Germany Considers Immediate Sick Note Requirement for Workers

WHO:

CTV News - German Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Minister-President of Bavaria Markus Söder, Federal Minister of Labor and Social Affairs Bärbel Bas, and Federal Minister of Finance Lars Klingbeil attended a press conference.

WHAT:

CTV News - Germany is considering a plan that would require workers to obtain a doctor's note on the first day of illness, effectively banning the practice of calling in sick without documentation.

BBC News - A doctors' group criticized the plan, stating it "borders on madness" that patients would need to obtain the note in person.

WHERE:

CTV News - The press conference took place in the garden of the Chancellery in Berlin, Germany.

WHEN:

CTV News - The coalition committee meeting, which discussed the sick note requirement, occurred on July 2, 2026.

WHY:

CTV News - The proposed requirement aims to address issues related to absenteeism in the workplace.

HOW:

CTV News - The plan would mandate that employees secure a doctor's note immediately upon reporting their illness, rather than allowing for a grace period.

(UPDATED July 4, 2026 07:52 UTC)

In a recent press conference held in the garden of the Chancellery in Berlin, German Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz and other officials discussed a controversial new plan that would require workers to obtain a doctor's note on the first day of illness, effectively eliminating the ability to call in sick without documentation. This proposal, aimed at tackling absenteeism in the workplace, has faced criticism from a doctors' group, which described the requirement as "borders on madness," emphasizing that patients would need to secure the note in person. The coalition committee meeting that addressed this sick note requirement took place on July 2, 2026.