Germany has decided to put an end to a convenient practice for workers. Starting in January, obtaining a medical certificate by phone will be a thing of the past. The reason is clear: sick leave reaches almost 20 days per year per employee, a burden for the German economy. Now, to be absent, you will have to visit the doctor in person on the first day of illness. The measure aims to reduce absenteeism, although for many it means a leap into the bureaucracy of the last century.
The technological cost of in-person bureaucracy 💻
The new regulation ignores the advancement of telemedicine, which already allowed for quick and safe remote diagnoses. Germany, a leader in engineering, regresses to a sick leave management model based on paper and in-person queues. This will saturate medical offices, increasing waiting times for real patients. From a development perspective, the measure prioritizes control over efficiency. Instead of optimizing resources with digital systems, a manual process is chosen that slows down care and raises the operational costs of the healthcare system.
Doctor, will you sign this or do I have to catch a flight? ✈️
The German solution seems taken from an 80s manual. If you have a fever, forget the quick call; now you have to get dressed, drive, and wait in a waiting room full of people with runny noses. The plan is simple: if getting sick involves a procedure as annoying as going to the doctor, many will think twice before missing work. In the end, the government is not seeking to cure colds, but rather that the fear of the clinic queue becomes the best antibiotic against absenteeism. Productivity above all, even if it means catching a cold in line.