Yesterday, for the fourth time in succession, the technology group Giesecke & Devrient (G&D) was awarded for having a family-friendly HR policy that is tailored to different phases of life. Dr. Peter Zattler, Chief Financial Officer and Director of Labor Relations at G&D, received the "berufundfamilie" audit certificate at the official award ceremony in Berlin.
"Both the workforce and the company benefit equally from a family-friendly HR policy. The re-auditing through the 'berufundfamilie' initiative helps us to protect the standards already achieved and ensures our long-term commitment at G&D, while highlighting the way in which we further establish a family-conscious corporate culture," says Zattler, explaining why G&D took part in the audit.
Having been awarded the certificate, G&D now has official confirmation that the re-audit was carried out successfully last year. Some measures have already been implemented since then, including further expanding part-time working models that are tailored to different phases of life and lifestyle choices. The company also held an internal day-long Care Day event in May to provide information on how to balance work and care commitments. In addition, measures designed to enhance age, gender and cultural diversity in work teams are to be extended with the aim of promoting a diverse corporate culture. In connection with this, G&D is taking part in a consultancy project run by the Bavarian Ministry of Economic Affairs, with some initial impetus also provided by an expert discussion back in February. Since the end of 2013, G&D has allowed its employees to work more flexibly at various places outside the office. Last but not least, the technology group is placing greater emphasis on family-friendliness in developing the skills of its managerial staff and is incorporating the topic of balancing work and family life into training programs for managers.
The "berufundfamilie" audit, an initiative of the not-for-profit Hertie Foundation, offers companies the opportunity to have their HR policy systematically and independently reviewed to ascertain its family-friendliness. It helps employers to strike a viable, commercially attractive balance between corporate objectives and the interests of employees. G&D has demonstrated its commitment to this since 2004 by introducing and further developing an integrated concept for ensuring better compatibility between work and family. G&D was awarded the basic "berufundfamilie" certificate back in May 2004 following its first successful audit.
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