Summary
Informational event for employees on leave, prospective parents, and parents of small children.
Target groups
general staff/administrative staff / scientific staff / artistic-scientific staff /
Implementing organization
JKU Linz - Department for Human Resource Development, Gender and Diversity Management /Contact
Julia Semper, julia.semper@jku.at
Implemented/introduced
Hosted for the first time in fall of 2019
Relation to gender equality targets
Within the reaudit of “hochschuleundfamilie” (“universityandfamily”), JKU commits to a university culture that is family-friendly and promotes compatibility of work/studies and family.
Under 8. Societal Goals & Sociopolitical Responsibility, the Development Plan ’19-’24 contains the following statement: “Family-friendly studies/work and connected to it compatibility of career and family, are matters of great concern at JKU.”
The objective(s) of the tool
Enabling employees to stay connected to the university as well as informing them about supportive measures and offerings explicitly tailored to the period of leave, are the aims of the parental leave forum. This is done via presentations/talks and specific consultation services.
An open space additionally provides employees with the opportunity of entering into exchange with one another. Any suggestions, questions and desires voiced will be collected and forwarded to the Rectorate.
Description of the tool
Employees on leave, prospective parents and parents of small children are the parental leave forum’s target audience. Within the course of a shared morning, up to 40 employees are invited to gain insights, to exchange and to network.
Talks and presentations glance at current events and developments at JKU, provide information about JKU’s offers for families and discuss, for instance, issues such as paternity leave or working from home with small children.
Employees are encouraged to bring their kids to the event. An open space with extensive consultation services (returning to work after leave, legal questions prior and during parental leave, family sick leave, paternity leave, continuing education and child care) follows the presentations. Brunch and a play corner for kids complete the forum.
Target group: parents on parental leave, parents with children up to three years, pregnant employees and prospective dads (academic and non-academic university staff).
How the tool works, practical experience
Generally positive feedback of participants; the intention is to increase the visibility of fathers on leave on campus and to position the topic of parenthood more broadly at JKU.
The next parental leave forum will happen in the fall of 2020.
Attachments
Impressions of the first parental leave forum in the fall of 2019 (in German only).