Germany to Require Medical Certificate from First Day of Illness

Germany will require workers to submit a medical certificate from the first day of illness under new rules announced last week. The change ends the current system that allowed employees to stay home for up to three days without documentation. Officials stated the measure responds to concerns that high rates of sick leave have reduced productivity.

Under existing rules, workers receive full salary for up to six weeks while on sick leave.

Poland will introduce mandatory medical checks after 14 days of sick leave. Workers there receive 80 percent of pay from the first day, or 100 percent for work-related illness or injury. Hungary already requires a medical note from day one. Employees receive 70 percent of salary for the first 15 days, then 50 to 60 percent thereafter.

Statutory sick pay stands at £123 per week, though some employers provide additional coverage. France gives workers 48 hours to submit a note, with statutory pay covering 50 percent of base salary. Spain provides no pay for the first three days, then 60 percent for a month and 75 percent after the 20th day.

Italy also sets a 48-hour deadline for notes. Pay for the first three days depends on contract terms, followed by 50 percent for the first month and roughly 67 percent for the next five months. Hospitality workers receive 80 percent throughout. Sweden allows up to eight days before a note is required.

Workers receive 80 percent of pay for the first 14 days, after which they apply for benefits through the social insurance agency. European sick leave systems vary widely in documentation requirements and payment levels. The United States has sick pay laws in fewer than half of its states.