What is workplace health management (BGM)?
Workplace health management (BGM) is the strategic framework with which a company systematically plans, steers and reviews all activities around employee health – to sustain health, motivation and performance while lowering absence and turnover. BGM is not a single offer but the overall system coordinating individual measures.
The three pillars of BGM
- Occupational safety: the legally required basis under ArbSchG – including the psychological risk assessment.
- Company integration management (BEM): mandatory reintegration after long illness (§167 SGB IX).
- Workplace health promotion (BGF): voluntary promotional offers – exercise, nutrition, stress management.
BGM or BGF? The most common mistake
Many companies equate "BGM" with fruit baskets and yoga classes – but that is only health promotion (BGF). Real BGM begins with a solid analysis: absence data, surveys and, as the legally required data basis, the psychological risk assessment.
Building blocks and a 5-step rollout
- 1. Analysis – absence data, surveys and the psychological risk assessment.
- 2. Goals – measurable targets.
- 3. Measures – derived from data, prioritised.
- 4. Implementation – clear ownership and resources.
- 5. Effectiveness review – regular checks and adjustment.
The mandatory core of any BGM: the psychological risk assessment
Anyone building a BGM should start with what is legally required anyway and provides the best data: the psychological risk assessment under §5 ArbSchG. It systematically reveals where psychological stress arises – the very insights effective BGM builds on. Learn more →
