Combining career & caregiving responsibilities

The Equal Opportunities Bureau (BfC) offers Jülich employees who are expectant mothers comprehensive information (online and in personal consultations) on topics such as maternity leave, notifying the employer about the pregnancy, parental leave, and parental allowance.

Finding short-term or regular childcare can be difficult amid the stresses of day-to-day life. The BfC helps employees as best it can – whether they need to find a babysitter for the afternoon or a regular childcare place in a daycare centre or with a childminder. The “Kleine Füchse” early-childhood education centre is on the Jülich campus with over 120 places. Information is also available on topics such as taking time off work to care for a sick child.

The Equal Opportunities Bureau (BfC) provides information on the general conditions and support services in place at Jülich to help employees balance work and caregiving responsibilities.

Everyone benefits from an open work culture with flexible working arrangements and options for reconciling family and career – employees, their families, and Forschungszentrum Jülich itself. Family ambassadors help to promote the implementation of family-friendly policies in the organizational units. They receive regular updates on important developments in the area of balancing work and caregiving responsibilities, and pass this information on to their teams. They also support managers and colleagues in finding the right contact persons and advisory services.

Working hours: Flexitime with no core hours offers great flexibility to employees, especially for women with family obligations alongside their careers. Overtime is recorded and can be offset with time off, allowing you to manage your time according to your needs. We also offer various part-time options.

Place of work: It is possible to work from home after speaking to your superior. This flexibility allows parents and individuals with other private commitments to better align their working day with their personal circumstances. The number of hours you can work from home depends on your tasks and what you have agreed with your superior.

Our Gender Equality Plan combines various goals, measures, and initiatives to ensure equal and fair opportunities for all employees in achieving their career objectives – regardless of their gender. In the document, you will find more detailed information on goals and measures, for example concerning the reconciliation of work and caregiving responsibilities.