Gender Equality
Equality between women and men and the compatibility of family and professional life are important guiding principles at the FBN.
The aim of equality work at the FBN is to support all employees, regardless of gender and family commitments, in shaping their professional careers. In particular, female employees should be given easier access to management positions in order to compensate for structural disadvantages that still exist. In addition, employees of any gender should be enabled to take on child-care responsibilities or care for relatives without disadvantages for their careers.
Equal Opportunities Representative
To this end, the Equal Opportunities Representative and her deputy support the institute's management in implementing the Equal Opportunity Act. They advise and support all employees in career advancement, elimination of structural disadvantages, and questions of compatibility of family, care, and work for women and men.
They also act as contacts for gender discrimination and sexual harassment. They participate in all personnel, social and structural measures. They provide information, links to relevant websites and internal documents on the institute's intranet. They sensitize our employees to gender equality issues, e.g. by means of regular contributions to the bilingual internal FBN newsletter "Perspective". The aim is to find solutions together with our employees.
All employees, regardless of gender and sexual identity, should have equal access to career paths at FBN. Within the framework of the Gender Equality Plan, the current situation is regularly analysed and equality measures are planned. In our staffing procedures, we take care to implement gender equality standards from the advertisement to the appointment. As part of our institute culture, we have also established a guideline on gender- and diversity-sensitive language, which is continuously being developed.
We advise and support employees who have difficulties balancing their professional and private lives. Employees with child-care responsibilities receive a wide range of support services, such as a parent-child room and cooperation with the local daycare center. Agreements on mobile working and arrangements for flexible working hours with working time accounts offer a great deal of flexibility. Employees on parental leave can also take advantage of further training opportunities to advance their careers in the best possible way. Our family- and life-phase-conscious personnel policy is reflected in the work and family audit certificate ("audit berufundfamilie"), which we have been entitled to use since 2014.
We provide support for employees caring for relatives. Part-time employment and temporary leave of absence are made possible in consultation with all concerned. In addition, the regulations on flexible working hours and working time accounts apply here, as well.
The Equal Opportunity Officer and her deputy are the main contact if employees feel discriminated against or sexually harassed because of their gender. They offer confidential advice and assistance and, if requested, provide support in the event of a complaint. The anti-discrimination officer is the complaints office as intended by the General Equal Treatment Act.
