Embedding BGM Long-Term

How do I embed BGM (workplace health management) permanently in a company — and what does the GKV guideline require for Phase 6?

Note: This guide explains German statutory requirements (SGB V, ArbSchG, ASiG, SGB IX) that apply to employers operating in Germany. Under the GKV guideline (§20b SGB V), BGM is not a one-year project but a permanent cycle: analysis → planning → implementation → evaluation → restart. Sustainability requires committees, metrics, and legal duties (risk assessments, BEM, safety committee) to be institutionalized — independent of staff turnover.

BGM Monitoring Calendar: What to Do and When

Activity	Frequency	Responsible	GKV Requirement?	Legal Basis
Health working group meeting	Quarterly	BGM coordination + management + works council	Yes — required as steering-committee evidence	§20b SGB V
Review / update risk assessment (GBU)	On change, at least annually	Occupational safety specialist + company physician + HR	Yes — employer obligation	§5 ArbSchG
Workplace safety committee (ASA) meeting	Quarterly (from 20 employees)	Management + works council + company physician + safety specialist	Yes — legally mandated	§11 ASiG
Initiate BEM (reintegration) process (from 43 sick days)	Ongoing / case-based	HR + direct supervisor	Yes — employer obligation	§167 (2) SGB IX
Evaluate GKV health report	Annually (report usually arrives in Feb.)	BGM coordination	Recommended	§20b SGB V
Employee health survey	Every 2 years	BGM coordination + data protection	Recommended	Art. 9 GDPR
Prepare BGM results report	Annually (Q1)	BGM coordination + management	Yes — required for funding evidence	§20b SGB V
Submit GKV funding application	As needed / at project start	BGM coordination + health insurer	Optional, but resource-relevant	§20b SGB V

Preventing the stall: why BGM institutionalization fails

The typical BGM lifecycle at small and mid-sized companies looks like this: a motivated HR person builds a BGM program, the first measures go well, the steering committee meets regularly. Then that person leaves — and the BGM program stalls. Six months later, the health working group is history, the health insurer has lost contact, and the company starts over from scratch.

The GKV Prevention Guideline (§20b SGB V) names the structural antidote: workplace health promotion (BGF) is a permanent process, not a project. According to the guideline, sustainability results 'when such organizational arrangements and routines are permanently implemented' — regardless of which individual currently sits on the BGM team.

The decisive difference between BGM that survives and BGM that stalls: whether core functions are tied to roles (a position, not a person), and whether the cycle of analysis, planning, implementation, and evaluation is embedded in the corporate calendar as a permanent institutional task.

BGM coordination as a fixed role description (not informally attached to one person)
Steering-committee meeting dates scheduled 12 months in advance
Handover documentation: what does only the current BGM coordinator know — and how is that knowledge secured?
Written management commitment (works agreement or management statement) — makes BGM independent of personnel preferences

Continuous improvement in BGM: the annual cycle under the GKV guideline

The GKV guideline describes BGF as a cycle: preparation phase → structure building → analysis → measure planning → implementation → evaluation. After evaluation, the cycle begins again — the results of completed measures feed directly into the next analysis phase. This is the continuous improvement process.

In practice this means: the BGM results report (Q1) provides the data basis for the health-working-group session (Q2), where priorities for the following year are set. New measures launch in Q3, with an interim evaluation in Q4. Companies that consistently keep to this calendar have, after three years, a BGM program that sustains itself.

Important for GKV funding applications: the health insurer wants to see, in the follow-up application, that insights from the prior year were incorporated. A BGM program that offers the same measures every year without adjusting is considered unable to learn — and loses funding points.

Q1: Prepare results report, evaluate GKV health report
Q2: Health-working-group session — what do we carry from Q1 into the new year?
Q3: Launch new measures, communicate to staff
Q4: Interim evaluation, prepare funding application for the following year

The mandatory triad: legally sound integration of BGM, BEM, and occupational safety

A permanent BGM program is not a voluntary extra — it is the coordinated fulfillment of three statutory duty areas that every employer already has. Companies that understand this integration are not running BGM as extra effort, but as an efficient structure for something that is legally required anyway.

Checkpoint #61 of the GKV guideline — its final and highest maturity level — demands exactly that: full integration of BGM, BEM (reintegration management), and occupational safety into a shared governance system. Companies that reach this level operate sustainable BGM in the GKV's sense.

Occupational safety (§5 ArbSchG): the risk assessment is an ongoing duty. It must be updated on every material change to working conditions — not just once at introduction. Psychosocial risk assessment is part of this.
Workplace safety committee (ASA) meetings (§11 ASiG): mandatory quarterly from 20 employees. Company physician, safety specialist, management, and works council sit together — this is the natural BGM steering body. Companies using the ASA don't need a separate steering committee.
BEM / reintegration management (§167 (2) SGB IX): from 43 sick days within 12 months, the employer must offer a BEM meeting. Documentation is required if declined. BEM cases are a direct BGM early-warning system.
The integration: risk-assessment results feed into BGM analysis. Clusters of BEM cases reveal problem areas. Safety-committee minutes are steering-committee input. An integrated system saves time and reduces liability exposure.

GKV follow-up funding: what must be renewed every year

Many companies submit a one-time GKV funding application and believe that settles the matter. The reality: health insurers fund workplace health promotion (BGF) as an iterative process. Follow-up funding under §20b SGB V requires the company to demonstrate that it has processed the insights from the prior period.

What the insurer wants to see in the follow-up application: (1) Was the results report from the prior year completed? (2) Did the steering committee meet and keep minutes? (3) Were the weaknesses identified in the last improvement cycle addressed? (4) Are there new needs shown by the current employee survey or the GKV report?

In addition to GKV funding: the tax exemption under §3 No. 34 EStG (German income tax act; €600 per employee per year) can be used on an ongoing basis — even without active funding from a health insurer. BGF measures that meet the criteria of the Central Prevention Certification Body (Zentrale Prüfstelle Prävention) are automatically tax-exempt. This is a permanent instrument for financing an ongoing BGM program.

Sustained health communication: making health a permanent topic

The GKV guideline names internal communications as a 'continuous task throughout the entire process.' This means health should not be communicated only at a January kickoff event and then disappear into a drawer for nine months.

In practice: a fixed annual 'health month' is not enough. Small, regular touchpoints work better — a short health tip in the monthly newsletter, a poster in the break room, a health KPI in the team meeting. Health becomes part of company culture when it is omnipresent, not when it flares up once a year.

Shift workers and employees without a computer workstation have special communication needs: according to the GKV guideline, these groups face greater access barriers to BGM measures. Bulletin boards, direct address by supervisors, and low-barrier formats (no online sign-up system) are a requirement, not an option.

Embed health topics in team meetings (5 minutes per quarter is enough)
Share measure results transparently: 'We opened yoga to 40% of staff — feedback?'
Train managers as communication multipliers — without management commitment at team-lead level, communication fizzles out
An annual report to staff (one-page summary) shows impact and increases buy-in

Quick check

What's your company's workplace-health maturity?

Your maturity level decides whether your measures qualify for the tax-free €600 budget. Answer in 3 minutes — no sign-up.

Start maturity check (3 min.)

Related measures & topics

Key takeaways

Note: the following applies to German statutory requirements (SGB V, ArbSchG, ASiG, SGB IX) for employers operating in Germany. BGM is not a one-year project — the GKV guideline requires a permanent continuous-improvement cycle.
Workplace safety committee (ASA) meetings (§11 ASiG) and risk assessments (§5 ArbSchG) are ongoing legal requirements — and, at the same time, natural BGM governance bodies.
Clusters of BEM (reintegration) cases are the most direct BGM early-warning signal — separating BEM and BGM wastes potential.
§3 No. 34 EStG (€600 per employee per year, tax-free) is a permanent financing instrument, not a one-time benefit.
Staff turnover on the BGM team must not stop the process — institutionalize roles, not individuals.
GKV follow-up funding requires proof of continuous improvement: a results report plus documented learning from the prior year.

Frequently asked questions

How many employees do I need for permanent BGM to make sense?+

The GKV guideline sets no minimum size. From 20 employees, the workplace safety committee (ASA) requirement (§11 ASiG) applies, providing a natural steering body. From 10 employees, the guideline recommends health circles. Even companies with 10–19 employees can establish a permanent BGM program — the effort is significantly lower because communication paths are short.

What happens if my BGM coordinator leaves the company?+

BGM must not depend on one person. Secure the handover through: (1) a written role description, (2) documentation of all ongoing measures, contacts, and open improvement-cycle items, (3) direct involvement of the successor in the steering committee before departure. The GKV accepts staff turnover — but expects the process to continue.

Can I reapply for GKV funding every year?+

Yes. The GKV guideline provides for 'needs-based, repeated funding.' The requirement is that, in the follow-up application, you demonstrate the BGF process was continued and results from the prior period were evaluated. There is no statutory cap on follow-up funding rounds.

Do BEM and BGM have to be formally merged?+

Not formally — BEM/reintegration management (§167 SGB IX) and BGM are legally separate instruments. Checkpoint #61 of the GKV guideline explicitly recommends integration as the highest BGM maturity level, however. In practice: clusters of BEM cases in certain departments are the most direct early-warning signal for BGM action. Companies that don't connect BEM and BGM waste data potential.

How often must the risk assessment be updated?+

§5 ArbSchG (German Occupational Safety Act) requires an update 'upon material change to working conditions' — for example new software, new tasks, relocation, or a change in shift model. In addition, the DGUV (German Social Accident Insurance) recommends a regular review every 2–3 years even without a specific trigger. The psychosocial risk assessment is at least as binding as the physical one.

Keep BGM permanently under control

EasyBGM tracks steering-committee minutes, risk-assessment status, BEM case histories, and measures in one system — and automatically reminds you of deadlines and follow-up funding applications.

Try EasyBGM Check your BGM maturity level

Sources

Last updated: 2026-06-24. Not legal or tax advice — have your specific case reviewed by a professional.

BGM Results ReportWhat belongs in the BGM results report for executive leadership?Building a BGM StructureHow do I build a BGM structure that is well organized and meets the prerequisites for a funding conversation with a German statutory health insurer (Krankenkasse)?Documenting a BEM Refusal the Legally Sound WayWhat do I need to do if an employee refuses the BEM meeting?