Where Data Tells the Story
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Germany's record number of sick days recently made headlines and fuelled the narrative of a ‘lazy society’, but in a European comparison, Germany ranks only seventh with 3.6 weeks of absenteeism, which is only slightly above the European average.
The model of waiting days, which is intended to cap sick days, does little to reduce absenteeism. Despite unpaid sick days, Spain has an average of almost five weeks of sick days, while Lithuania, with full pay from day one, has only 1.5 weeks.