incapacity for work
Medical President open to part-time sick leave
When you’re sick, you don’t go to work – or could something be possible in a dosed form without endangering your recovery?
Medical President Klaus Reinhardt is open to employees being able to get “part-time sick leave” for a few hours a day. “The world of work has changed a lot in recent years, especially due to digitalization and the possibility of working from home,” the President of the German Medical Association told the newspapers of the Funke media group.
Nevertheless, in the healthcare system there is still only a fundamental distinction between ability to work and inability to work. “A practical form of part-time sick leave for a few hours a day could take the new possibilities into account and provide more flexibility.” The medical president emphasized: “It is of course clear that the well-being and safe recovery of the sick must always come first.”
Limited work possible?
Reinhardt referred to good experiences with reintegration programs after long periods of illness, in which working hours are gradually increased. These experiences could certainly also be transferred to less serious illnesses. “An example of this is minor infections, in which direct contact with colleagues in the office should be avoided. In such cases, however, working from home may offer the opportunity to carry out professional tasks to a limited extent and still recover.”
dpa
Source: Stern
