Online sick note
Since the pandemic, new ways of visiting the doctor have been sought. Due to the high risk of infection, the goal was to keep people away from the doctor’s office as much as possible. The core idea at this point was to prevent many infected or contagious people from meeting or even coming into contact with people who were at the doctor’s office for routine examinations, for example. Initially, there was the possibility of reporting illness by telephone to one’s family doctor. This developed further and further, so that it is now possible to see an online doctor for any kind of complaint.
Here, you dial in via a website, fill out a questionnaire and then receive a consultation with a doctor via an online meeting. You simply enter your personal data, health insurance and the respective symptoms and any pre-existing conditions, and on the basis of this you receive an appointment for a consultation with a doctor. This means that it is no longer a problem to take a sick note without even leaving the house.
This method naturally offers numerous opportunities for employees to take a sick leave without really being ill. One can indicate symptoms indiscriminately with the questionnaire, without these being able to be really examined by a physician, since the direct examination of the patient is omitted and this must decide purely on basis of the discussion whether the patient is really ill. Thus, one can indicate directly at the start whether one wants to request a prescription, a consultation or a sick note. The required sick note can then simply be retrieved via app or email and made available to the employer.
The employer is forced to accept the sick note in this case because it was issued by a doctor, but these sick notes raise many doubts. While it holds good possibilities for some, it makes it very easy for those who just want to take a few days off. For example, it is doubtful whether a sore throat or abdominal pain can really be confirmed remotely or serve as a simple excuse. Many employers know this problem and wonder whether the sick leave is really justified or just a reason for a few days off.
If you have a concrete suspicion and doubt the credibility of your employees’ sick leave, please feel free to contact us for a no-obligation consultation.
A free initial consultation is possible with us at any time by e-mail or telephone. Experience shows that it is worthwhile for our professional investigators to take care of the matter.
Investigators can check whether your employee is really home sick or has gone on vacation, for example, or is allowing himself a few nice days at home.
In the meantime, it is becoming increasingly common for employees to call in sick in order to work for the competition on the side. Therefore, following our investigation, you will always receive a detailed report that can be used in court, documenting any misconduct.
