BDA Arbeitgeber – Arbeit Made In Germany, Foto: Adobestock Robert Kneschke.Motiv: Tischlerin

©AdobeStock / Robert Kneschke

The interplay

between health and work

Employers protect their employees

Employers want their employees to remain fit, productive and motivated right up to retirement age – and therefore invest heavily in their employees’ health. They also have a duty of care towards their employees. This means they must identify risks of illness and accidents (i.e. hazards) at work. To do this, they carry out a risk assessment and review the working environment – for example, regarding the handling of hazardous substances, or musculoskeletal or psychological strain: The latest representative survey of workplaces conducted by the National Conference on Occupational Safety and Health (NAK) shows that a risk assessment has been carried out in almost 70% of all workplaces (NAK & BAuA, 2025). Progress has been particularly marked in micro-enterprises with fewer than 10 employees – with an increase from 42% to 61% since 2015 (ibid., 2025). In fact, not all formal requirements are always met in small businesses – however, hazards are generally identified and rectified in day-to-day operations (Beck et al., 2017), i.e. quite independently of the conduct of a formal risk assessment. Progress in occupational safety is also reflected in falling figures for workplace accidents: the number of workplace accidents is at an all-time low [see Fig. 5].

[Abbildung]

Work is becoming safer.

(For detailed information, hover your mouse over the bars.)

The long-term trend shows a decline in reportable workplace accidents (figures per 1,000 full-time workers in the commercial sector; up to 1990: West Germany; from 1991: Germany as a whole).

*) The increase is due to the revised working hours following the introduction of electronic payslips

Source: German Social Accident Insurance, BDA’s own presentation (as of 2025)

Good to know:

Die Arbeitgeberinnen und Arbeitgeber tragen knapp 17 % der bundesweiten Ausgaben für Gesundheitsförderung.

Employers want their employees to remain fit, productive and motivated right up to retirement age – and therefore invest heavily in their employees’ health.

Workplace Health Promotion (WHP) as a key component of modern business practice

Interesting and appropriate health initiatives are crucial for staying competitive and retaining new talent. For this reason, voluntary workplace health promotion (WHP) is already an integral part of many companies. To improve the health and self-care of their employees, companies offer training in back-friendly lifting and carrying at work, health check-ups and screenings, personal counselling services (e.g. social counselling, medical advice) as well as management seminars on health-conscious leadership

Foto: AdobeStock / WavebreakMediaMicro

Workplace Integration Management (WIM): Working together to return to work

When employees are on long-term sick leave, employers rely on Workplace Integration Management (WIM, Section 167(2) of SGB IX). The aim is to work with the employees concerned to find ways to return to work, safeguard their ability to work and prevent further absences. WIM is not a rigid procedure but is tailored to the individual within the workplace: sometimes it involves a phased return to work, sometimes the adjustment of tasks or working hours, and sometimes technical aids or closer coordination with doctors and health insurance providers. What is always important is dialogue on an equal footing – employees and employers work together to find solutions that truly fit into everyday working life (BAuA, 2021). Particularly in the case of mental health conditions, a well-organised WIM can help to create a sense of direction, security and trust. Those affected feel that they are not alone and that their workplace supports them. For companies, in turn, a successful WIM means retaining skilled staff, boosting motivation and a sense of belonging, easing the workload on colleagues and reducing absenteeism (iga, 2013).

This makes it clear: the WIM is not a bureaucratic formality, but a genuine opportunity – for employees and companies alike.

The growing importance of individual responsibility and health competence

Changes in the world of work bring not only new tasks for employers, but also new challenges and responsibilities for employees. Remote working, flexible working hours and AI offer greater scope for organising work more autonomously. Consequently, employees’ individual responsibility and health competence play a major role. Employees with health competence understand the relevance and benefits of occupational safety measures, are more likely to take responsibility and participate more frequently in prevention programmes; this is associated with a lower risk of workplace accidents and work-related health impairments and can strengthen current and future work ability and employability (Güner et al., 2019; Ilmarinen, 2001; Ehmann et al., 2021). At the same time, companies benefit from the targeted promotion of health competence by creating an environment that fosters well-being and performance. Promoting health competence in the workplace can therefore become a decisive competitive advantage. Companies that invest in the health and well-being of their employees are more attractive to potential applicants and can build a healthy and committed workforce in the long term (Wagenmann et al., 2024).

We demand:

The best possible protection, but minimal bureaucracy

Hardly any other area is as heavily burdened by regulations and rules as occupational health and safety. This jungle of regulations must become clearer and more manageable. The benefits are:

  • Employees: greater clarity and less complexity.
  • Businesses: Reduced workload and cost savings.
  • Society:Promoting personal responsibility in the workplace.

Simply by cutting red tape in occupational health and safety, companies could save almost a billion euros a year without compromising on health and safety (BDA, 2025). The Federal Ministry of Labour’s emergency programme provides important impetus, for example:

  • Reformof the safety representative system.
  • Relief for small and medium-sized enterprises.

You can find the BDA’s full list of demands → here.

 

The importance of health and safety is growing – finding solutions to the shortage of workplace doctors

The importance of health and safety is growing. The problem, however, is that there are too few specialists in occupational medicine:

  • There are only around 9,000 occupational and company doctors available.
  • A third of practising specialists are over 60 years old.
  • Training to become a specialist in occupational medicine takes around 11 years.

Many companies struggle to find a company doctor. To ensure adequate provision, new solutions must be developed – such as the deployment of other qualified healthcare professionals for non-medical tasks. The advantage is that training these professionals is quicker and more accessible than training in occupational medicine, but no less effective.

Further information:

Good to know:

The trend is pointing upwards

In 2023, 2.19 million employees in 29,668 workplaces were reached through workplace health promotion measures – that is 12% more than in the previous year (GKV, 2024). Particularly encouraging: 59% of these workplaces are small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). This clearly shows that even smaller companies, despite often having limited resources, are taking targeted steps to improve their employees’ health. However, these figures only cover activities funded through statutory health insurance schemes. In addition, there are many companies investing independently in health promotion – a commitment that is not yet visible in the statistics, but which underlines the actual scope of workplace health promotion. In 2023, around €2 billion was spent on prevention and health protection alone – including approximately €1.3 billion on health promotion (Federal Health Reporting, 2025). This means that employers account for just under 17% of nationwide expenditure on health promotion.