audit berufundfamilie: Family-friendly working environment at the foundation

In 2016, the Heinrich Böll Foundation was awarded the "audit berufundfamilie" (audit job and family) certificate.

The certificate for the audit berufundfamilie (audit job and family) was issued on 31 August 2016.

Image removed.The Heinrich Böll Foundation is a political foundation closely affiliated with the German Green Party. The foundation is a Green think tank for reform policy, a consultancy for Green projects, an incubator of ideas, and an international network with partner organisations in about 60 countries around the world. The foundation co-operates with state-level foundations in all of Germany’s 16 states. Its primary mission is political education in Germany and abroad as a way to promote democratic decision-making, socio-political commitment, and international understanding. A further field of activity is the scholarship programme. The foundation’s fundamental political values are environmentalism, democracy, solidarity, and non-violence. At the time of the audit the foundation had 221 employees.

Aim of audit

The Heinrich Böll Foundation supports work-family balance and aspires to be a family-friendly workplace. The aim of the audit is to further enhance and publicise its standing as a family-friendly employer. As a result, the foundation will be better able to position itself as family-friendly and thus an attractive employer on the labour market. One feature of our gender democracy policies and of our diversity strategy is our family-friendly human resource policy, which gives our employees a broad scope for their responsibilities and flexibility for roles within family life as well as within work life. Family-friendly leadership is part and parcel of human resource management. We provide part-time positions as well as telecommuting opportunities, and we promote family-friendly approaches wherever possible.

Present activities (sample)

  • Flexible working hours adapted to each individual’s phase of life, with fl exitime windows ranging from 7 am to 9 pm; maximum consideration for family duties during the work day; opportunities for part-time work; leaves of absence (care periods, parental leave, temporary project activities with other organisations, and for other reasons that improve the work-family balance).
  • Access to a shared calendar
  • Courses on team building and self-management
  • Scheduling meetings and other activities in ways that are family-friendly (when possible)
  • Telecommuting; currently there are 60 telecommuting positions, and they are assigned according to compatibility criteria
  • Promotion of equal opportunities as part of the joint task “gender democracy / democratic diversity.”

Future activities (sample)

  • Family-friendly human resource management will be implemented in a manner that balances operational interests with the interests of employees and other team members
  • Increased training in leadership skills that emphasises the balance between job and family
  • Additional measures to compensate for the tendency towards more intense work schedules
  • The balance between job and family will be a regular feature of the annual performance review
  • The Heinrich Böll Foundation will implement human resource development in ways that take into account respective stages of family development and life planning
  • The necessity of frequent work trips will be reviewed continuously
  • Employees with family members dependent on care will be counselled and advised on relevant institutions they may consult with and that may offer them support.

As of 31 August 2016