Your employer is pushing for termination of your employment contract. Pressure is being applied — sometimes subtly, sometimes openly. How do you recognise the tactics? And how do you protect yourself without unnecessarily damaging the relationship?
The message is not always direct. Sometimes it starts with a "good conversation" in which your employer discusses "options." Or HR calls to ask whether you have "thought about the future." Gradually the tone becomes clearer: your employer wants you to leave.
The pressure can also be more explicit. A salary stop is threatened if you do not cooperate. It is suggested that dismissal proceedings will follow. Or a settlement agreement is put on the table with the message: "Take it or leave it."
This pressure comes at a time when you are already vulnerable. You are sick, worried about your health, and now you must also defend your job. That combination is exhausting and makes it harder to think clearly.
But that is precisely what the employer hopes. Pressuring a sick employee is intended to make you say "yes" faster. Read more about dismissal during sick leave and your legal protection.
"This offer is only valid until Friday." Or: "If you do not sign now, it will be less." Time pressure is designed to make you sign before you can seek legal advice. In reality there is rarely a genuine deadline.
"Then we will start dismissal proceedings at the court." That sounds threatening, but during the first two years of illness, dismissal through the court is in most cases impossible due to the dismissal ban. The threat is often stronger than the reality.
You are no longer invited to meetings, your tasks are transferred, colleagues are told you are "not coming back." This creates the feeling that you no longer belong and makes leaving seem more attractive.
An employer may inform you about options, but repeated pressure to sign or leave while you are sick can be legally problematic. Especially if the pressure impedes your recovery. Document every form of pressure.
During sick leave your employer cannot dismiss you. This means: all pressure is intended to make you leave voluntarily. You do not have to go along with it. Your "no" is legally watertight as long as you cooperate with reintegration.
If the pressure from your employer worsens your symptoms or impedes your recovery, that is relevant for the company doctor and potentially for legal proceedings. Report it to the company doctor and document it.
Everything you say, write or do can be used by the employer. Therefore always respond in writing, professionally and constructively. Avoid emotional outbursts or angry reactions — however understandable they may be.
The first step is recognising that you are being pressured. That is not a sign of weakness but of awareness. Once you recognise the tactic, you can deal with it consciously instead of being overwhelmed.
Record date, time, content and who was present. Save emails, messages, letters. Send confirmation emails after phone calls. This evidence is crucial if the situation escalates.
Answer by email. "I have received your proposal. I will have it reviewed. I am focusing on my recovery and reintegration per the company doctor's advice." Brief, neutral, professional.
Tell the company doctor that you experience pressure from your employer to leave. If this worsens your symptoms, the company doctor should establish this. This becomes part of your file and strengthens your position.
If the relationship is becoming strained due to the pressure, propose mediation. This shows your constructive attitude and makes it harder for the employer to claim you are unwilling to cooperate on a solution.
With persistent pressure, legal support is essential. A letter from a legal adviser makes clear to your employer that you know your rights and that further pressure may have consequences.
"Every time I speak with my employer, it is about leaving. It is making me sicker."
Report this to the company doctor. If the pressure worsens your symptoms, that is medically relevant. Ask the company doctor to establish that the pressure impedes your recovery. Request communication via email instead of meetings, so you retain control.
"The employer offers a settlement agreement with the message that the amount will go down if I do not sign quickly."
This is a common negotiation tactic. In reality, every month you remain employed costs your employer more money (continued salary). The employer has more reason to hurry than you. Take your time and have the proposal reviewed.
"My employer says that if I do not sign, they will go to court."
During sick leave, dismissal through the court is in most cases impossible. The dismissal ban protects you. Courts reject dissolution requests when the grounds relate to the illness. This threat is usually a pressure tactic, not a realistic scenario. Read more about exceptions to the dismissal ban.
"I do not want to sign but am afraid my employer will make things difficult for me."
Retaliation against a sick employee who refuses to sign is legally unacceptable. If your employer punishes you for your refusal — through salary stop, isolation or sabotage of reintegration — that actually strengthens your position. Document everything and seek legal assistance.
Pressure from your employer to leave is one of the most stressful situations during sick leave. You feel you must choose between your health and your job.
MediRights takes the pressure off you. We assess whether the pressure is justified, whether the dismissal ban protects you, and what your options are. We ensure communication with your employer proceeds professionally and legally correctly.
If a proposal is on the table, we review and negotiate. If the pressure is unlawful, we intervene. The goal: protect you so you can focus on your recovery.
Have your situation assessed. You do not have to yield to pressure when your rights protect you.
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