What is the Hamburger Modell?

The Hamburger Modell is an official program for the gradual reintegration of employees into work after a long period of illness (long-term sick leave).
It is also called “stufenweise Wiedereingliederung” – meaning “gradual reintegration” into working life.

How does the Hamburger Modell work?

The Hamburger Modell is used when an employee has only partially recovered or needs to return to work step by step after a serious or long illness (for example after surgery, chemotherapy, or a serious accident).

A gradual return-to-work plan is drawn up:

• The employee starts with very few working hours (e.g. two hours per day),

• then the working hours are increased gradually from week to week, based on an agreed plan between the doctor, the statutory health insurance (Krankenkasse) and the employer.

Important:
During this reintegration period, the employee is still considered “unfit for full work” (arbeitsunfähig) and usually continues to receive Krankengeld (sickness benefit) from the health insurance, not the regular salary from the employer.

The program is voluntary: It only takes place if the employee, the treating doctor, the health insurance fund and the employer all agree.

Conditions for using the Hamburger Modell

• The employee is not yet able to immediately return to full-time work.

• There is a formal approval from the treating physician, the employer and the health insurance (Krankenkasse).

• A written reintegration plan is prepared, which clearly sets out the stages of return, the number of hours and tasks at each step.

Goal:
To enable the employee to make a safe and sustainable return to full work, while avoiding health setbacks and overstrain.

Advantages of the Hamburger Modell

• It allows the employee to recover gradually, without the pressure of immediately working full hours.

• It reduces the risk of losing the job after a long period of illness.

• It eases the burden on the employer by allowing the employee to come back step by step, making planning and workload management easier.

Examples of how it is applied

• An employee has been on sick leave for six months.

  • In the first month of reintegration, they work 2 hours per day,

  • in the second month, 4 hours per day,

  • then the daily working time is gradually increased until full working hours are reached.

Throughout this whole period, the person continues to receive Krankengeld (sickness benefit) from the health insurance.
The employer usually only resumes paying the full regular salary once full working hours and full work capacity are restored.

Summary

The Hamburger Modell is a legal and humane solution to help employees return to work gradually and safely after a long illness.
It provides financial and health protection for the employee and at the same time flexibility for the company.

Do you need a practical example or a sample reintegration plan (stufenweise Wiedereingliederung)?

The editorial team of this website strives to provide accurate information based on extensive research and several sources. Nevertheless, errors may occur or some details may not be fully verified. Therefore, please treat the information in this article as an initial orientation only and always contact the relevant authorities, health insurance funds or professional advisers for binding and up-to-date information.