Volkswagen has sharply increased disciplinary measures against its workforce in 2025.
According to the group’s internal discipline report, 548 employees were dismissed worldwide in the first half of the year for various rule violations. A further 2,079 staff received formal warnings.
The main reason for action: unexcused absences.
At the company’s core brand, VW, more than 300 employees have already been fired this year at the six main German sites – Wolfsburg, Braunschweig, Emden, Hanover, Salzgitter and Kassel.
This figure is already as high as the entire total for 2024, indicating a rapid escalation in recent months.
Absenteeism under scrutiny
Internal communications warn staff that repeated cases of absence without explanation may lead to immediate dismissal.
“Anyone who fails to show up without excuse violates their duty of performance,” said VW’s head of labour law, Volker Fuchs, in a message to employees.
Workers are obliged to inform the company without delay in all cases of absence.
Financial damage and corporate pressure
Absenteeism costs Volkswagen around €1 billion annually, according to VW brand chief Thomas Schäfer, who highlighted the figure at an internal event last year.
The carmaker began publishing disciplinary statistics internally as a transparency measure in the wake of the Dieselgate scandal. The message is clear: misconduct will not be tolerated.
Small share of total workforce, but trend is rising
Although VW employs more than 560,000 people globally, meaning the 548 dismissals affect only around 0.5 percent of staff, the trend points to stricter corporate discipline.
The tougher stance comes amid financial strain: in the first half of 2025, Volkswagen’s profits fell by 30 percent. By 2030, the group plans to cut around 35,000 jobs in Germany.
