The return to working life after an illness represents a central socio-political challenge. A deeper understanding of the complex conditions surrounding health-related exit and reorientation processes, as well as their individual biographical impacts, is therefore essential. In her grounded theory study, Susanne Bartel reconstructs a framework of exit processes based on interviews with employees who have been ill and outlines a negotiation arena for coping with illness and professional reorientation. In this context, the role of individual attitudes towards work, health, and illness is particularly emphasized.