Thursday, January 02, 2025

German 'sick leave detective' Business is Booming

Rising sick leave rates may be bad news for German companies at a time the economy is already ailing -- but for private eye Marcus Lentz, it has been a boon for his business.

Posted by lamplighter at 02:32 PM | 10 COMMENTS | permalink

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Rising sick leave rates may be bad news for German companies at a time the economy is already ailing -- but for one private eye, it has been a boon for his business.

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-- The Japan Times (@japantimes.co.jp) December 30, 2024 at 7:37 AM

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More from the article ...

... He is seeing a record number of requests from firms for his agency to check up on employees suspected of calling in sick when they are actually fit to work.

"There are just more and more companies that don't want to put up with it anymore," he told AFP, adding his Lentz Group was receiving up to 1,200 such requests annually, around double the figure from a few years earlier.

"If someone has 30, 40 or sometimes up to 100 sick days in a year, then at some point they become economically unattractive for the employer," he said in an interview at his office in the gritty district around Frankfurt's main train station. ...


#1 | Posted by LampLighter at 2025-01-01 02:41 AM

I remember, back circa 2000 or so, when I was responsible for software engineers in a company team in The Netherlands....

I talked with them extensively. Great people.

One thing that did surprise me though, it was not unusual, or uncommon, for a person to stand up in their cubicle and utter, loudly, the word "f--k."

Yeah, the first time I heard that, it did catch my attention. Then the local manager told me, that's the usual here.

Quite odd for me.

But I digress.

Another aspect of the corporate culture, --- if you call in sick you should expect a visit at your residence from ~a company representative~ to assure you are really sick.

That was surprising to me.

#2 | Posted by LampLighter at 2025-01-01 02:55 AM

I know everyone's circumstances are different, but if you are sick, can't most people just work from home?

Shirts at the Gap aren't going to fold themselves, but unless you're doing shift work why does it matter if you go into the office or not.

I go into the office when I need to. Otherwise, I just stay home. Same with my co-workers. I prefer it when they don't come in. I get more done.

#3 | Posted by madbomber at 2025-01-01 06:38 AM

@#3 ... I know everyone's circumstances are different, but if you are sick, can't most people just work from home? ...

If you are sick, the first priority should be to get well, not work.


#4 | Posted by LampLighter at 2025-01-01 01:42 PM

Many people think that the only thing better than having a paid day off when you are sick is having a paid day off when you are not sick.

#5 | Posted by REDIAL at 2025-01-01 01:46 PM

If I'm to sick to work I'm prone to errors and to needing to spend time -------.

#6 | Posted by Tor at 2025-01-01 04:57 PM

Dwight Schrute is on the case.

#7 | Posted by LegallyYourDead at 2025-01-02 11:13 AM

Interviews with the Amazon teamsters protest discloses that almost ALL of them have had an injury from work.

Allegedly, Amazon determines what body mechanics can be performed at what rate. Any deviation is stealing from Amazon.

I worked with some elders who were expected to go up and down just three short steps thousands of times per night while sorting and lifting items for the robots.

Every night during their 10 hour shift.

And to get to a "break" or a "lunch" requires crossing multiple football fields of travel - which is part of your lunch time, including the return to station.

When one of my co-workers died from Covid Amazon lied about his "condition", then very determinedly began getting rid of the elders.

They don't cover unemployment from recovery. You're just SOL with no recourse.

A "detective" knocking on doors to "verify" illness means you're really not off work - they remain engaged in your off time. What is that worth?

Such adversarial behavior remains a shareholder interest as they DEMAND a return.

#8 | Posted by redlightrobot at 2025-01-02 01:42 PM

Look, if I am sick enough to call in I may go to my Doctor or pharmacy. Otherwise any tool that shows up at my door to see if I am sick either isn't going to get an answer or will likely be punched in the face for waking me up if I do. I almost never answer the door.

That said... I get it. There are some massive abusers out there. My wife comments all the time on people from her work who have called in and are then posting themselves out doing things.

#9 | Posted by GalaxiePete at 2025-01-03 12:17 PM

wait the proper word for puke is forbidden?

#10 | Posted by Tor at 2025-01-03 05:08 PM

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