Operational Integration Management (OIM)

OIM serves to reintegrate employees on long-term sick leave as well as employees with multiple instances of short-term sick leave. This includes employees who have been unable to work continuously or repeatedly for more than six weeks over the past twelve months and have been incapacitated for a total of 30 days.

OIM is one of the three pillars of Workplace Health Management (WHM). Legally, it is regulated in Article 167 (2) of Vol. IX of the Social Insurance Code (SGB IX).
Basically, the employer is obligated to aim for restoring the employees’ capacity to work, to prevent renewed incapacity, and to maintain and promote their capacity to work in the long term.

OIM is a systemic process that can be broken down into the following steps:

  • 1. Registration of employees entitled to OIM

  • 2. Establishing contact

  • 3. One-to-one meetings to clarify the initial situation

  • 4. In-depth analyses of working conditions, resources, and restrictions

  • 5. Agreement on the conditions of return to work and accompanying measures

  • 6. Accompanying reintegration through feedback and special coaching

  • 7. Final meetings and discussions on sustainability

Four areas are included in the process: medical, psychological, social, and operational.

We are happy to clarify with you the role of the person responsible for OIM (OIM representative) and discuss with you which process and which measures make sense, because OIM always requires an individual case assessment.