Conversation formats become confused
Return-to-work conversations, absence conversations and Germany’s BEM reintegration process have different triggers, goals and procedures.
In-house leadership programme
leadership programme for absence and return-to-work conversations
Lead conversations confidently, respectfully and consistently. Harbinger develops managers through two connected practical modules, a real workplace transfer phase and an employment-law module, tailored to your leadership groups, locations and existing policies.
2 connected practical modules max. 12 participants per group Application in daily leadership Supported by employment-law expertise
Experience & trust
Trust built in demanding assignments.
420+
Completed Harbinger projects
in management, leadership and HR.
Selected Harbinger clients
References from Harbinger’s wider management, leadership and HR consulting work.
When absence becomes a leadership responsibility
A policy alone does not create confident conversations
Many organisations have sickness-absence metrics, dashboards and processes. What is often missing is a shared standard for when each conversation is appropriate, how to conduct it and where a manager’s responsibility ends.
The programme is a practical component of professional absence management, focused on leadership practice and appropriate boundaries.
Managers alternate between confrontation and avoidance
Uncertainty about questions, tone and consequences leads to conversations that are late, ineffective or unnecessarily confrontational.
Each location develops its own practice
Without shared methods, documentation and escalation routes, friction, unequal treatment and mistrust arise.
A single training day does not establish a routine
Real application, reflection, feedback and repeated practice turn knowledge into stable leadership behaviour.
A clearly defined programme
A focused programme with lasting practical application.
What you book
- a dedicated in-house programme for your managers
- a shared conversation and documentation standard
- application to real situations from your organisation
- practical transfer, evaluation and individual next steps
Outside the programme’s scope
- individual places on a generic public seminar
- replacing BEM, HR or case-specific employment-law advice
- medical investigation of causes
- guaranteeing a specific reduction in sickness absence
The complete learning and transfer process
Two main modules. Real change begins between them.
Module 1 establishes the foundation and standard. Participants apply it in daily leadership during the transfer phase. Module 2 draws on those experiences and practises challenging situations. The employment-law module provides additional guidance for the organisation and its managers.
max. 12participants per group and module
4–8 weeksrecommended transfer period between the main modules
≤ 6 monthsrecommended maximum overall duration
1 standardacross groups, levels and locations
Clarify the framework
Review target groups, policies, cases, data and existing documents.
Foundation & standard
Distinguish conversation formats, clarify the approach and apply a shared structure.
Apply in everyday work
Conduct conversations, reflect on experiences and collect challenging cases.
Advanced practice & expertise
Practise difficult conversations realistically and receive feedback.
Establish boundaries
Review documents, questions, documentation, privacy and interfaces.
Evaluate impact
Review findings and identify suitable refreshers, further development or rollout.
For multiple groups: The framework remains consistent while cases and role plays reflect each leadership level, location and operational context. This creates a shared standard with appropriate local application.
Main module content
From a reliable structure to confident practice under pressure
Content is tailored to your leadership context. A stable learning framework ensures participants share a conversation structure, language and documentation practice.
Module 1Foundation &
standard
Usually one in-person day per group standard
Clarity, structure and confidence in managing absence
Participants understand their role and learn a conversation framework that combines care, clarity and the boundaries of leadership responsibility.
Understand & prepare
- The manager’s role in absence management
- Distinguish return-to-work conversations, absence conversations and BEM
- Treat absence patterns as a reason for a conversation, rather than evidence of wrongdoing
- Clearly communicate the invitation, purpose and framework
Conduct & agree
- Five phases: open, describe, understand, agree, close
- Active listening, open questions and calm clarity
- Emotions, psychological needs and personal reactions
- Concrete actions, follow-up and conversation records
Outcome: participants share a framework and gain confidence for their first workplace conversations.
Transfer phaseApplication in everyday work
Managers conduct real return-to-work or absence conversations, use the agreed guide and record, reflect on their impact and bring specific uncertainties or practice requests to Module 2.
4–8weeks recommended
Module 2Advanced practice &
Expertise
Usually one in-person day per group Expertise
Lead confidently when situations become difficult
Experiences from the transfer phase are reviewed. Participants then practise challenging conversations realistically, ideally with professional training actors.
Difficult dynamics
- Resistance, justification, withdrawal and emotion
- Repeated short-term absences and concerns requiring clarification
- Strain, conflict and sensitive personal information
- Personal clarity and self-regulation under pressure
Practical leadership action
- Develop conversation quality through observation and individual feedback
- Identify work-related, supportive and behavioural actions
- Maintain boundaries between support, expectations and consequences
- Involve HR, BEM, the works council, occupational health or external professionals appropriately
Outcome: managers remain calm, clear and able to act in difficult settings, without diagnosing, rushing to judgement or causing avoidable escalation.
Employment-law support
Legal boundaries that reflect your organisation’s practice
Before the legal module, we review the relevant documents you provide and translate the findings into practical guidance for managers, HR and other participants.
Guidance 1What may I do?
Guidance 2What must I do?
Guidance 3Where are my boundaries?
Guidance 4When do I need HR or other specialists?
Document review and employment-law module
- Relevant employment and collective agreement templates
- Existing works agreements and internal policies
- Return-to-work, absence, BEM and escalation processes
- Permissible and impermissible questions
- Health information, privacy and documentation
- Distinguishing illness, capacity for work and possible breaches of duty
- Equal treatment, recurring absence and follow-up
- Roles of managers, HR, the works council, BEM and occupational health
Employment-law support is provided by a suitably qualified expert or specialist lawyer. Any additional case-specific review is agreed separately. For the statutory German BEM framework, see § 167 Abs. 2 SGB IX.
Training design
Practical, psychologically safe and accountable
Managers experience how their wording, listening and behaviour affect another person, with the opportunity to improve in a protected learning environment.
Senior Coach
Responsible for design, facilitation, feedback and practical transfer throughout the process.
Professional training actors
Realistic reactions, emotions and resistance for demanding practice.
Real workplace cases
Anonymised situations from your locations, functions and leadership levels shape the exercises.
A safe learning space
Try, make mistakes, receive feedback and try again without affecting a real employee conversation.
What you receive
A programme that leaves usable tools in your organisation
Materials are adapted to the agreed conversation framework and, where appropriate, your policies, roles and leadership practice.
Conversation guide
A clear structure from invitation and opening to agreements and follow-up.
Tailored conversation record
Factual documentation of the reason, employee’s perspective, agreements and follow-up date.
Reflection and case materials
Prompts for the transfer phase and anonymised cases for practice and internal development.
Reviewed boundaries
Relevant document review and concise guidance on questions, data, roles and escalation routes.
Before-and-after comparison
Evaluation forms, capability self-assessment, application feedback and qualitative trainer observation.
Conclusion and next steps
A concise report for the sponsor with recommendations for refreshers, other target groups or systemic development.
Works council and employee participation
Acceptance grows when purpose, data and roles are transparent
A shared conversation system affects sensitive interests. Employee representatives’ perspectives are therefore considered as part of a sound introduction.
Optional stakeholder dialogue: Before rollout, we can facilitate a discussion with HR, the works council and accountable leaders to clarify objectives, triggers, documentation, participation and separation from BEM.
Which transparent criteria trigger conversations?
What data do managers see, and what is documented?
How are diagnostic questions and inappropriate investigation prevented?
How are return-to-work conversations, absence conversations and BEM kept distinct?
When can or should the works council participate?
How is equal treatment maintained across teams and locations?
Practical transfer & evaluation
Impact appears in everyday leadership.
We connect self-assessment, observed conversation behaviour and application to real cases to understand how managers act after the programme.
Clarify your role.
Compare before and after: which triggers, questions and boundaries can managers distinguish confidently?
Make behaviour visible.
Simulations reveal listening, clarity and responses to resistance. Specific feedback identifies the next development step.
Learn from real cases.
Practical experience during the transfer phase is reflected on and developed in Module 2.
Sustain the standard.
Guides, records and follow-ups provide a shared foundation for managers and HR beyond the programme.
Conversation quality and application can be assessed in the programme. Changes in sickness absence are considered in the organisation’s wider context.
Voices from practice
What reaches everyday leadership.
Selected comments from an anonymised Harbinger programme evaluation, translated from German.
Applicable in daily work
“The conversation techniques are extremely effective and can be integrated directly into everyday leadership.”
Greater direction
“More clarity on when a conversation is required, and on my own mental health and attitude.”
Fresh perspectives
“A perfect opportunity to break out of established patterns …”
When the programme fits
For organisations seeking a reliable conversation practice
The programme is a suitable starting point when …
- managers are unsure about triggers, questions or tone.
- return-to-work conversations, absence conversations and BEM are not clearly distinguished.
- locations or leadership levels handle absence differently.
- a guide exists but is applied inconsistently.
- employment-law boundaries and existing documents need review.
- a single training day would provide too little application and integration.
Consider Absence Management first when …
- the reasons for elevated sickness absence remain unclear.
- teams or locations differ significantly without clear explanations.
- conversation practice may be one of several relevant levers.
- data, cases, demographics, strain and operational structures first need assessment.
In that situation, Absence Management consulting provides a more reliable starting point. If a shared conversation standard is already an established priority, the leadership programme can be booked independently.
Shift supervisors and team leaders Service and location managers Department and division managers Other operational management levels
Frequently asked questions
FAQ: absence and return-to-work conversation programme
What is Harbinger’s absence conversation programme?
A dedicated in-house programme combining two main modules, a real workplace transfer phase, an employment-law module and evaluation. Managers learn to apply a shared conversation standard in daily work.
How do return-to-work conversations, absence conversations and BEM differ?
A return-to-work conversation welcomes an employee back and discusses work capacity and support. An absence conversation addresses recurring or notable patterns, the work context, support, expectations and next steps. BEM is a separate statutory German reintegration process: employers must offer it after more than six weeks of continuous or repeated incapacity for work within a year. Its legal basis is § 167 Abs. 2 SGB IX.
Are return-to-work or absence conversations legally mandatory?
Ordinary return-to-work and absence conversations are not subject to a general statutory requirement in Germany. Organisations can introduce them as an internal leadership practice. The duty to offer BEM when its conditions are met is separate. Internal policies, employee participation and the individual circumstances must also be considered.
Which questions can managers ask in an absence conversation?
The focus is capacity for work, work-related strain, support, expectations and next steps. Managers should not seek a medical diagnosis or act as therapists. The legal module reviews appropriate questions and documentation against your organisation’s rules.
What role does the works council play?
This depends on the design, conversation system, data use, works agreements and procedure. We recommend involving employee representatives early and clarifying criteria, records, participation and separation from BEM. Relevant German participation provisions include § 87 BetrVG.
Will our existing documents and works agreements be reviewed?
Yes. Within the agreed scope, the employment-law expert or specialist lawyer reviews relevant documents you provide, including contracts, works agreements, guides, templates and return-to-work, absence, BEM and escalation processes. Additional comprehensive case-specific review can be agreed separately.
How large are the training groups?
Each group has a maximum of twelve participants, balancing varied perspectives with time for exercises, individual feedback and realistic simulations.
How long does the programme take?
We usually recommend four to eight weeks of workplace application between the main modules. Preparation, modules, legal input and evaluation should generally take place within six months. The schedule depends on group numbers, locations and operational availability.
Can multiple locations or leadership levels participate?
Yes. A shared core can be delivered across groups, locations and levels, with cases, language, roles and exercises tailored to each leadership context.
Is delivery in person or online?
We generally recommend in-person main modules, especially with training actors. Legal input, coordination and selected transfer formats can be online. Other formats are assessed against the audience and learning objective.
Does Harbinger use professional training actors?
We recommend them for Module 2. They respond realistically to wording, attitude, pressure and emotion, enabling repeated practice and specific feedback on personal impact.
How is programme impact measured?
We combine evaluation forms, before-and-after self-assessment, application feedback, use of tools and qualitative trainer observation. The sponsor receives a concise assessment of impact, remaining uncertainty and useful next steps.
Can the programme reduce sickness absence?
Professional conversations can clarify absence earlier, reveal work-related strain, activate support and strengthen accountability. Absence has multiple causes, so we do not promise a specific reduction from training alone. Unclear causes should first be examined systematically.
What happens afterwards?
Following evaluation, we recommend suitable steps such as practice refreshers after four to six months, further work on particular conversations, additional leadership groups, review of documentation quality or a broader healthy leadership and preventive absence programme.
Must a complete absence management project happen first?
No. The programme can be booked independently where conversation practice and a shared standard are already established levers. If causes, hotspots and priorities remain unclear, KPI-based Absence Management consulting is a better first step.
Your programme starting point
Which managers need greater confidence in absence conversations?
Select relevant topics. The initial conversation clarifies target groups, locations, existing policies and an appropriate scope.
- two connected main modules
- maximum twelve participants per group
- transfer phase and individual workplace cases
- employment-law support and document review
We will tell you if an absence analysis or another Harbinger service is more useful first.