#schongenial: The BBRZ helps people who have had to leave the labour market due to illness or an accident to find new career and life prospects in order to ultimately become a fully-fledged member of working society again. How many employees does the BBRZ have in Austria?
Grünstäudl: There are currently around 1,500 people involved in the vocational rehabilitation of affected people. It is an indescribably wonderful task to be able to help highly motivated people find their way back into the world of work.
#schongenial: The programme, the extensive measures, all of this is also associated with considerable costs. Is there such a thing as a return on investment for you?
Grünstäudl: I can answer that with a resounding yes, and in three dimensions. Firstly, in times of labour and skills shortages, it would be criminal to simply let the wonderful potential of motivated people lie idle. Secondly, there are also meaningful cost-benefit calculations that clearly show that after just over four years, the additional income generated by the state for people who have completed vocational rehabilitation exceeds the costs of the training measures. And thirdly, not forgetting the people affected themselves, who see meaning in their work and also experience the feeling of being needed - that is an invaluable benefit for society.
#schongenial: With this last point, are you also referring to the mental state of the people affected?
Grünstäudl: Yes, especially for our customers, who are often depressed and traumatised due to their health and professional situation, a new task gives them a sense of purpose and support. If this then takes place in a working environment characterised by a positive atmosphere, we as the BBRZ team have done a good job in providing support.
#schongenial: How important is it for you and your team to develop future prospects throughout the entire counselling process?
Grünstäudl: When it comes to reorientation, you ultimately have to look ahead and keep an eye out for opportunities and chances for those affected. The more positive the basic mood, the better. We need to become much more aware of the many positive things that Austria has to offer - especially in terms of the support available for people with health impairments. And that was also the reason why I was completely convinced by #schongenial after just a few minutes. In my opinion, #schongenial makes a wonderful contribution to not only highlighting positive things, but also raising awareness of them.
#schongenial: Thank you very much for the interview. Thank you for the partnership and we look forward to hearing lots of positive news from your organisation.
