Promotional video for the Federal Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs A reform becomes credible when practitioners tell the story.
The citizen's income affects nearly five million people and 80,000 employees at job centers. The film features interviews with those implementing the reform: job center managers. They discuss appreciation rather than pressure, genuine skepticism within their own organizations, and why they still see the reform as an opportunity.
Reform requires more than just a law
The Citizen's Income was one of the biggest social reforms in years, set to take effect in January 2023. The Federal Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs wanted not only to announce it but also to make it understandable—through the people who implement it every day.
The film features interviews with managers from job centers. They explain how their agencies were already breaking new ground even before the reform, why appreciation is more effective than pressure, and they do not shy away from acknowledging the skepticism of their own colleagues. It is precisely this honesty that makes the film credible.
“We faced the major challenge of explaining a law that concerns 80,000 workers and affects nearly five million people who rely on basic income benefits. We received some very emotional videos and some very factual ones that clearly got to the heart of the matter.”
Honesty as a Strategy
The film could have simply listed the benefits of the reform. Instead, it lets those on the front lines speak to the challenges as well: the skepticism among faculty, concerns about costs, and the strain caused by the aftermath of the pandemic and the war in Ukraine. And then the response to all of that: We’ve accomplished so much together. We’ll train our employees; we’ll get them up to speed.
For a government department, this is a bold move. It works because no one believes an official statement, but everyone trusts a leader who acknowledges their own doubts and still leads the way.
The ministry itself describes how it turned out: The feedback from the job centers was consistently positive, and those involved found the shoot to be a unique experience. And the finished films opened the door for other job centers, which then wanted to participate as well.
“The trust you give comes back to you. The appreciation you give comes back to you, too.”
Seen in the film
Job center managers explain on camera how they are preparing for the citizen’s income: the “Active Team,” which has focused on opportunities rather than pressure since 2014. The Youth Job Center, which advises young parents even before they’re required to come in. The open question of what happens when a single project becomes the standard for all their work. And in the end, a vision: the trust you give comes back to you.
01 · The Aktiv Team: Charting a New Course Since 2014
02 · Team-Based Planning: Putting the Reform into Practice
03 · Focused work at the Job Center
04 · Discussion among female colleagues
What ROCC Film took on for BMAS.
Interviews that require building trust before the camera starts rolling.
