The IPN is once again certified for its family- and work-life-conscious human resources policy

The Leibniz Institute for Science and Mathematics Education (IPN) has again received confirmation of the workandfamily (berufundfamilie) audit certificate from the berufundfamilie Service GmbH Board of Trustees. This is the second time that the IPN has been awarded the certificate for its long-term, sustainable family- and work-life-conscious human resources policy. The workandfamily audit certificate is regarded as a seal of quality for a strategy-based compatibility policy.

The IPN had previously successfully completed the dialog procedure for the audit, which is open to employers who have been pursuing a strategically designed family- and work-life-conscious human resource policy for at least nine years with the audit. As early as 2006, the IPN was awarded the berufundfamilie Service GmbH audit certificate for its family-friendliness. After several temporary certificates, the IPN was the first Leibniz Institute to receive a permanent certificate in 2017. This was confirmed in 2020 in a first dialog procedure and now again in 2023 in a second one.

"A great success for the IPN, also thanks to the great commitment of the IPN working group audit berufundfamilie," says Mareike Bierlich, Director of Administration at the IPN. Dr. Marta Chiarinotti, Officer for Gender Equality Diversity and Young Researchers, confirms that "the compatibility of career and family is really lived here at the IPN. This makes the IPN a sustainable and attractive employer."

This dialog procedure aims to maintain the high level of development of family- and work-life-conscious HR policies and to utilize the improvement potential in selected areas. To ensure the quality of the certificate, a further dialog procedure will be required in three years' time.

Current measures to reconcile work, career and family at the IPN include:

• Family-friendly design of work (time) conditions
• Support for management in dealing with the varying demands; executive feedback, skill enhancement and lateral exchange of future managers
• Top-Sharing

• Good use of remote working opportunities
• Balancing work and family requirements in individual work areas and departments
• Development of guidelines for dealing with remote working
• Support for managers in "leading at a distance”
• Mindful handling of challenges

• Transparent and structured (internal) communication on compatibility issues
• Optimization and standardization of the onboarding process
• Raising awareness of care tasks

• Support in reconciling a (scientific) career and family life
• Advice on career options also outside academia
• Measures to mitigate the post-pandemic effects, occurring on a delayed basis

The workandfamily audit
The audit workandfamily is the central offer of the workandfamily service GmbH and is based on an initiative of the non-profit Hertie Foundation. As a strategic management tool, the audit supports employers in sustainably shaping family- and working life-conscious human resources policies and family-friendly research conditions. Certificates for the audit workandfamily were first awarded in 1999. Applicable in all sectors and different company sizes, the audit records the status quo of the family- and work-life- conscious measures already offered, systematically develops the company's individual potential and ensures that family awareness is anchored in the corporate culture by means of binding target agreements. Once this process has been successfully completed, an independent board of trustees made up of prominent representatives from business, science, politics and associations decides whether to award the audit certificate. Practical implementation is reviewed annually by berufundfamilie Service GmbH. After every three years, further personnel policy goals can be defined twice in the course of re-audits. This is followed (for the first time after nine years) by the dialog procedure. Only if the dialog procedure is successful may the employer continue to hold the certificate. Since 1998, around 1,900 employers have been awarded the audit certificate. berufundfamilie Service GmbH holds the Europe-wide license for the audit, which is recommended by the leading associations of German industry - BDA, BDI, DIHK and ZDH. Federal Family Minister Lisa Paus MdB is the patron of the audit. www.berufundfamilie.de

The berufundfamilie Service GmbH
berufundfamilie Service GmbH is a service provider and think tank in the field of work-life balance. It successfully supports companies, institutions and universities in the implementation of a sustainable family- and work-life-conscious human resources policy and the design of family-friendly research and study conditions. Its key service is the audit berufundfamilie or audit familiengerechte hochschule, initiated by the non-profit Hertie Foundation. The audit is the strategic management tool that employers use to structure their human resources policies in a family- and work-life-friendly manner and to strengthen their attractiveness as an employer. Since 1998, around 1,900 employers have been awarded the audit certificate. www.berufundfamilie.de