Guidelines for requesting sick leave
Feeling under the weather? Here's what to do!
Sometimes, you just can't make it to your shift because you're feeling sick. No worries! Just follow these simple steps to let us know:
Give us a heads-up at least 1 hour before your shift
If you're not feeling well and can't make it to your shift, you must inform your hub manager no later than one hour before your shift starts. This is non-negotiable—timely notice is essential for us to arrange a replacement.Call first: Ring up your hub manager and inform them about your situation.
Email: If your hub or hub manager is not reachable via phone/call then make sure to shoot an email to your hub. Please include your hub manager in CC in the email. Make sure to do this as soon as possible, but no later than one hour before your shift starts.
Visit the doctor and upload your sick note on same day like the sickness absence starts.
Find guidelines on how to upload your sick note here.
Important:
If you fail to notify the hub about the absence or to request the absence in the Workforce app in time, this may result in a warning.
Still sick?
If your illness lasts longer than expected, follow the same steps for uploading sick leaves found here for each follow-up sick note (Folgebescheinigung). Keep us in the loop so we can keep things running smoothly.
Important:
Sick notes given via telephone or online (teleclinic) are not accepted. Your sick note must be obtained in person from a doctor for it to be valid.
Special cases
You just started working at Flink
If you got sick in the first 28 days of joining, send your sick note (Ausfertigung zur Vorlage bei der Krankenkasse) directly to your insurance provider. They're the ones footing the bill for these early sick days.
Note:
Your sick note must have the accurate and exact first day of your absence. We might have to reject your request if it's not spot-on.
Your health insurance might verify with Flink your job status in terms of your first 28 days of employment.
Once the insurance note is processed by the health insurance and we've confirmed your Flink employment, your sick pay for the first 4 weeks is paid by your health insurance.
Extended sick leave
If you are sick for the same reason for longer than 6 weeks, Flink stops paying for those sick leaves from 6 weeks onwards and the health insurance takes over the payment for the employee.
The health insurance might require an income certificate or proof of income of sorts. You can share your payslips with the health insurance, which should be sufficient.
In the cases where they require other documentation (usually the Verdienstbescheinigung), you can request it from us here.
Sick leave related to a workplace accident
You must inform your Hub Manager that your sick leave is connected to a workplace accident. To learn more about workplace accidents, click here.
Sick leave to take care of your sick child
If working parents and single parents have a sick child/children under the age of 12 in their household, they are entitled to paid or unpaid leave from work to care for their sick child.
This type of leave is processed and paid out by your health insurance company. You must report your net salary to your health insurance so they can pay you.
Learn more about this leave from the Federal Ministry of Health's FAQ page (German only):
Kinderkrankentagen und Kinderkrankengeld: all about this type of sick leave
Kinder- und Jugendgesundheit: all about children's health
FAQ
Do you accept electronic sick notes (eAU) or physical notes?
Effective October 1, 2025, you can only submit your sick note requests electronically using the Workforce One application. This new process eliminates the need to submit a paper sick note to us and aligns with the mandatory eAU process in Germany, which was introduced on January 1, 2023.
Exceptions to the Policy 🏥
You may still submit a paper sick note (Arbeitsunfähigkeitsbescheinigung) in the following cases:
Hospital stays
Rehabilitation, reintegration and prohibition of employment
Work Accident
Your doctor does not participate on the contractual medical care
Will I get paid when I'm sick?
Flink covers the payment of your sick leave if it is requested after the first 28 days on the job.
If you request it in the initial 28 days of employment, usually your health insurance pays your sick leave during that period. That's why you must contact your health insurance provider directly to confirm whether they will cover your sick leave pay.
Who covers my statutory health insurance expenses?
Under standard German regulations, Flink covers half of your statutory health insurance contribution, and the other half is deducted from your gross salary. This applies if you have a full-time or part-time employment contract.
If you're on a mini-job or a working student contract, your health insurance acts independently, as it's not connected to the money you get from Flink. You can find more information on this here.
Is the payment for vacation and sick leave the same?
Payment for vacation and sick leave is not the same. Let's break it down for you:
Both payments are calculated based on a 5-day working week.
For your daily vacation pay rate, we consider the ratio of the total hours you've worked in the past 3 months to all possible working days during that time (excluding approved absences and public holidays). More information on this is available here.
For sick leave, we calculate it differently. We take your weekly contracted working hours and divide that by the number of working days per week. For instance, if you have a full-time 32-hour per week contract, your sick leave daily rate would be 32 divided by 5. Only approved sick leaves (both paper and electronic) will be paid.
Also note that the sick pay calculations for working students and mini-job employees depend on their weekly contractual hour limits. More details are provided here.
Contact us via Workforce app > Support > Get help.