Germany to scrap “sick leave by phone”: doctor’s note required from day one, Merz says

Germany’s governing coalition has announced a shift in sick-leave rules, moving to require a medical certificate from the very first day of illness when an employer requests it, and ending the ability to obtain the note by phone.

Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Germany’s number of sick days is “too high” and argued the country can no longer tolerate the economic disadvantage created by long periods away from work. He said the reforms are meant to return to the pre-Covid approach while keeping businesses and employers able to agree additional arrangements.

Under the current system described in the reporting, employees generally do not need to provide a doctor’s note until after a short threshold—typically the fourth day—although employers can request it earlier. The new plan would tighten that framework and prevent the short-term “phone-in” method that was introduced during the Covid-19 period.

Medical groups and doctors’ associations have criticised the proposal, arguing it would force large numbers of people with minor illnesses to visit already strained practices, including cases that they say should simply be treated with rest at home. The government’s health and labour figures signaled they would examine how workable the plan is and whether it has unintended effects.

The sick-leave changes are part of a broader package of reforms intended to boost Germany’s economy and reduce burdens such as bureaucracy, with Merz and coalition partners pointing to competitiveness and productivity concerns as the rationale.