What does “return to work” mean?
A (graduated) return to work is understood as support intended to make the return to working life easier for employees who have been unfit for work for a longer period. Under medical guidance, employees are gradually accustomed to the full workload again. This graduated return to work is usually referred to as the Hamburg Model. It is laid down in the German Social Code (Sozialgesetzbuch, SGB).
What are the requirements for a return to work after illness?
A return to work after an illness does not always have to be the first measure following a longer absence. Depending on the length of the absence, the reason and also simply the person, a return to work can make sense. Fundamentally, though, there are certain requirements that employees have to meet:
- The employee wants to return to work after at least six weeks of illness within one year.
- The treating doctor has issued a certificate stating that the employee can return to the activity at least in part and may even be able to take up their job fully again by the end of the return to work.
- For the entire duration of the measures the employee counted as unfit for work. This point is important for the financial support during the return to work.
- The treating doctor, you as the employer and the employee agree to the return to work and believe the measures will succeed.
Why does a return to work after an illness make sense?
A return to work after illness has advantages for both the employee and the employer side:
Advantages on the employee side:
- Allows a step-by-step adjustment to the workload
- The job is secure
- It increases the chance of lasting social participation
Advantages on the employer side:
- An adjusted workload prevents a further illness
- No financial losses through the return to work
- Increases employee satisfaction
Who pays for the return to work?
As a rule, after the first six weeks of illness either the health insurance fund, the pension insurance provider or, in special cases, the accident insurer takes over continued pay. As employees count as unfit for work for the duration of the return to work, payment of wages by the employer is not compulsory, but it can be included in the phased plan voluntarily. However, that also means that during the graduated return to work the employee initially continues to receive only sickness benefit.
Can a return to work be broken off?
For health or operational reasons the return to work can be interrupted for up to seven days. If the interruption lasts longer, the return to work is officially ended.
But the return to work can also be broken off for other reasons by the treating doctor, the insurance provider, the employee or the employer. Typical reasons are usually a clear improvement in the state of health, so that the employee returns to work fully more quickly, or a clear deterioration in the state of health, on the basis of which the employer or doctor conclude that the return to work should be broken off.
How does a return to work in the home office work?
Working from home, that is in the home office, can offer advantages during a return to work. However, it requires additional agreement between the employee, the treating doctor, the employer and the health insurance fund. Because the employee's activities not only have to be capable of being shifted to the home office, they must also not increase the workload while this is happening. In addition, the technical equipment (laptop, internet connection, software) has to be provided by the employer.
The advantage of a return to work in the home office is that employees can save themselves the commute, can take breaks more easily and avoid the risk of infection from additional contact.
However, the home office is not always the best route to a successful return to work either. In the home office the employee is still fairly isolated. There is hardly any exchange with colleagues and the employee has to be good at organising themselves.
What can a graduated return to work look like?
The phased plan
The phased plan is the central element of a return to work after an illness. As a rule it starts with a few working hours and increases until the original workload is reached.
The whole course of the phased return-to-work plan is monitored by the doctor and adjusted to these observations where necessary: does the employee need longer to get through the phases, or perhaps even less time?
Please note: the employer and the employee, the doctor, the insurer and possibly the rehabilitation provider all have to be informed about the phased plan. That includes any changes to the start or the end.
Structure of a phased plan
The individually drawn-up phased plan sets out which steps have to be taken on the way back to the previous activity. As a rule the workload is steadily increased for this. This happens over a period of six weeks to six months.
A phased return-to-work plan usually contains:
- the start and end of the measure,
- the various phases,
- a right of withdrawal before the agreed end,
- reasons for breaking it off,
- the suspension of provisions in the employment contract for the duration of the graduated return to work
- the amount of any pay.
Example of a phased return-to-work plan and what you as an employer should absolutely bear in mind
| Working hours per day | Task | What to watch out for | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-3 | 2h |
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| Weeks 4-6 | 4h |
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| Weeks 7-9 | 6h |
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| from week 10 | 8h |
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How can a return to work work with part-time employment?
A return to work with part-time employment works in principle just as it does with full-time employment, but is adjusted to the individually agreed part-time working hours. Here too the aim is to bring you back to full fitness for work step by step. Accordingly, with part-time work of 20 hours the phased plan would change as follows:
| Working hours per day | Task | What to watch out for | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-3 | 1h |
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| Weeks 4-6 | 2h |
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| Weeks 7-9 | 3h |
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| from week 10 | 4h |
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The difference between BEM and the Hamburg Model
There are two well-known models for returning to work: the Hamburg Model and company integration management (betriebliches Eingliederungsmanagement, BEM). The two models basically differ only in their objective: unlike the Hamburg Model, BEM is an open-ended process. It looks for ways of integrating employees into the company, and one outcome can be the Hamburg Model, but it does not have to be. The Hamburg Model, by contrast, concentrates largely on introducing employees step by step to familiar work activities in order to achieve the full resumption of the original job as the outcome.
How do I make an application for a return to work?
An application for a return to work is usually made within the framework of the Hamburg Model and serves to bring someone back into day-to-day work step by step after a longer illness. The application can be made by the employee and is usually made in connection with a doctor and with the employer. Here is a step-by-step guide on how you can proceed as an employer:
1. Clarification with the doctor
Discuss with your treating doctor whether a return to work is possible. The doctor draws up a phased plan that governs the return. He or she also issues a certificate stating that you remain unfit for work but are able to cope on a part-time basis (this is important for the health insurance fund).
2. Contact with the health insurance fund
Inform your health insurance fund about the planned return to work. In most cases the health insurance fund is responsible for approving the return to work, since you continue to receive sickness benefit during it.
3. Consultation with the employer
Talk to your employer about your wish to return to work. Explain the doctor's proposal and discuss whether the phased plan can be put into practice in the business.
4. Put the application in writing
An informal application is usually enough. Here you only need to outline your plan briefly.
5. Implementing the phased plan
As soon as the application has been approved, the return-to-work plan is agreed together with you, your employer and, where applicable, the company doctor.
How can a return to work succeed?
A successful return to work after an illness takes more than just sticking to a phased plan. We want to give you a few tips you can follow during the return-to-work process:
Tip 1: Plan precisely
Do not let the return to work turn into chaos; plan the individual steps through carefully. That way you prevent uncertainty on the employee side and create the necessary certainty and structure for the period of the return to work.
Tip 2: Talk to each other
During a return to work, communication is everything. Clarify expectations and any concerns with the employee early on, for example. But regular feedback meetings during the return to work can have a positive influence too.
Tip 3: Standardised processes
Standardised processes are certainly not a new concept for you. In many areas they are the key to running a company successfully. The return to work must not be left out here. Despite individual phased plans, certain parts of the return-to-work process, such as feedback meetings, should always follow the same structures. That way you make it as easy as possible for your employees to get started.
Tip 4: Automate your processes
Simplify your processes and rely on automated, digital processes. With phased plans that run for up to six months, it is easy to lose track.
How to automate your return-to-work processes with clockin
You can set up the phased return-to-work plan you drew up earlier step by step as a work schedule in clockin. Add the weekly phases as work schedules in advance and adjust them later without difficulty if necessary. Target hours do not get mixed up, and you and your employee always have a transparent overview. With the app, working hours can be recorded at the touch of a button, and at the end of the month you even get a finished timesheet. That way you can monitor the return to work and make it a complete success. In clockin you can see at a glance for each employee how long he or she has been signed off sick. If someone reaches the six weeks, you automatically get an alert – so you never miss the point at which a BEM becomes a legal obligation.
Return to work with clockin
You keep your phased plan under control over weeks and months
With clockin you set up the phased return-to-work plan step by step as a work schedule – and adjust it at any time if something changes along the way.
- Enter individual phases as work schedules
- Record working hours easily
- Alert when a BEM becomes mandatory
What customers say
Conclusion
A return to work is an extensive process that requires a lot of organisation in advance and good structures. But its success is a gain for employees and employers alike. And the better you prepare for this period, the more smoothly the process will run. That includes not only working out a complete phased plan with the treating doctor and the employee, but also developing good communication and a standardised, monitorable process for it. A tool like clockin is a great help with that.
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