Siestas and Subsidies: Berlin Debates Extreme-Heat Work Rules as Productivity Plummets

Germany’s summer heat is costing the economy billions, but employees have no legal right to knock off early or stay home when thermometers hit dangerous levels. A new analysis from Allianz Trade projects that heat-related productivity losses could total 112.5 billion euros by 2030. For each degree above 30 degrees Celsius, output drops roughly three percent, while energy costs climb an average of 1.2 percent per degree of warming. The numbers are prompting fresh calls in Berlin for tougher workplace protections — and even a midday siesta.

Under current law, the foundation for heat protection is the Arbeitsschutzgesetz, the Arbeitsstättenverordnung and the Technische Regeln für Arbeitsstätten (ASR A3.5), which create a three-tier system. At 26 degrees Celsius room temperature, employers should begin evaluating measures — especially for vulnerable groups. At 30 degrees, obligations become mandatory: provide drinking water, relax dress codes, allow flextime so employees can shift work to cooler morning hours. Once temperatures exceed 35 degrees, the room is considered unfit for work without protective measures. Workers still cannot simply leave on their own; doing so may trigger disciplinary consequences. Experts recommend documenting temperatures and raising the issue with supervisors or the works council.

The health toll is equally stark. Sick-leave data for 2023 shows over 92,000 days of incapacity directly attributed to heat or sun exposure. On days above 30 degrees, sickness absenteeism jumps 3.5 percent; during prolonged heatwaves the increase hits six percent. The risk of workplace accidents rises roughly seven percent on extremely hot days. Meanwhile, only about 53 percent of German companies carry out the required hazard assessments for heat stress — a gap that unions and opposition politicians argue leaves millions exposed.

That gap in hazard assessments is more common than many employers realise — and it leaves businesses legally exposed. A free Risk Assessment Toolkit provides 41 ready-to-use templates and checklists that help you document workplace risks properly, from fire safety to lone working, and stay compliant with your duties. Download the free Risk Assessment Toolkit

The Left Party has seized on the issue. In a parliamentary motion (Drucksache 21/6464) it proposes a "climate short-time work benefit" for outdoor workers, modelled on the existing seasonal short-time work scheme. For indoor employees, the party demands mandatory working-hour reductions with full wage compensation. Behind the proposal lies frustration that legal duties alone are not enough to protect workers — especially as summers grow hotter.

Economist Katharina Utermöhl of Allianz Trade suggests borrowing from southern Europe. A midday siesta, she argues, can function as risk management, preserving workers' capacity to perform. Hesse’s Labour Minister Heike Hofmann has urged companies to act voluntarily: shift working hours, remove extra heat sources such as printers from offices. But unions are wary. Anja Piel of the German Trade Union Federation (DGB) insists that flexibilisation must not erode the eight-hour day or the Working Time Act. The responsibility, she stresses, lies squarely with employers to provide a safe working environment.

The debate in the Bundestag has yet to produce new legislation. For now, the rules remain largely advisory until temperatures hit 30 degrees inside the workplace — and even then enforcement is spotty. As heat records tumble year after year, the gap between legal obligations and economic reality is only widening.

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