The boss of the Berlin Tesla gigafactory, André Thierig, has faced widespread criticism for normalising company visits to employees on sick leave.

Berlin Tesla factory managers check on employees off sick

Management at Tesla’s factory in Grünheide, outside Berlin, has received criticism after bosses went to the homes of staff on sick leave to check on them.

According to The Guardian, bosses visited around 24 employees who have been on paid sick leave during or for the past nine months.

Plant boss André Thierig has accused factory employees off sick of taking advantage of German labour law and pointing out that there is a 2 percent average sick leave rate among temporary employees at Tesla. Temporary employees in Germany do not have the same protections against dismissal as those with permanent work contracts.

IG Metall, the German union representing a portion of Tesla’s 12.000 employees at the factory in Brandenburg, has said that the plant has around a 15 percent sick leave rate among permanent employees. For context, the 5,8 percent sick leave rate recorded across Germany in the first quarter of 2024 was considered by health insurance provider DAK-Gesundheit to be high.

The union cites a “culture of fear” and “extremely high workload” as the main reasons for high sick leave rates at Tesla. “When there are staff shortages, the ill workers are put under pressure and those who remain healthy are overburdened with additional work,” IG Metall regional director Dirk Schulze said.

Since the factory opened in 2022, German magazine Stern has also reported on several worrying factory accidents endangering employees and the environment. These include a fire caused by a battery which resulted in contaminated water leaking into the soil and an illegal petrol station which “uncontrollably” leaked 250 litres of diesel.

Are German companies allowed to check on employees during sick leave?

In Germany, you are required to inform your employer immediately if you are sick and must provide a doctor’s note if you are off work for more than three days. During this time, and for up to six weeks after you first call in sick, your employer is required to pay your regular wage. 

If you are still sick after six weeks, your employer is no longer obliged to pay your wage. Instead, you can claim sickness benefit (Krankengeld). Krankengeld amounts to 70 percent of your gross salary and is paid out by your health insurance provider.

Only in the case of certain serious illnesses are you required to tell your employer why you are off work. However, if you are off work for longer periods, several months, for example, you must give your employer a new sick note from the doctor every six weeks.

After several months of sick leave, you may also be required to meet with your health insurance provider and explain why you have been off sick for so long.

While it is not illegal, it is uncommon for companies in Germany to send a representative to check on sick employees at any point while they are on leave.

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