The quality seal is awarded by the berufundfamilie Service GmbH for a period of three years and honors the commitment of companies, institutes, and universities that aim for a human resources policy that is sensitive to family needs and life phases. The award requires the successful completion of an auditing process in which both an inventory of the measures already offered and strategic goals are developed and documented. The implementation of these objectives and programs is reviewed annually during the three years period.
The auditing process at IAMO was carried out from March to October 2020 and was managed by the Coordinator for Equality and Diversity at IAMO, Dr. Miao-ling Hasenkamp. In two workshops, objectives and concrete measures were defined, which were set out in a target agreement and signed by the Executive Board in October. In this way, IAMO is sending out a strong signal that it is committed to reconciling work, family, and private life in a sustainable way and to taking into account the diversity, internationality, and different life phases of its employees.
The certificate also recognizes the measures already implemented at IAMO to balance work, family, and private life. These include the opportunity to work from home, trust-based working hours for scientific staff, as well as external and internal mentoring for (junior) executives. The next steps will now focus on equal opportunities in personnel development strategies, optimizing substitution arrangements in the administrative area, strengthening interdepartmental communication, and addressing family and work-life-conscious personnel policies in various formats for executives. The contact person for the topic of reconciling work and family in the Board of Directors is Prof. Dr. Thomas Herzfeld.
The public awarding of the certificate will take place in summer 2021 with the participation of the German Federal Ministry for Family Affairs.