Sick Notes, Safety Fines, and Prevention: Europe and Asia Reshape Workplace Health Rules
Published on 08/03/2026 at 21:23 | Redaktion boerse-global.de
The rules governing what happens when workers get hurt or fall ill are shifting in different directions across the globe — and employers are on the hook either way.
Vietnam is about to hit companies with fines of up to 75 million VND for skipping mandatory health checks. The new regime, introduced under Decree 283/2026/ND-CP, takes effect on September 10, 2026. From that point, businesses must arrange annual medical examinations for their entire workforce — and for employees in hazardous roles, the interval shrinks to every six months.
The penalty structure escalates quickly. Missing a check costs one to three million VND per worker, capped at 75 million VND per company. But the real sting comes when employers fail to screen staff before moving them into high-risk positions: that carries fines of five to ten million VND. Incomplete safety plans run 15 to 20 million VND, while poor disinfection practices trigger penalties of 20 to 25 million VND. Even employees aren't exempt — workers who refuse to wear required protective gear can face sanctions of their own.
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Authorities in Ho Chi Minh City have already put 100 businesses on notice over unpaid social insurance contributions, and the decree adds teeth to that effort with fines ranging from 18 to 20 percent of the evaded amount.
Across the Atlantic, Germany is heading in a stricter direction on sick leave. The federal government plans to reintroduce the requirement for a doctor's certificate starting from the very first day of illness in 2026. The move would also scrap the pandemic-era option of getting a sick note over the phone.
The push comes amid sharply rising absenteeism. Between January and November 2025, the average German worker took 18.6 sick days — up from roughly 13 days in 2021. Surveys suggest a notable share of employees have called in sick at some point without actually being unable to work.
The proposal has ignited a political fight. Some mid-sized companies already require day-one certificates and report success, but unions and social welfare groups are pushing back hard. Hans-Josef Hotz, chair of the VdK in Baden-Württemberg, calls the plan a "bureaucracy monster" that would swamp doctors' offices. The DGB Bavaria chapter is blunter, dismissing the idea as simply "nonsensical."
Courts, meanwhile, have already tilted the playing field toward employers. In a ruling with the reference number 7 SLa 54/25, the Regional Labour Court of Cologne decided that the evidentiary weight of a sick note can be undermined when the timing of the illness coincides suspiciously with workplace conflicts or when the justification lacks credibility. In such cases, the employee must provide concrete details of their symptoms — or risk losing continued wage payments.
France offers a counterpoint. Rather than punishing non-compliance, Paris is betting on early intervention. Starting in October 2026, physiotherapists there will be allowed to conduct preventive health screenings on their own initiative. These 30- to 45-minute check-ups target young adults as well as workers in the middle and late stages of their careers, with the goal of catching health risks before they become career-ending problems.
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