Many companies recognize the need to rethink their occupational health management (BGM). Increasing psychological stress, hybrid work, a shortage of skilled workers and increased demands due to ESG reporting are forcing HR and management to rethink. However, there is often a problem when it comes to practical implementation: Measures are introduced — but they do not work. They fizzle out because the starting position was not clear enough.
This is exactly the crux of the matter: If you want to set up your BGM strategically, you need a reliable inventory. An analysis that shows Where the Strengths and Weaknesses of the Organization Lie, Which loads are particularly relevant and Which measures can have a real impact. Many companies lack this baseline — or is based on subjective assessments, surveys with low participation or selective feedback.
“What we don't measure, we can't control — and certainly not improve.”
Die Risk Assessment of Psychological Stress (GBU Psyche) Exactly provides this strategic basis. As a mandatory occupational psychology analysis, it is not only a compliance instrument — but also the Decisive starting point for a effective, measurable and sustainably accepted BGM.
That Occupational Health Management (BGM) Has increasingly developed into a strategic field of action in recent years. But although the term is present in many companies, the actual implementation often falls short of expectations. Especially in times of hybrid working models, increasing psychological stress and a worsening shortage of skilled workers, the question is: How can an effective BGM be achieved that not only offers selective measures but also takes effect on a systemic level?
Many companies still rely on traditional measures such as health days, exercise programs or back courses. These are certainly justified, but often do not reach the employees who need them most — or they fizzle out because they are not embedded in a strategically coordinated overall concept. What is missing is the ability to reliably record the status quo in terms of psychological stress, team dynamics and organizational resilience. Only on this basis can targeted measures be developed whose effects can also be verified.
One of the key challenges is that many companies do not really know their initial situation. They act on the basis of subjective impressions, isolated sick reports or simplified mood patterns. But such approximations are not enough when it comes to systematically reducing psychological stress and promoting mental health. What is needed is an analysis based on work psychology, which not only describes symptoms, but also makes causes visible and provides concrete options for action.
At the same time, external pressure is growing: ESG reporting and sustainability standards are increasingly demanding verifiable indicators of social responsibility. Investors, customers and even employees themselves want to know how serious a company is about the health of its employees. Without a well-founded initial analysis, however, there is no opportunity for control — and therefore also any basis for credible communication.
The Risk Assessment of Psychological Stress, GBU Psyche for Short, is currently the only legally required instrument that meets these requirements. It is more than a legal obligation: When used correctly, it is used as a compass for future-oriented BGM. By collecting valid data on psychological stress, it not only allows a precise inventory, but also creates the basis for measuring effectiveness, monitoring success and long-term development.
Anyone who restructures their BGM should therefore not start with measures — but with a well-founded analysis. GBU Psyche provides exactly that: a reliable, data-based basis for decision-making that makes strengths, weaknesses and development potential visible and enables real change.
Many companies regard the GBU psyche primarily as a regulatory necessity. But anyone who sees it as a strategic management tool unlocks its full potential. The insights gained from GBU not only provide current conditions, but also measurable KPIs with which organizations can concretely shape, communicate and evaluate the progress of their BGM.
The importance of this measurability can hardly be overestimated. In times of tight budgets and growing requirements due to ESG criteria, ISO standards (such as ISO 45003) and the shortage of skilled workers, it is becoming crucial for HR managers and management to have reliable data. GBU Psyche offers exactly this: anonymized key figures such as emotional exhaustion, uncertainty, overwhelming or perceived support from managers. These can be used not only for internal management, but also for accountability to stakeholders — from works councils to management or external auditors.
In addition, the GBU creates a reliable basis for measuring effectiveness. Because interventions can only be evaluated if the starting point is known. Which measure reduces the perceived experience of stress? How does the team climate change after a leadership program? How does mental resilience develop after a coaching offer? Without GBU, the answers to these questions remain speculative — with GBU, they become measurable.
Repeatability is an additional strategic advantage. Modern solutions such as mentalport offer the opportunity to establish the GBU Psyche not as a one-off measure, but as a cyclical analysis tool. This creates a continuous feedback loop with which companies can develop their health management towards a learning organization. The GBU thus becomes a central component of transformation processes — data-based, iterative, and effective.
This proactive approach also creates legal added value: Companies that implement the GBU professionally and transparently signal a sense of responsibility to supervisory authorities, social partners and employees. And they protect themselves significantly better in the event of a conflict — because a documented GBU with follow-up measures is not only compliance with obligations, but also risk prevention.
All in all, it is clear that the GBU psyche is not a hindrance, but a lever. Anyone who takes BGM seriously does not start with catalogues of measures, but with honest analysis. And if you want to make an impact, you need valid data, not just good intentions. That is exactly what GBU Psyche is made for.
Especially when companies want to restructure or strategically develop their corporate health management, GBU Psyche provides a decisive advantage: It provides the central connection between status quo, target image and intervention planning. Because without a well-founded starting point, changes run the risk of either operating past the actual burdens — or of not being able to prove their effectiveness.
A strategically used GBU process provides orientation: Which teams are particularly stressed? Which management units need support? Where do organizational frictional losses exist? These questions are not only relevant for HR, but also affect middle management and senior management — particularly when it comes to the use of resources, budget decisions or accountability.
In addition, GBU Psyche enables gradual prioritization. Instead of initiating broadly diversified packages of measures, targeted, data-based programs can be developed — for example for particularly stressed functional areas or departments undergoing transformation. This not only makes BGM more effective, but also more economical.
There is also an often underestimated aspect: legitimacy. Anyone who takes measures based on a professional GBU mentality can communicate convincingly both to the workforce and to the works council. Measures are not “decreed from above,” but are derived from a jointly determined situation. This increases acceptance and reduces internal resistance.
Last but not least, GBU Psyche creates a reliable basis for evaluation and continuous improvement. Especially in the realignment of BGM, this is crucial in order to ensure success over time, to enable learning processes and to prove relevance to management and controlling. In this way, the mandatory instrument becomes a strategic management tool that can have an impact — not once, but iteratively.
The transition from analysis to action is the biggest hurdle in health management in many companies. The GBU Psyche creates the decisive bridge just for this: It transforms abstract stress patterns into concrete options for action. Companies not only receive an inventory, but also a reliable basis for pragmatic, tailor-made and legally compliant interventions at the same time.
Modern solutions such as mentalport automate this translation: Digital occupational safety measures are derived from validated GBU data, which can be combined directly with existing health and development programs. Managers receive recommendations for action, HR can prioritize targeted measures, and the workforce is involved through systemic coaching offers. In this way, an analytical tool becomes an active part of organizational development.
Another advantage is connectivity. The GBU Psyche offers the opportunity to specifically transfer to advanced programs — such as the introduction of an Employee Assistance Program (EAP), psychological counseling, resilience training or specific modules for cultural development. Because the measures are based on real needs, effectiveness — and acceptance — is increasing at the same time.
At the same time, the structured GBU process enables clear internal communication. Companies not only show that they take legal requirements seriously, but also that they act with foresight and are based on data. Especially in times of growing requirements for transparency, ESG reporting and employer attractiveness, this is increasingly becoming a strategic advantage.
Perhaps the biggest lever lies in the opportunity to create a well-founded basis for a holistic BGM realignment. The GBU Psyche is the only work psychology analysis that provides a comprehensive, legally recognized inventory — including systematically identifiable strengths, weaknesses and potential. This makes it an indispensable baseline measurement on which both individual measures and strategic programs can be based.
Anyone who integrates GBU Psyche into the BGM structure, i.e. benefits from a uniform data basis for all departments — from occupational safety to HR to management. This makes it easier both to prioritize measures and to evaluate their effectiveness. In addition, there is a genuine participation process, because the survey finally makes psychological stress visible — and gives employees an anonymous voice.
This validity of the data clearly distinguishes GBU Psyche from individual interviews or health circles, which are often only selective and not very reliable. The standardized, scientifically based methodology not only provides transparency, but also reduces typical resistance among managers and works councils.
Finally, the regular repetition of the analysis makes it possible to continuously measure success — both in terms of specific measures and in terms of cultural change. The GBU Psyche is thus transformed from a mandatory instrument to a strategic management variable that enables maximum return with little effort.
And last but not least: The GBU Psyche is not a one-time task, but part of a continuous learning process. Anyone who anchors this process — for example through regular re-assessments — can make changes visible, prove successes and dynamically develop their health strategy. The GBU Psyche thus becomes the mainstay of a sustainable, resilient corporate culture.
In a time of growing burdens, accelerated changes and increasing requirements for ESG standards and employer responsibility, the strategic realignment of occupational health management (BGM) is at the top of the agenda. But such a realignment requires more than good intentions — it needs a solid basis.
GBU Psyche provides exactly this basis. As the only legally enshrined, scientifically validated and company-wide scalable analysis of psychological stress, it enables companies to clearly identify strengths, weaknesses and potential. It creates the necessary transparency to develop targeted measures — and at the same time makes their impact measurable.
Anyone who wants to establish a sustainable health strategy today cannot ignore GBU Psyche. It replaces selective individual measures with a holistic, data-based approach — from occupational safety to cultural development. In this way, a legal obligation becomes a strategic lever for change.
Now is the right time to use this lever — before a load becomes a failure and before well-intentioned measures ignore reality.
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Tim Kleber is CEO and co-founder of mentalport. As a mechanical engineer, business psychologist and data scientist, he combines technical precision with psychological expertise. His specialization: psychological risk assessment (GBU Psyche) in accordance with §5 ArbSchG and ISO 45003-compliant implementation in companies. After his own auditor experience in occupational safety, he and the mentalports team developed anonymous infrastructure for mental wellbeing management - today used by over 50 companies to reduce psychologically related downtime and active wellbeing management.
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