There were so many sick days at Tesla’s Brandenburg plant that the bosses visited the affected employees at home. Is that legal? And do the employees have to open the door?
Tesla employees were amazed when their doorbells rang. They had called in sick. Their bosses were standing outside the door: Managing Director André Thierig, next to him HR manager Erik Demmler. The Tesla people were angry, slammed the doors, threatened to call the police or asked: Are you even allowed to do that?
As an employee on sick leave, do I have to open the door?
The bosses were apparently less concerned about the well-being of their employees. They wanted to check whether the employees were really sick. Employees at Tesla Grünheide had called in sick in droves. In August, 17 percent of the 12,000 employees, or more than 2,000, had called in sick. At the beginning of September, many had returned to work, but 11 percent were still sick, meaning that over 1,300 people were apparently in bed. Unacceptable for the bosses.
They apparently became suspicious and started making home visits. But are such check-ups legal? Yes, they are. Employers are not prohibited from visiting employees at home, especially if they suspect that they are skipping work and there is something wrong with their sick note. With a bouquet of flowers in hand, the check-up can be disguised as a well-intentioned sick visit.
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At the same time, there is no obligation to open the door. It could be that you are fast asleep and do not hear the doorbell. Otherwise, employers can contact the health insurance companies’ medical service if they suspect that they are being cheated by reporting sick. At Tesla, the inspection visits certainly caused discontent.
Source: Stern
