1400 euros for not being ill - clever bonus or health-threatening pressure?

Bonus against stomach ache: What's behind the model from Dortmund?

A company in Dortmund is currently causing a stir in the world of work - and with an unusual proposal: if you don't fall ill for a year, you get a 1400 euro bonus. However, 140 euros are lost per day of illness. GfG Gesellschaft für Gerätebau has been using this model for years - with apparently resounding success. Their sickness rate is only half the national average.

Sounds like a win-win at first: employees healthy, boss happy, lower health insurance costs. But not everyone sees it that way. After all, what happens when employees turn up for work despite being ill just to avoid losing their bonus?

Sick or just tired? When money controls health

The economist Prof. Dr. Nicolas R. Ziebarth puts it in a nutshell: "Reward works better than punishment." He believes the model makes sense in principle - as long as it is implemented in a well thought-out way. Above all, it could reduce minor illnesses or the classic "blues".

But the scientific community remains divided. A US study from 2024 comes to a paradoxical conclusion: an attendance bonus can actually cause more sick days. Why? Because employees suddenly feel less guilty if they do call in sick - after all, they have "earned" it beforehand.

In contrast, other studies show that lottery models in which a prize is raffled off among all those present at the end of the month work better. The reason: no personal pressure, but a shared incentive.

Between control and trust: What is the employer allowed to do?

Critics accuse the model of sending unhealthy signals. After all, anyone who goes to work sick not only risks their own health, but may also infect others - this is a real problem, especially in open-plan offices or production halls. An unhealthy competition arises in which loyalty is suddenly equated with illness.

What about chronically ill employees? Or those with children who regularly need care time? For them, the bonus system quickly becomes a discrimination trap. And that's where it gets tricky - also in terms of employment law. After all, a bonus must not exert indirect pressure on employees with weaker health.

Motivation yes, but please not on a sick bill

Rewards are okay - but not at any price. It's right to create incentives that reduce absenteeism. But those who gamble on the health of their employees are playing with fire. The bonus quickly turns into a boomerang when employees drag themselves to work with flu, migraines or burnout - just because they want a little more in their bank account at the end of the year.

In plain language: anyone who shows up with a fever of 39 is not a hero - but a risk. The bonus for health should not become a premium for self-denial. Our suggestion: why not invest the money in real health promotion - in exercise, nutrition, mental balance?

After all, if you really want to stay healthy, you don't need a bonus - you need a workplace that allows you to do so.