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Returning to Work Gradually Post-Illness: A Phased Return with BEM

Struggling with a lack of skilled workers? Occupational Reintegration Management (BEM) serves to assist individuals returning to work following an illness.

Returning to Work After Illness: A Gradual Transition with BEM
Returning to Work After Illness: A Gradual Transition with BEM

Returning to Work Gradually Post-Illness: A Phased Return with BEM

In Germany, employers are legally obligated to implement a reintegration management process, known as BEM (Betriebliches Einbeziehungsmanagement), for employees who have been absent due to illness or injury for a prolonged period. This process is designed to support the employee's sustainable return to work and retain them within the company.

The legal basis for BEM can be found in § 167 Abs. 2 SGB IX (Social Security Code Book Nine). Employers are obliged to offer a BEM procedure if employees have been unable to work for six weeks or more within the last twelve months. Companies must ensure that the process complies with applicable labor, disability, and insurance laws and must cooperate with medical professionals and relevant institutions to assess the employee’s readiness to return.

The BEM Procedure

The BEM procedure typically involves discussions about possible measures tailored individually, with participants such as the company doctor, external experts, personnel or works council, and severely disabled representative. The goals of a BEM include overcoming work incapacity and retaining employees in the company.

A clear, compliant return-to-work (RTW) plan with medical clearance and functional assessments is developed. Work tasks and schedules are adapted in line with the employee’s capacities. Open communication among employer, employee, medical staff, and insurers is maintained to identify and solve challenges early. Occupational rehabilitation support and retraining may also be provided if necessary.

The Stepped Reintegration Model

The most popular variant of operational integration management in Germany is the "Hamburg Model", also known as the stepped reintegration. In this model, the original working time is significantly reduced and then gradually increased in the stepped reintegration plan. The employee gradually regains full professional capacity at the original workplace over a longer period.

Benefits of BEM

BEM can help prevent future work incapacity and retain employees in the company. It can involve psychological support in addition to medical treatment and rehabilitation, depending on the illness. The German Pension Insurance Association offers all forms for determining and initiating stepped reintegration for download.

It is essential to note that neither employees nor employers incur any financial disadvantage compared to the situation of employees' incapacity for work during the BEM process. Participation in BEM procedures is voluntary.

In summary, legal requirements do exist for implementing reintegration management procedures, focusing on employer obligations to facilitate and support employees' return after long-term absence. These obligations typically include formal planning, cooperation with health assessments, workplace adjustments, and ongoing communication.

  1. In the context of Germany's workplace wellness and health-and-wellness initiative, employers may need to consider integrating mental health support within reintegration management processes, such as BEM, to enable a more holistic approach to employee health and sustainable returns to work.
  2. Embracing a one-way approach towards science and evidence-based practices, employers could focus on adapting the Hamburg Model to incorporate recent findings in the field of mental health, ensuring that the stepped reintegration model advantages both physical and mental well-being of employees undergoing BEM procedures.

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