Work and family life

"Sustainability" is one mission of the UFZ - in social terms, this concept is achieved by promoting the reconciliation of family and work life for men and women. The UFZ continuously works to remain an attractive employer for the best talents by offering conditions to combine these two areas. The multiple responsibilities of employees with families are acknowledged and appreciated. Furthermore, the UFZ stands for a broader definition of families which includes not only employees with children but also their dependent relatives who are in need of care.

Definition of family:

Social relationships today are exceeding the classic model of families from earlier days. Especially in the area of science, where a majority of employees is international, classic family structures are rarely to be found. Therefore, the UFZ seeks to understand family as a sustainable assumption of responsibility within individual social environments.

UFZ successfully certified with the “audit berufundfamilie“

Confirmation of the audit berufundfamilie certificate in 2017
Improving the compatibility of career, family and private life is an important step for institutions to provide attractive conditions for working mothers and fathers. To coordinate and develop related initiatives at the UFZ, the non-profit foundation Hertie carried out the auditing "audit berufundfamilie" (audit family and career) in 2013. The process was completed successfully with the official certification of the UFZ on March 15, 2014. As part of the re-auditing, this certificate was confirmed by the berufundfamilie Service GmbH on August 31,2017. The audition resulted in a target agreement with a concrete action plan that will be put into practice within the next three years. Key elements of this action plan are e. g. to develop a concept that provides clear and reliable processing of prolongations of temporary contracts for the term of parental leave and improving information and communication within the UFZ. Important criteria for implementing the target agreement will be e. g. equal treatment of the UFZ locations and the additional distribution of information in English.

Family Support Office of the UFZ

For the support of our employees with families and as a central communication and coordination platform for all questions concerning balancing of working and family demands, the UFZ Human Resources Department has established the Family Support Office to provide information, advice and support concerning family questions. It coordinates the distribution of kindergarten places in day care centres that cooperate with the UFZ. Furthermore, the office works to realise the goals that have been set within the framework of the 'audit berufundfamilie' (audit work and family). In addition to that, the Family Support Office is helping Dual Career Couples at the UFZ and is playing an active role in the development of the Dual Career Netzwerk Mitteldeutschland (Dual-Career-Network Middle-Germany).