In Germany, every new year brings with it changes and updates in employment law. We have summarized below which new regulations may want to prepare for in the course of 2024.

Quick Hits

• German employment law changes in 2024 will deal with leaves of absence (sickness leave and parental leave), skilled worker immigration, employment of severely disabled individuals, and whistleblower protections.
• Effective January 1, 2024, the minimum wage rate is 12.41 per hour.
• The Compensatory Levy, which employers need to pay when they fail to meet the disability hiring quotas, has been increased.

Obtaining a Sick Leave Medical Certificate Via Telephone Will Again Be Possible

A provision allowing employees to obtain, via telephone, medical certificates for sick leave has been permanently reintroduced in Germany as of December 7, 2023. The essential conditions for this are the following:

• The patient must not have severe symptoms.
• The patient must be personally known in the doctor’s practice.
• It is not possible to determine incapacity for work during a video consultation.

General practitioners still have the authority to decide whether incapacity for work can be determined on the basis of a telephone call or whether an in-office examination is necessary. A practitioner may issue an initial medical certificate via telephone for a maximum of five days but may not extend it via telephone call. If the practitioner issues the medical certificate during a video consultation, it can be...

Read Full Story: https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMiUWh0dHBzOi8vd3d3Lmpkc3VwcmEuY29tL2xl...