Continued wage payments for sickness-related absences cost German companies around 82 billion euros in 2024. This represents a doubling within 14 years. Some companies rely on bonus payments to encourage their employees to attend more – so-called attendance bonuses. But a study published in 2024 by scientists Jakob Alfitian, Dirk Sliwka and Timo Vogelsang shows: Such financial incentives do not work – or even worsen the problem by increasing absenteeism.
