Rhein-Waal University of Applied Sciences has successfully been recertified as a family-friendly university. Students and staff with children are offered a range of options to balance their studies, work and family life.
Rhein-Waal University of Applied Sciences has been awarded the ‘audit familiengerechte hochschule’ certificate for the second time in recognition of its family-friendly approach. The university was first awarded this certificate in 2015 following a relevant audit process. A prerequisite for the certificate, which is valid for three years, is the successful completion of a relevant audit. It was now time for the re-audit, which Rhein-Waal University of Applied Sciences also successfully completed. The focus was on the extent to which the measures implemented had become firmly established. Through reviews, the framework and culture of the family- and life-stage-conscious HR policy were examined, the results were analysed, and, where action was required, concrete solutions were developed through targeted further work.
The ‘family-friendly university’ audit conducted by berufundfamilie GmbH, an initiative of the non-profit Hertie Foundation, is a strategic management tool for the sustainable improvement of family- and work-life-balance-conscious structures and HR policies. With this certification, the Executive Board of Rhein-Waal University of Applied Sciences emphasises the importance of this issue and its commitment to further promoting a work-life balance between studies, career and family through appropriate measures. “I am delighted that the re-audit has been successfully completed. It demonstrates that, since the initial award, the university has developed and implemented numerous measures in the area of family-friendliness,” said Professor Dr Georg Hauck, Vice-President for Human Resources and Organisational Development, Diversity.
A total of 23 universities have now received this award, two of them for the second time. Currently, 106 universities nationwide and 20 in North Rhine-Westphalia hold the ‘family-friendly university’ certificate. In the category for institutions with up to 500 staff members – to which Rhein-Waal University of Applied Sciences belongs – there are 29 certificate holders. To date, 14 universities in Germany have been awarded a second certification.
The ‘family-friendly university’ audit is a developmental audit. It assesses the university’s current position on work-life balance issues and highlights its individual potential for improving staff policies that take family and life-stage needs into account. No one-size-fits-all template can be applied to simply tick off how many and which measures a university must offer. The approximately 500 staff members and around 7,300 students at Rhein-Waal University of Applied Sciences can benefit from a wide range of family-friendly measures. The range of services currently includes, amongst other things, flexible working hours and locations, parent-and-child rooms and portable play centres at both campuses, parents’ cafés, holiday childcare, a guide entitled ‘Studying with a Child’, e-learning opportunities and a counselling network on family-related issues. In the run-up to the next re-audit in three years’ time, the university plans to introduce further measures, such as setting up a family office, establishing childcare provision tailored to individual needs, expanding its services to include support for caring for family members, flexible study models and family-friendly workshops.
