Young woman talks to young man in the office
Leadership & HR
09.09.2026 Gabriele Strasser 30675

BEM Representative: All about training

For many years, pme Familienservice has successfully supported employers in the implementation of the legally prescribed company integration management (BEM). It is expanding its service by training BEM officers within the company. BEM expert Christiane Weidemann introduces the service. 

According to SGB IX, all employers—regardless of the number of employees they have—are required to offer a Workplace Inclusion Management (BEM) program and are responsible for implementing the process. pme Familienservice supports employers in establishing a goal-oriented, respectful, and well-integrated BEM process within their organizations. For several years now, we have been conducting BEM counseling sessions with employees at various companies. 

Register now: Digital training BEM case supervisor

Date:
November 3, 2026, 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
November 10, 2026, 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Become fit for the professional support of sick employees in 4 modules.

Digital training for BEM case supervisors

 

By completing the training to become a BEM case manager at pme Familienservice , you’ll put your company’s workplace integration management program on a solid footing. Through four concise modules, we’ll equip your employees to provide professional support to coworkers who are ill.

BEM consulting

What are BEM officers?

BEM case managers oversee and coordinate the entire workplace reintegration management process within the company and help ensure that employees on sick leave are successfully reintegrated and can overcome their inability to work.

Among other things, they perform the following tasks:

  • They coordinate the necessary measures that the individual needs for reintegration, as well as to maintain their health and keep their job. For example, they assist with applying for rehabilitation or provide tips on a gradual return to work.
  • They coordinate with the relevant parties—such as management, the works council, or the representative for employees with severe disabilities—and facilitate roundtable discussions. 
  • They handle coordination with service providers such as health insurance companies or pension insurance providers.
  • They handle all the formal documentation required for the BEM and maintain the BEM file.

On request, the pme Familienservice supports and accompanies the BEM case supervisors in their tasks after successful training with case discussions and in-depth seminars. 

The benefits for you as an employer

  • Well-trained BEM case supervisors contribute immensely to a healthier company
  • The BEM is more likely to be accepted if it is carried out by trustworthy colleagues rather than the manager or HR manager.
  • As an employer, you are supported in complying with the legal requirements. 

Training as a BEM case supervisor - a selection of the contents 

Module 1: Basics

Legal basis - Objectives of the BEM - Process & forms - Data protection - Role of the case supervisor in the company

Module 2: Conversation and communication

Own attitude in the BEM discussion - communication models - obstacles and misunderstandings - successful communication

Module 3: Services provided by the rehabilitation providers and measures in BEM

Overview of service providers - possible measures - financial security - further support options

Module 4: Common clinical pictures and practical examples

Definition of health, illness and fitness for work - Illness statistics - Common physical and mental illnesses and their impact on work - Case studies.

Your advantages: individual, compact, flexible

  • Small groups with a maximum of 14 people
  • Exclusively for your company or company-wide 
  • 2 days of 7 hours each (incl. 1 hour break) - virtual or e.g. 2 in-house one-day seminars
  • Time for exchange and networking

The training is provided by experienced and CDMP-certified BEM consultants from the pme Familienservice

Find out more now!

Would you like to place the BEM in professional hands? We would be happy to take over all or part of your BEM process or advise you on the implementation of the procedure in your company.

Talk to your personal business customer advisor or write to bem@familienservice.de

pme health: Effective BGM in blended learning format 

Our occupational health management (OHM ) services are characterized by their holistic approach and individuality. From strategy development and needs analysis to evaluation, we establish, supplement and optimize companies' occupational health management portfolios to keep their employees healthy, productive and motivated. 

Personal support for employees based on a new holistic mind-body & soul approach is one of our key factors and goes hand in hand with our blended learning concept. We combine digital and live formats to promote physical activity, nutrition, stress prevention and mindfulness and make our knowledge available regardless of time and place. 

Health Management for Businesses

zero Helicopter parents: the effects of overprotective parenting

A girl hangs upside down from a tree
Parent & Child
23.07.2025 Ifenna Ekezie 21623

What defines helicopter parents?

The anxious mother who takes her child everywhere by car and picks him up again, the controlling father who keeps a close eye on school performance and never shies away from a teacher's talk ...  

While many parents want to support their children in order to smooth their path, they often end up becoming "helicopter parents." However, this overprotective attitude, which usually stems from their own worries and fears, can have a significant impact on the development of their children's independence. 

An article by Ramona Krämer, parent counselor and systemic family therapist at pme Familienservice.

What you can expect in this article

What are "helicopter parents"?  

"Helicopter parents" are parents who are constantly close to their children and circle around them like a helicopter so that they can intervene at any time if they think their child needs support or protection. 

The parenting style of helicopter parents is characterized by

  • Over-involvement
  • Restriction of the child's autonomy 
  • Overprotection 
  • Assigning blame to third parties, e.g. when educators are held responsible if their own child has conflicts in the childcare center .

What is the difference between helicopter parents and lawnmower parents? 

In contrast to helicopter parents, lawnmower parents try to clear any potential challenge or difficulty out of the way at an early stage - preferably in advance. They "mow down" all obstacles before the child encounters them. 

Both parenting styles are characterized by a strong overprotectiveness, but with a different approach: helicopter parents are more reactive, while lawnmower parents plan and act more in advance.

What is behind it when parents are overprotective?  

The overprotectiveness of helicopter parents often stems from their own fears.

There are usually reasons for the parents' overprotective behavior that lie in their past and are linked to experiences - before, during or after pregnancy: for example, a long fertility treatment, complications during pregnancy or birth, premature births, as well as postpartum depression or their own upbringing that they grew up with. 

At the same time, the world is becoming more and more complex, and through media coverage we learn of many disasters around us and in the world, giving us the feeling that the world is more dangerous and unsafe for our children. 

The desire for control often stems from the need to do something about one's own powerlessness and helplessness.
 

We overestimate the probability of events! 

In psychology, this is known as the availability heuristic: an abbreviated, cognitive conclusion in which the probability of events is assessed according to their topicality and vividness in memory. 

This means that tragic news becomes engrained, leading to a heightened sense of risk and thus to misjudgments and errors in judgment. This often results in increased protective measures 

What impact do helicopter parents have on their children?  

The overprotective parenting style leads to children becominganxious and developing phobias or fears themselves.

Before children can gather their own experiences, they rely on the experiences of their caregivers. This type of transfer of experience is very long-lasting, unlike other forms of learning that quickly fade if they are not repeated.

Phobias and fears, such as fear of spiders or the dentist or fear of loss, are transferred from the primary caregiver to their children. This happens on a non-verbal level, through facial expressions, gestures and smell. 

What helps? Name and disclose your own fear!
 

Do the reality check!

Exchange ideas with other parents or your partner: 

- Are there real dangers or is it a perceived insecurity? 

- What can children of this age be expected to do? 

- How do you handle this? 

- Do you have similar fears?

 

BUT the parental role model is not the only factor that determines whether a child develops anxiety. Genetic, biological and socio-cultural influences also play a role here. 

Example 1: An anxious mother limits her adventurous son's freedom of movement, which leads to frequent conflicts. Although the mother's anxiety is often noticeable, it is probably not transferred directly to the son. 

Example 2: A rather cautious child is severely restricted in its independence by its parents. It is less and less confident in mastering challenges on its own and does not learn to develop the ability to act. 

How do children of helicopter parents behave? 

The overprotectiveness of helicopter parents has a strong influence on their children's development . This can be seen in their motor skills, risk assessment and frustration tolerance.

The influence on children's motor development and risk assessment

In its "More safety through movement" series of publications, Unfallkasse Hessen states that children who are allowed to move freely have fewer accidents . Children need free movement and the space to experience things for themselves.

They need challenges, borderline experiences and experiences of failure in order to learn to assess risks correctly and develop self-confidence.

The influence on children's resilience and frustration tolerance 

Overprotected children who experience hardly any negative emotions, consequences and frustration while growing up develop less self-efficacy and suffer more frequently from anxiety disorders, according to studies by Stanford University (2021) and Florida Atlantic University (2023).  

This makes it all the more important that children learn to deal with frustration, injustice, conflicts and even accidents at an early age and in an age-appropriate manner. 

How can we make our children strong? 

Parents - and helicopter parents in particular - must learn to endure their own fears and worries.  

Instead of restricting your own child with well-intentioned overprotection, children need to be supported in their independence. In this way, they can develop crisis skills and learn to assert themselves independently.  

This is also confirmed by the Florida Atlantic University study (2023), which shows that children and young people who spend a lot of time playing freely and riskily and are used to solving problems without parental guidance are mentally happier .

It is therefore important that parents promote their child's self-efficacy and resilience and give them the freedom they need.

5 tips on how to find a healthy level of care

1. see care as support for the independent development of your child. The long-term goal of parents should be to make themselves dispensable. After all, we want our children to be able to manage their own lives when they move out. 

2 Only help your child if he or she asks for it.  

3. ask your child questions instead of giving direct answers and thus anticipating a solution. 

4. do not relieve your child of challenges, but support them in finding a solution themselves. 

5. only provide support until the point is reached where your child can take over on their own. 

"The role of parents is to support their child only until the child can take over on their own—not to do everything for the child or remove all challenges from their path." - Ramona Krämer, parent counselor at pme Familienservice

The pme parent counseling service

Our parent counselors support parents in all matters from pregnancy to the child's adulthood.  

Personal and confidential: We are there for you online, by phone and on site. You can find more information on the pme parent counseling page.   

Christiane Weidemann

Product Manager Operational Integration Management

Christiane Weidemann is a CDMP-certified BEM consultant. As a nationwide product manager, she and her team advise companies throughout Germany on the implementation of BEM. Her aim is to see the BEM as an opportunity for prevention and to show companies that it is more than just a legal regulation. For her, the design of a health-promoting workplace and the individual support of people are always closely interlinked. After all, healthy employees are the key to a company's success.

Contact:

christiane.weidemann@familienservice.de