of gross value added. In total, that would mean a good 5,600 euros per year. But it must be mentioned here: Different calculations reveal slightly different costs.
This is how absenteeism affects productivity
And speaking of money: GDP per hour worked is not necessarily higher in countries with high absenteeism rates than in countries where employees take sick leave less often. “The assumption that every missing hour reduces competitiveness one-to-one is not enough,” says the analysis report.
Norway and Belgium recorded significantly more days of absence than the European average, but maintain some of the highest productivity rates. In contrast, Greece and Hungary have absences of less than a week, but have very low productivity compared to other countries. The numbers imply that you can have high absenteeism and high productivity. Therefore, the conclusion of the study authors is: “Anyone who views sickness absence primarily as a question of incentives is ignoring the complexity of the available data.”
Lena Onderka is editorially responsible for the Employee Experience & Retention area – which also includes, for example, the topics of BGM and employee surveys. She also looks after the topic of diversity. She is also the editorial contact for the German Human Resources Summit and the HR Forum Banking.
