As of: January 24, 2024, 12:00 p.m
By: Anne Hund
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If you don't feel well when you wake up, some employees ask themselves whether they can still work.
The health insurance company Pronova BKK reports.
Slight sniffly nose or feeling unwell after getting up - do you go to work that day despite mild symptoms or call in sick?
“For 59 percent of employees in Germany, the so-called bedside decision is in favor of reporting sick, even though they would be able to work,” reports the
health insurance company Pronova BKK
on the results of a new study involving 1,204 employees
18 years old were surveyed online in November 2023.
According to the survey, ten percent do this often, 23 percent sometimes and 26 percent rarely.
It is essential that you report your inability to work to your employer in a timely manner.
(Symbolic image) © Pond5 Images/Imago
Back pain is a common problem
“A rethink is apparently taking place when it comes to presenteeism,” says the statement from
Pronova BKK:
According to the survey, significantly fewer employees with mild infections now go to work than before the corona pandemic.
“While 50 percent did this in 2018, in 2023 it was only 34 percent.” In addition, according to the information, fewer employees drag themselves to work with back pain: “The number of those affected has fallen by eleven percentage points to 46 percent since 2018.” There is still pain Back is the disease with which Germans report for duty most often, according to the health insurance company.
According to the study, many employees go to work sick
In general, for many employees, illness is not always a reason to stay at home and recover, as the study shows: As before, not even one in three people manage their illness to the point of complete recovery, according to the health insurance company's statement the survey.
“Especially when it comes to respiratory illnesses and contagious infections, 23 and 19 percent, respectively, just wait until the worst symptoms are over.”
Survey: One in eight people go to work with a positive corona test
One in eight employees apparently goes to work with a positive corona test, as the study also shows.
“What is particularly worrying is the fact that twelve percent of those surveyed returned to their workplace with a positive corona test and a mild course,” says the
Pronova BKK
statement on the occasion of the survey at the end of last year.
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Report your inability to work to your employer immediately
Nobody likes to be sick.
But even if you are not feeling well, as an employee you are obliged to immediately report your inability to work and its expected duration to your employer.
Otherwise you could face legal trouble.
In some companies, the employer makes specific announcements in advance about how the sick note must be transmitted and who should be informed in any case, for example as the (direct) contact person, in the event of a sick report.
And those affected should think about another thing: In the event of illness, their superiors may also have to organize a replacement.
Therefore, when reporting sick, you should also point out which tasks need to be completed during your absence.
Recreational walks for recovery
If you are on sick leave, you should generally do everything you can to get well again as quickly as possible and, if necessary, stay in bed.
But that doesn't mean that you just have to stay at home because you're sick.
For example, you can pick something up at the pharmacy around the corner with a clear conscience or even go for a short walk in the fresh air if it is good for your own health.