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Deutsche Post under fire for penalizing employees who call in sick too often

Germany's Deutsche Post faced criticism on Monday for penalizing short-term employees who too frequently call in sick, with Finance Minister Olaf Scholz urging the logistics giant to change the practice.

Published: 7 May 2018 12:52 CEST

Deutsche Post under fire for penalizing employees who call in sick too often

A Deutsche Post worker in Leipzig. Photo: DPA

The controversy comes after Deutsche Post admitted on Sunday that one of the criteria it used to decide whether a fixed-term employee should be given a permanent contract was the amount of sick leave taken, confirming a report in the Bild am Sonntag daily.

Workers who have been off sick more than six times or have racked up more than 20 sick days over a two-year period lose their chance of winning an unlimited contract, according to Deutsche Post's internal rules.

“To the extent that we can influence it, we will respond immediately to see the practice changed,” Scholz told German broadcaster ARD late Sunday.

FOR MEMBERS: 10 rules you need to know if you get sick in Germany

“Those who hold a seat on the supervisory board for us will respond… talks have already been agreed,” he said.

The German government owns a near 21-percent stake in Deutsche Post through the state development bank KfW. It has a voice on the company's supervisory board, with a finance ministry official and a KfW representative each holding a seat.

A Deutsche Post spokesman told AFP on Monday that the firm was “in regular contact with our main shareholder” and fully intended to “respond to the questions” asked.

The spat comes at a time when the government is pushing employers to offer staff unlimited contracts whenever possible to clamp down on the proliferation of precarious, fixed-term contracts that are popular with bosses but leave workers with little job security.

Reiner Hoffmann, head of Germany's DGB trade union federation, said Deutsche Post's actions were “morally reprehensible”.

As part of its decision process on whether to grant permanent contracts, Deutsche Post workers are also judged on how many traffic accidents they have been involved in on the job, and how long they take to finish their routes.

The group has defended its criteria, saying they were “neither arbitrary nor intransparent”.

READ ALSO: What working parents in Germany need to know when their child is sick

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Which Bavaria-based companies regularly hire English speakers?

Munich ranks third in German cities with the highest total GDP, behind Berlin and Hamburg, but in terms of GDP per capita, it’s higher than both of them.

It also consistently ranks high, often highest, in terms of average household income.

As of 2023, nine of the 40 companies listed on DAX, Germany’s stock index, were based in Bavaria. Seven of those are based specifically in Munich.

While Frankfurt is commonly known to be Germany’s business capital, Munich can claim the title of Germany’s insurance capital, which is saying something, as Germany is home to some of the largest insurance firms in the world, like Allianz.

Beyond the state’s capital city, a number of international companies are based elsewhere in Bavaria, particularly in the Franken region, near Nuremberg.

Which companies actively hire English speakers?

Bavaria, and Munich in particular, is home to a number of companies at the forefront of international business. But the state is known for its traditional, sometimes conservative, culture, which affects its business culture as well.

Whereas companies embracing English as their primary business language are easy to find in Berlin, the practice is less common in the south. That said, there are some notable exceptions.

Sportswear giants, Adidas and Puma, both have their headquarters near Nuremberg in Herzogenaurach, and regularly recruit English speaking international talent.

“As an international company, our teams reflect the rich diversity of our consumers and communities,” Jon Greenhalgh, Senior Manager Media Relations for Adidas told The Local. “Fostering a culture of inclusion where we value and leverage differences, ensures that we can authentically engage with our employees and truly connect with our consumers.”

He added that around 40 per cent of Adidas’ Germany-based employees are foreign nationals, from over 100 different countries.

Siemens and BMW rank among Bavaria’s top employers, and are also known to hire their fair share of foreigners.

“In Germany, we recently had around 2,000 open positions,” Konstanze Somborn told The Local on behalf of Siemens AG.

He added that Siemens operates in 190 countries. “That is why we value international teams very much…English as a common language is very usual.”

READ ALSO: ‘Which German companies want to hire foreigners?’

Similarly, BMW hires workers from a variety of backgrounds.

“Every year, we hire lots of internationals and welcome them to the BMW Group,” Dr. Hans-Peter Ketterl, a press spokesman for BMW Group told The Local.

But not all of these positions are available to non-German speakers.

Ketterl added that BMW’s working language is German in the country, even though, “English is an indispensable entry requirement as the second corporate language in many areas of the company.”

Check job boards and follow best practices

If it’s your first time applying for jobs in Germany, make sure to change your resume to the German format, even for English positions.

While Germany is home to its own job boards, like Xing, LinkedIn is probably the best place to start. In addition to searching for positions based in your preferred location, you can check relevant groups, like Munich Startups, to broaden your horizons.

The English Jobs in Germany website is also a good resource to start with.

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