University of Siegen once again recognized as a family-friendly university
Successfully combining family with studies or career: The University of Siegen has once again been certified and confirmed by the "audit family-friendly university". This is the third time that the university has been awarded the "with distinction" certificate. It recognizes universities for establishing family-friendly working, research and study conditions and is a seal of quality for the successful compatibility of family with studies or career. The University of Siegen first received the certificate in 2006 - the first dialog process and thus the certificate 'with distinction' followed in 2019 and was confirmed in 2022.
"The family-friendly university audit, with its regular re-audits, has played a key role in helping the University of Siegen to develop the structures and services that characterize today's family-friendly university. In this way, it has been possible to systematically take up impulses and needs from students and employees time and again and develop suitable measures to improve the compatibility of studies/work and family," says Elisabeth Heinrich, Equal Opportunities Officer at the University of Siegen, summarizing the benefits of the audit.
The certificates were presented this year by Mareike Wulf, Parliamentary State Secretary of Karin Prien, Federal Minister of Education, Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth. The Ministry is the patron of the "audit berufundfamilie" and the "audit familiengerechte hochschule". Mareike Wulf emphasized: "In order for our economy to remain strong in the face of demographic change, companies must promote the talents and skills of their employees in an even more targeted manner. A reliable work-life balance is a decisive key to this. The certified companies, universities and institutions show impressively how this can be achieved - with flexible, innovative and everyday solutions instead of rigid models. They set standards and are role models for employers throughout Germany."
Extensive family-friendly measures
The Family Service Office was established at the University of Siegen back in 2007 to help students and employees find a better balance between work, studies and family responsibilities. Parents also benefit from a vacation childcare service, a needs-based and flexible childcare facility and the online childcare portal "BeKind". The aspect of "family equity" is anchored in all of the university's strategy papers. The university offers employees and scholarship holders with family responsibilities various financial support options, such as covering certain childcare costs, a family scholarship and a family emergency fund. Advice and support is also available to students and employees with family members to care for.
For the future, the University of Siegen is planning, among other things, a Gender & Diversity Certificate for employees in academia and administration, participation in the state program Reconciling Work & Care in NRW and the training and establishment of care guides. In addition, a concept is to be developed to give caregiving students digital access to university events where attendance is compulsory. In this context, the university's digitalization guideline will also be expanded to include other aspects of work-life balance and diversity. Work will also continue in the "Professorship and Family Round Table" and "Motherhood and Science" networks.
About the "family-friendly university audit"
The "audit familiengerechte hochschule" of berufundfamilie GmbH is an offer for universities, colleges and academies to promote the compatibility of family, studies and career. The audit involves a multi-stage process of support and advice and aims to provide organizations with the necessary skills to manage family-friendly conditions themselves. The aim of the dialogue process is to reflect on the high level of development of family-friendly working and study conditions and to further optimize individual areas. The dialog process is repeated every three years to ensure the quality of the certificate - in 2025, the University of Siegen will receive the certificate "with distinction" as a qualified family-friendly university for the third time. This year, more than 300 organizations were recognized for their HR policies - including 34 universities
