, Columnist
Why the Sick Man Germany Is Paying Up to Curb Sick Days
Desperate employers are introducing attendance incentives but are short of options to deal with surging absenteeism.
Sick leave helped drive Germany into recession last year.
Source: Ems-Forster-Productions/Digital Vision
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With staff absences soaring in Germany, employers such as Tesla Inc. are reaching for an eye-catching tool to motivate workers to show up: a bonus for taking fewer sick days.
Attendance incentives are problematic – not least because they incentivize presenteeism, which could spread infection — but the fact that companies are considering such extreme measures speaks to the severity of the workforce crisis engulfing Europe’s biggest economy.