Principles for creating a family-friendly university
HU regards family-friendly policies as an integral part of its university culture, one that requires continuous improvement. The HU Executive Board has drawn up the following principles for creating a family-friendly university. These principles must be observed, amongst other things, in human resources management and in the education of its students. HU’s commitment to family-friendly policies serves to promote equal opportunities and to enable all members of the university community to participate in university life. HU is committed to ensuring the sustainability of this process by establishing permanent implementation structures and allocating appropriate resources.
Understanding of the family
HU has a comprehensive understanding of the family. It recognises the family wherever long-term social responsibility for relatives is assumed. Thus, all parent-child communities – for example, single-parent families, blended families and rainbow families – as well as sibling relationships, married and cohabiting couples, and individuals caring for relatives are included as care communities.
HU intends to implement the following objectives:
Family-friendly organisational structure
As promoting the compatibility of work, study and family life is an ongoing process, resources must be made available. To this end, a family fund will be established. Furthermore, specific bodies must be in place and entrusted with process management, in particular the Family-Friendly Policy Unit as the central coordinating body, the Family-Friendly University Commission and the audit fgh support group. In this context, HU aims to maintain the ‘audit familiengerechte hochschule’ certificate on a permanent basis.
Family-friendly optimisation of regulations and concepts
To ensure that family-friendly principles are continuously applied in the day-to-day practice of teaching, research and administration at HU, the University undertakes to do the following: All regulations – both external (legal texts) and internal (guidelines, statutes, rules, service agreements) – and concepts (such as staff development and leadership concepts) are continuously reviewed with regard to the compatibility of work, study and family life and, where necessary, optimised or optimisation processes initiated.
Family-friendly infrastructure
To ensure that all members of the university community can participate in university life, HU is committed to establishing a family-friendly infrastructure. This includes, amongst other things, parent-child rooms and baby-changing facilities, counselling and networking opportunities (such as family festivals and family cafés), as well as comprehensive information for all members of the university community. HU also provides an internal childcare service tailored to the needs of university members.
Family-friendly flexibility
Flexibility in terms of location and working hours is an essential component of a family-friendly university. Against this backdrop, HU offers its staff and students a wide range of options: these include family-friendly working and study hours as well as remote working. The opportunities arising from digitalisation (for example, of teaching content) are being consistently implemented. Supervisors and teaching staff are encouraged to find flexible solutions on a case-by-case basis to help balance work, study and family life, including through the application of the ZSP-HU and relevant service agreements.
Family-friendly communication
To foster a family-friendly university culture, HU is initiating an ongoing dialogue in which all members of the university community are encouraged to participate. In this context, HU provides information and advice on all aspects of balancing work, study and family life. The focus here is on raising awareness among all HU members regarding their respective roles. Among other things, the expertise of the Public Relations Unit and the staff development department is utilised. Examples of good practice and role models are identified, communicated and highlighted. Pilot projects aimed at improving the balance between work, study and family life are tested and, if they show promise, implemented.
Family-friendly cooperation
To subject the strategies for achieving family-friendly policies to a continuous optimisation process at all levels, HU actively networks with stakeholders in this field. In particular, it is committed to the dual career approach. In the spirit of family mainstreaming, a regular process is initiated in which all HU members are involved. The objectives and measures set out by HU in these principles are subject to regular evaluation in order to ensure their continuous development.