Here's is what's going to happen if the "sick note from the first day" becomes a thing; people will get more sick leave, not less. If you just called in for a day or two, you would probably go back to work on day three or day four. If, however, you have to go to the trouble of getting a "Krankschreibung", you're going to be out a full week...at the least. And that's from a doctor that doesn't just rubber stamp the sick leave. Some shadier MDs will simply ask you how much time you want off. So, as usual, this is some kind of punitive measure that will actually achieve the opposite of what it's trying to do. More of the whole "beatings will continue until morale improves" philosophy of leadership. Very inspiring!
Yeah, there are so many problems with it. My theory is they're having him do lots of horrible things so they can eventually fire him and take back some of the reforms but keep the bulk.
This is funny to me because I interviewed lots of management consultants as a financial journalist and almost every one of them (and also our boss at Berliner Zeitung who had been a management consultant) loved to trot out an inordinate number of sick days as a problem. The part they leave out is that they just thought people were calling in sick too often, the numbers weren't actually too high. Germany is in the middle.
Also, someone on Threads pointed out that many large companies rely on the two-day without proof rule because it's easier for people to just not show up than have everyone the paperwork required to attend a wedding, unexpected funeral or take someone to the hospital last minute.
3.6 weeks per year? That's a lot. Are Germans really sick twice as much as Luxembourgers? I find this hard to believe. I used to run a small company and the high number of sick days was a major problem thanks to lax rules.
The average Berliner takes 20 sick days per annum. Brandenburg 24! Then go west and numbers are closer to 12 and 16 days per year. There’s definitely, perhaps unsurprisingly, an east/west divide. By the way, everybody in Munich and Stuttgart seems to know these numbers. It’s flaming, hot political fodder for them. Speaking to his base, Merz is fanning the flames.
I agree! It’s hard to imagine the proposed sick day reform going far. But Merz and Co. have been prioritizing this problem all year! I wrote about it the week before the CDU conference, since which time the proposals have been watered down. But still!?
My contempt for the current urban planners knows no limit. Just near me on Torstr. in Mitte, they want to keep it as a four-lane car thoroughfare, and add bike paths by reducing the sidewalk, as well as sacrifice dozens of healthy trees. The lack of vision is staggering compared to other capitals like Paris.
Building new apartments does not solve housing crisis if the appartments are treated as a comodity. They just fall into the hands of speculators; they just have more resources than you. They will outpriceyou every single time. One easy cheap way to solve a housing crisys is treating housing as a human right and not a for profit venture. But that requires a government that doesnt work for the investors.
The problem now is not enough apartments. The government should build as many as it can and make it easier for investors to build lots and then at some point we end up with oversupply and it gets cheaper and the investors leave and the government can buy for cheap.
May i remind you of 2008? Also, there is no cheap oversupply on human rights. Either you have them or you dont. Housing is a human right. A complicated one. The goal of the investors is to extract money, they will never leave if there is money to extract. Supply and demand do not work here. Has never worked.
The sick note "reform" seems like a great way to clog up doctor's offices. I understand the problem. But there must be a better way.
Here's is what's going to happen if the "sick note from the first day" becomes a thing; people will get more sick leave, not less. If you just called in for a day or two, you would probably go back to work on day three or day four. If, however, you have to go to the trouble of getting a "Krankschreibung", you're going to be out a full week...at the least. And that's from a doctor that doesn't just rubber stamp the sick leave. Some shadier MDs will simply ask you how much time you want off. So, as usual, this is some kind of punitive measure that will actually achieve the opposite of what it's trying to do. More of the whole "beatings will continue until morale improves" philosophy of leadership. Very inspiring!
Yeah, there are so many problems with it. My theory is they're having him do lots of horrible things so they can eventually fire him and take back some of the reforms but keep the bulk.
Sleight of hand with Fritz as a Bauernopfer.
Doesn't Germany have the highest number of sick leave days ler year on average? Clearly there's abuse.
This is funny to me because I interviewed lots of management consultants as a financial journalist and almost every one of them (and also our boss at Berliner Zeitung who had been a management consultant) loved to trot out an inordinate number of sick days as a problem. The part they leave out is that they just thought people were calling in sick too often, the numbers weren't actually too high. Germany is in the middle.
Also, someone on Threads pointed out that many large companies rely on the two-day without proof rule because it's easier for people to just not show up than have everyone the paperwork required to attend a wedding, unexpected funeral or take someone to the hospital last minute.
https://www.betriebsrat.de/fachartikel/gesundheit/krankenstand-europa-vergleich-4562845
3.6 weeks per year? That's a lot. Are Germans really sick twice as much as Luxembourgers? I find this hard to believe. I used to run a small company and the high number of sick days was a major problem thanks to lax rules.
The average Berliner takes 20 sick days per annum. Brandenburg 24! Then go west and numbers are closer to 12 and 16 days per year. There’s definitely, perhaps unsurprisingly, an east/west divide. By the way, everybody in Munich and Stuttgart seems to know these numbers. It’s flaming, hot political fodder for them. Speaking to his base, Merz is fanning the flames.
I agree! It’s hard to imagine the proposed sick day reform going far. But Merz and Co. have been prioritizing this problem all year! I wrote about it the week before the CDU conference, since which time the proposals have been watered down. But still!?
https://daniellazar.substack.com/p/pants-on-prosperity-on
My contempt for the current urban planners knows no limit. Just near me on Torstr. in Mitte, they want to keep it as a four-lane car thoroughfare, and add bike paths by reducing the sidewalk, as well as sacrifice dozens of healthy trees. The lack of vision is staggering compared to other capitals like Paris.
Just go walk around Uber Arena. You had a chance to create something unique and worthwhile. Instead they created a 1950s downtown.
Building new apartments does not solve housing crisis if the appartments are treated as a comodity. They just fall into the hands of speculators; they just have more resources than you. They will outpriceyou every single time. One easy cheap way to solve a housing crisys is treating housing as a human right and not a for profit venture. But that requires a government that doesnt work for the investors.
The problem now is not enough apartments. The government should build as many as it can and make it easier for investors to build lots and then at some point we end up with oversupply and it gets cheaper and the investors leave and the government can buy for cheap.
May i remind you of 2008? Also, there is no cheap oversupply on human rights. Either you have them or you dont. Housing is a human right. A complicated one. The goal of the investors is to extract money, they will never leave if there is money to extract. Supply and demand do not work here. Has never worked.
Oh, ok.