Operational Integration Management (BEM)
People with a protracted or chronic illness often find it particularly difficult in the world of work. To counteract this, the legislature in Germany has taken it upon itself to offer all employees who have been unable to work for more than six weeks in the past twelve months an Operational Integration Management - German: "Betriebliches Eingliederungsmanagement" (BEM for short). In doing so, the legislature transfers part of the responsibility for the health of the employees in terms of prevention, health promotion and rehabilitation to the specific department.
For detailled information you can have a look at the current Service Agreement between TU Dresden and the Personnel Representation Council from December 10, 2009. At TU Dresden an Integration Team shall accompany the BEM process. The Integration Team comprises representatives of the employer, a Representative of the Personnel Representation Council (PR) and, if applicable, a Representative of Employees with Disabilities (SBV).
The team openly searches for and discusses measures - tailor-made for the individual employee - conducive to helping staff find their way back into working life and to maintaining health, employability and permanent employment.
As part of BEM, the following questions can be answered: Can I continue working at my current workplace in the future in the same way as before? Are changes in work organisation or in the workplace itself necessary so that I can remain healthy in the long term? Who can support me on my return? And what is the best way to return?
Participation in BEM is voluntary.
Representatives of the employer (at the Occupational Health Services) are:
- Dipl.-Psych. Annett Schneider
- Dipl.-Psych. Maxi Paulus
Representatives of the Personnel Council in BEM are:
- Angela Einert
- Andreas Mathias
- Christian Pritzkow
Representatives of Employees with Disabilities are:
- Roberto Lemmrich
- Depute persons.
Furthermore you can involve a trusted person, e.g. a family member, a translator or other supporters in BEM. We ask you to announce this when making the appointment.
Conversation formats:
- in person
- via video conference (Big Blue Button) or
- by telephone
Costs: free of charge
Languages: German, English (Further options may be asked for.)
Appointments
As a rule, we will contact you by mail to offer you company integration management if you have been unable to work continuously or repeatedly for more than six weeks in the past twelve months. Please then send us back the attached response letter - ideally by e-mail to or to the postal address.
Here you will find our letter of offering and response in English:
Letter of offering_BEM_ENG.pdf
Letter of response_BEM_ENG.pdf
The BEM is also available to you on a preventive basis. To make an appointment, please send us an E-mail with your contact details and a brief statement of your concerns.
If you would like to make an appointment by telephone, please contact Maxi Paulus at -35625 or Annett Schneider at -37506.
All employees of TU Dresden who have been ill for more than six weeks without interruption or in total within the last twelve months will be invited to a meeting by the BEM officer. Furthermore, all employees are cordially invited to start preventive BEM if they notice problems in the workplace and would like to prevent an impending inability to work.
There is a service agreement from December 10, 2009, concerning BEM (Circular Letter D2/2/2010). According to this service agreement, an integration team will be set up to process, decide on and implement BEM. The integration team consists of a representative of the employer, a representative of the Personnel Representation Council, a representative of employees with disabilities (Schwerbehindertenvertretung der Arbeitnehmer, SBV) and the employee entitled to BEM. The integration team is bound by confidentiality. The integration team will jointly develop ideas and propose solutions without preconceived conclusions in order to not only maintain health, but also the long-term employment relationship and ability to work.
BEM is voluntary and requires the consent of the person entitled to it. If they reject BEM, they need not fear any direct legal repercussions. BEM is intended to prevent permanent inability to work, a negative health prognosis, and consequently dismissal due to illness by jointly developing solutions on how continued employment at TU Dresden can be made possibl despite potential limitations due to illness.
BEM is based entirely on the principles of voluntariness and trust. The person eligible for BEM can decide at any time what personal information they wish to disclose, for example pertaining to an inability to work. They are not required to report any diagnoses or health restrictions. BEM only serves to establish where there are (still) health restrictions at the workplace and how everyday working life can be optimally adapted to these and in which areas support is required. The integration team is subject to confidentiality.
The integration team is subject to confidentiality. All documents that may be relevant in the context of BEM, such as notes on agreed measures or reports on progress and results, are kept in a BEM file. The BEM file is kept by the BEM officer and is destroyed at the very latest three years after completion of the measures along with all the information it contains. Only the BEM officers and their representatives have access to this file.
No. Gradual reintegration after a prolonged illness, often referred to as the "Hamburg Model," is a (medical) rehabilitation measure. For gradual reintegration, a doctor draws up a step-by-step plan for a slow return to working life, which is intended to protect against overexertion and which makes it possible to work slowly and under protective conditions. The working time and/or workload is initially reduced and then slowly increased over a fixed period of time. During gradual integration, the employee is still considered unable to work and receives sick pay or a transitional allowance. The integration team is very happy to support gradual reintegration within the framework of BEM in order to ease the return to work.
Further information can be found on the website of the Occupational Health Services.