Krankmeldung: Wie sich Arbeitgeber gegen Blaumacher wehren können

In Germany, the number of sick days taken by employees remains high, with workers averaging around 18.6 days of absence per person between January and November 2025, according to data from the Techniker Krankenkasse. This is a significant increase from 2021, when employees only took about 13 days off due to illness throughout the year.

However, it is unclear how many of these absences are genuine cases of sickness and how many are instances of employees faking their illnesses, often referred to as "blau-machen" or "blue-masking." A survey conducted by the opinion research institute Yougov last year found that more than one in four people have falsified their sick leave at some point.

A recent study by the health insurance company Pronova BKK revealed that 60% of employees have claimed to be sick when they were actually fit to work, with seven percent doing so frequently. When an employee repeatedly claims to be sick when they are not, employers must not take it lightly. Two employment law specialists explain what legal options businesses have against such "sick-players."