2025-01-11 14:57:06 :
Are you going to call in sick? Be aware that this practice may come under scrutiny in Germany, where companies are hiring detectives to check whether employees are actually feeling unwell during sick leave.
Agence France-Presse quoted private detective agency Lentz Group as saying that the number of companies requesting checks on employees suspected of taking sick leave when they were fit to work has increased significantly. This trend coincides with the “90-hour work week” repeatedly called for by Indian business leaders.
Recently, Larsen & Toubro chairman SN Subrahmanyam sparked controversy when he said he regretted not letting his employees work on Sundays.
Sick leave issues in Germany during recession
Germany is going through a massive economic crisis, with the country bearing the brunt of headwinds throughout 2024. Companies are being forced to assess the impact of high sick leave rates on Europe’s largest economy amid fears of a recession.
AFP quoted Markus Lenz as saying: “If someone takes 30, 40, sometimes up to 100 days of sick leave a year, at some point they become financially unavailable to their employer. Losing appeal.”
Companies from fertilizers to toy manufacturers are now taking strict measures to minimize the impact of absences on their businesses.
Germany’s economic woes
Agence France-Presse reported, citing data from the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, that in 2023, Germans would miss 6.8% of work due to illness on average, which is more serious than France, Italy, Spain and other EU countries.
The Association of German Research Pharmaceutical Companies said that rising sickness absence will lead to a 0.8% reduction in German output in 2023. This trend forced the country’s economy to contract by 0.3%. In India, business tycoons like NR Narayana Murthy often say long working hours are necessary for India’s development.
L&T Chairman SN Subrahmanyan talks about 90-hour working week
An old video of Subramanyan has gone viral on social media. In the video, he can be seen asking employees to work 90 hours a week, even on Sundays.
“I would be happier if I could let you work on Sunday. Because I work on Sunday, too,” he said, asking employees how long they could stare at his wife.
“What are you doing sitting at home? How long can you stare at your wife, and how long can a wife stare at her husband? Come on, come to the office and start working,” he said.
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