Family-friendly structures offer competitive advantage

The Kultur Quartier event center in Kufstein recently hosted a conference on the topic family-friendly structures organized by Familie & Beruf Management GmbH, a company established by the Federal Ministry of Economics, Family and Youth with the purpose of certifying companies, local associations and institutions.

Mayor and minister talk about best practice examples

The mayor of Kufstein, Martin Krumschnabel, welcomed the guests and emphasized the importance of family-friendly structures in local companies. He was followed by the Federal Minister of Economics, Family and Youth, Sophie Karmasin, who focused on what politics can do to facilitate work-life balance for families and explained that Kufstein is already a best practice example in this respect.

Family-friendly approach helps combat skills shortage

In his presentation, CEO Managing Director of the FH Kufstein Tirol Prof. (FH) Dr. Thomas Madritsch explained the benefits of family-friendly policies using a series of surveys and real-life examples. One way of addressing the skills shortage in certain sectors, he said, is to increase the number of women in work. A study carried out ten years ago by the market research group GfK showed that family-friendly structures play a significant role when choosing an employer. Managers agree that measures in this field are very important.

Family-friendly policies create a competitive advantage

Prof. (FH) Madritsch cited a study carried out by the research center “Familienbewusste Personalpolitik” at Münster University in Germany. This showed that people who work in companies with family-friendly policies and structures are significantly more motivated than those working in similar companies without this approach. The same advantages could be observed in productivity, the quality of job applicants and customer retention. Furthermore, employees working for these family-friendly companies spent less time off work ill and were less likely to quit their jobs. This shows that family-friendly measures can in fact lead to a competitive advantage in the market.

FH Kufstein Tirol – a family-friendly university

That is why the FH Kufstein Tirol pursues a family-friendly policy. We offer our staff flexible working hours and the chance to work from home as well as measures to encourage healthy eating, explains CEO Managing Director Thomas Madritsch. When it comes to our students, we have a range of specific measures designed to make combining university studies and family life easier. For example, in certain cases students can take a break from their studies. Students who have to care for a relative can be excused from examinations and take them at a later date. In 2012 the Fachhochschule Kufstein Tirol was certified as a family-friendly university – a status which was confirmed in a 2015 audit.

Mehr zum Thema "Familienfreundliche Hochschule" unter https://www.fh-kufstein.ac.at/hochschuleundfamilie.