Oc­cu­pa­tion­al In­teg­ra­tion Man­age­ment (BEM)

Prerequisites

All employees who have been incapacitated for work for more than six weeks within a period of 12 months (not a calendar year) are entitled to the implementation of an occupational integration management (BEM). It is irrelevant whether the illness lasts for several weeks or whether several short periods of illness together make up a period of six weeks. It is also irrelevant whether the employment is

• full- or part-time
• for a limited or unlimited period
• in the academic or non-academic field

Employees also have the option of initiating a BEM procedure themselves, irrespective of the number of days of incapacity for work, if they are seeking a health-promoting change in working conditions.

Objectives

The aim of a BEM is to investigate the causes of incapacity for work in the company in order to

• determine whether and to what extent working conditions contribute to incapacity to work
• overcome existing incapacity to work
• prevent future incapacity for work
• prevent disability and chronical illness
• maintain and promote health
• preserve the jobs of the employees concerned

BEM is an individual process, which is neither prescribed in its course nor in its result and is adapted to the respective conditions. Creative solutions must be found if unfavourable working conditions become apparent.

If you would like more information, please contact us.
We will be happy to answer your questions.

Procedure

The BEM is always an individual and dynamic company procedure. As an employee, you are always at the centre of the process and decide whether you want to participate in the BEM process or not.

Depending on your needs, it is decided together how many process steps are necessary to achieve the agreed objectives. In practice, this means that sometimes a few steps with a few contacts are sufficient or that the process is more elaborate and requires the involvement of several internal and external actors. Primarily decisive is the result of the BEM.

In order for BEM to achieve sustainable results, your active participation is important. This also means that you, as an "expert on your own behalf", have a decisive influence on the BEM process, i.e. you can and should suggest individual steps or measures in BEM.

Measures

The measures in the BEM process are as individual as the procedure.

Some of these measures may be

• risk assessments at the workplace
• design of the workplace
• occupational qualification or change
• medical consultation
• gradual reintegration
• involvement of the responsible rehabilitation agency
• employment participation benefits
• accompanying assistance in working life
• medical rehabilitation measures
• counselling by internal contact persons at the University of Paderborn, such as the BAPs or the conflict counselling service
• counselling by external agencies such as the integration service, the specialist agency for disabled people in working life in the district of Paderborn, supplementary independent participation counselling (EUTB)

If you would like more information, please contact us.
We will be happy to answer your questions.

Principles

In order to make occupational integration management (BEM) a successful process, it requires a number of principles, which the University of Paderborn is committed to upholding.

These are

• Voluntariness
  Participation in BEM is voluntary for employees. Refusal to participate in a BEM has no consequences under labour law.
• Self-determination
  Employees are at the centre of the process. No confidential information is disclosed without the employee's consent. They also have a say in who is involved in the process. The BEM process can be terminated by the employee at any time.
• Confidentiality
  All those involved in the BEM process are subject to a special duty of confidentiality, as it often involves personal and health data that is particularly worthy of protection.
• Data Protection
  Only data that is necessary for a successful BEM process is collected. A data protection statement is handed out to the employee at the beginning of the process. The employee's consent to the use of data in the process is required. Only data required by law (reaching the six-week deadline according to Art. 167 Social Code IX (SGB IX), date of sending the invitation and, if applicable, reminders, information on whether the process was approved or rejected and the termination of the process) are included in the personnel file. Further data is kept separately from the personnel file in a BEM file under lock and key and is destroyed or handed over to the employee three years after completion of the BEM procedure.
• Transparency
  Those involved in the BEM process ensure transparency through a willingness to engage in dialogue and an orientation towards consensus, so that the entire process is structured, clear, comprehensible and purposeful.

Supporters

As each BEM process is individually designed, it is of course also possible to involve supporters of the process if the employee so wishes. Possible supporters can be

• Staff Council
  of the academic staff
  of the staff in administration and technology
• Disabled Persons' Representative
• personal confidant
• Company Contact Persons - Prevention
• Conflict Counselling
• Occupational Medical Service
• Equal Opportunities Officer
• Occupational Safety, Health and Environmental Protection
• manager / colleague
• Human Resources Development
• Personnel Processing
• external counselling centres and institutions (e.g. integration service)

Other external persons and institutions can also be consulted, e.g. the Inclusion Office, rehabilitation agencies such as pension insurance or the Employment Agency, health insurance funds, accident insurance/occupational accident insurance associations, etc.

If you would like more information, please contact us.
We will be happy to answer your questions.

Occupational integration management is always an individual, purposeful process, open in progress and result, as the people involved deal with the specific requirements and needs of individual employees who are entitled to BEM. In order to ensure a systematic and transparent procedure, as well as equal treatment of the respective employees as far as possible, the University of Paderborn has regulated various areas of BEM with the staff councils in a works agreement. These are areas such as

• the scope of application
• objectives and principles
• the BEM steering group
• tasks and responsibilities
• the procedure
• documentation
• data protection and confidentiality

You can find the works agreement here (German version only).

If you would like more information, please contact us.
We will be happy to answer your questions.