Imagine that you finally want to properly address the issue of mental stress in your company. You know it's not a soft topic — but one that has a deep impact on the culture, performance, and future of your company. And you've even heard something about the GBU Psyche — the psychological risk assessment required by the Occupational Health and Safety Act. Sounds feasible for now, doesn't it?
Then your professional association gets in touch. She offers you a free questionnaire. Short, uncomplicated, without much effort. You think to yourself: Great, that's enough. That's when the topic is off the table for now. Check.
But this is exactly where the thinking error lies. What is sold to you at first glance as a pragmatic solution is in fact often a wrong path. A dangerous one at that — for you as an employer, for your team and for the legal security of your company. Because the psychological risk assessment is not a checklist that you can check off. It is a process. A complex but meaningful process required by law — and it cannot be completed with a PDF and a mood barometer.
The truly tragic thing is that many companies feel false security after completing such a BG questionnaire. They think they've done everything. But they have neither legally protected themselves nor have they helped their teams. On the contrary: The actual problems — lack of orientation, internal dismissal, psychological pressure — remain unaddressed. Managers are unsettled, teams are exhausted, and the issue of mental stress remains a blind spot.
And all that just because “free” sounded too tempting.
If you believe that an unaccompanied questionnaire fulfills the GBU Psyche obligation, then you are risking more than you think: money, trust — and ultimately the productivity of your company.
In this article, I'll show you why implementing the GBU Psyche with the professional association can in many cases not only be inadequate, but even harmful — and how you can do it better. We take a look at the legal requirements, the most common mistakes in practice and the right path if you not only want to measure mental stress, but also effectively reduce it.
Many believe that the psychological risk assessment is a mood barometer or a voluntary HR measure. That is wrong. The GBU Psyche is a statutory obligation in accordance with Section 5 ArbSchG. It is part of the Occupational Health and Safety Act and is therefore legally on a par with the classic risk assessment for machines, ergonomics or noise.
The goal is clearly defined: Employers must systematically record, assess and document psychological stress in the workplace, derive measures and check for effectiveness. The legislator is serious: Anyone who does not implement the GBU Psyche or only insufficiently risks legal consequences — from fines to liability risks in the event of damage.
This is not about feelings, but about stress factors: time pressure, role conflicts, lack of appreciation, interruptions, lack of participation. The tools for this have been scientifically proven and defined in the 7-step guideline in the Joint German Occupational Safety Strategy (GDA).
GBU Psyche is not a project that is completed with a single survey. It is a cyclical process that must be permanently integrated into the management system. This is exactly what the Occupational Health and Safety Act, but also ISO 45003, for example, tells us.
At first glance, the BG questionnaire seems like a pragmatic solution. But in reality, it meets neither the legal requirements nor the psychological requirements of an effective GBU psyche.
Let's start with anonymity: Many BG questionnaires are distributed by internal agencies or presented in meetings. Employees know exactly who is accompanying the process and which manager is “looking over it.” Feedback is considered comprehensible — whether explicit or implicit. The result? The response rate is shockingly low: On average for the industry, it is only around 26%. But a GBU psyche without trust is not only worthless — it is dangerous. Because it suggests that people listened even though there is no viable data basis.
Second, there is no individual risk assessment. Standardised questionnaires — whether from BG or elsewhere — only measure psychological stress. According to DIN EN ISO 10075, these are to be understood as neutral: such as interruptions, noise, role conflicts, lack of room for manoeuvre. But it is not only the load that is decisive, but its effect on people — the Claim. And this depends on:
Without this differentiation, it remains unclear whether there is a risk at all. It's like evaluating the risk of machinery simply by setting it up in a room — without checking how they are being operated.
Thirdly: The legally required 7-step process of the GDA is completely circumvented. What starts with a PDF often stops at step 2 — at best. Here is a comparison:
Conclusion: The “quick fix” is no. It violates the basic principles of occupational safety and, in case of doubt, can become a legal case — e.g. in the event of accidents at work, burnout or dismissal protection lawsuits, if the employer must prove that risks were known and ignored. Irrespective of this, in practice, the evaluation and survey period often take at least eight to 12 months.
What many overlook: BG's supposedly “free” questionnaire unfolds its true costs within the company itself. Because implementing a GBU psyche requires time, personnel, coordination, evaluation and implementation of measures — all of this is not up to BG, but to you as an employer.
Real project experience at medium-sized companies results in the following typical expenditure for a workforce of 100 employees:
Total internal effort: between 570 and 800 hours.
Assuming an eight-hour day, this corresponds to a workload of 71 to 100 working days.
If you use an imputed hourly rate of 47€ (corresponds to a standard market full cost estimate based on an annual salary of around 75,000€ including employer shares), internal personnel costs are between 26,790€ and 37,600€ — completely without external service providers or digital solutions.
And these figures only cover the effort — not the benefits. Because in 90% of cases, the GBU Psyche ends with the survey. This is followed by neither robust measures nor structured changes. Employees never hear anything about the topic again; it sticks to the declaration of intent. The result: frustration. disappointment. cynicism.
Even worse, this dynamic is permanently damaging trust. Anyone who once had the feeling that their honest feedback was fizzling out in Nirvana will no longer participate at all next time. This is exactly what the response rates from classic BG surveys also show: On average, they are only around 26%.
The result is not only a legally problematic process, but also a cultural step backwards — at a time when mental strength is decisive for productivity, retention and innovative capacity.
mentalport is not a classic HR software and not a provider of surveys. It is an intelligent system that maps the entire process of psychological risk assessment — automated, legally secure, evidence-based.
Instead of just collecting burdens, mentalport also analyses demands, individual performance requirements and context factors. The solution systematically recognizes whether — and where — there is a risk. The evaluation is carried out anonymously, on the basis of scientific scales (e.g. MOLA) and with an industry-specific comparative framework. This makes it possible for the first time to comprehensibly prove whether there is an actual need for action — or not.
The key difference: mentalport doesn't end with analysis — we move from analysis to action instantly. It integrates the development of measures directly into the system. Each identified field of action automatically results in suitable, legally compliant interventions: from micro-training to coaching impulses to support in transformation processes. The effectiveness review is also fully integrated — with continuous documentation, reporting function and connection to internal management processes.
The entire process — from preparation to documentation — requires an average of less than 5 hours of HR effort per 100 employees. And this is the case with a project that usually requires over 600 hours of internal time.
What makes mentalport special:
The difference is therefore not only legal, but also cultural: While traditional procedures often get stuck in “collecting”, mentalport enables companies to proactively manage the issue of mental stress — with minimal effort, maximum impact and lasting trust.
If you want to avoid wasting time, energy, and trust in an ineffective GBU, start with a clear status picture. The free mental health audit from mentalport helps you see where your company really stands in less than 30 minutes:
The audit gives you a well-founded initial picture — anonymized, evidence-based and action-oriented.
👉 Start now for free in our app and lay the foundation for a GBU that works — and really protects.
Learn more about the new standard in psychological risk assessment now.
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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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