Feigning Illness by Employees

As an employer, you rely on reliable, capable, and above all healthy employees. While these qualities apply to the majority of staff, unfortunately, not all meet these expectations. Some employees stand out due to unusually frequent sick leave notifications.

 

You may already suspect that some employees are not truly ill, but instead are taking some extra leisure time or even earning money illegally on the side. Contact the detectives of Kurtz Corporate Detective Agency Münster to obtain certainty: +49 251 7009 0014.

Tempting for many: a long weekend

On average, employees subject to social insurance are sick around 12 days per year, while for civil servants the number of sick days is roughly double. Unlike workers and employees who no longer receive continued salary payments from the employer after six weeks of sick leave, civil servants are treated differently. This sometimes leads them to schedule deferrable treatments (such as minor cosmetic operations) during their working life and before retirement. On average, social insurance agencies receive daily medical certificates (sick notes) from about 3.5 percent of employees subject to social insurance, but not all of these notifications are based on genuine illness (Aug. 2014 – Aug. 2015).

 

The distribution of sick days is notable: around 35 percent of sick notifications occur on a Monday, but only 16.7 percent on a Wednesday (2013). While some employees may sustain injuries during weekend sports activities, a considerable number extend their “too short” weekends with a medical certificate. If in your company an employee frequently enjoys the “blue” Monday, contact our detectives in Münster to clarify the employee’s loyalty: kontakt@kurtz-detektei-muenster.de.

Sign reading “I HATE MONDAYS”; Sick leave abuse, wage payment fraud, Corporate Detective Agency Münster, Corporate Investigator Münster, Detective Agency Münster

Many employees unfortunately take Bob Geldof’s hit “I Don’t Like Mondays” as a motto, extending what they see as far too short weekends on their own terms.

“Illness” has many causes

The reasons for feigning illness are varied: a daughter has a ballet performance, a son an important football match, a grandmother turns 80, or the parents celebrate a silver wedding anniversary. All events people wish to attend, but with a false medical certificate, the employer suffers, social insurance agencies incur costs (not only in the case of sickness benefit payments), and ultimately society as a whole is affected.

 

Also notable are peak periods for sick leave notifications: primarily around Easter, during summer holidays, autumn holidays, and Christmas, when sick notifications rise from the usual 3.5 percent to up to 4.6 percent. Colleagues of the “sick” employee must cover their work in addition to their own, and employers may need to hire additional staff; in the worst case, revenue losses occur – an unsustainable situation for many companies. If you suspect that one of your employees is avoiding duties with a medical certificate and instead enjoying leisure time, place your trust in the private detectives of Kurtz Detective Agency Münster. Our investigators conduct surveillance on the suspect and provide legally admissible evidence: +49 251 7009 0014.