The University of Dunaújváros have successfully achieved the Family Friendly Workplace/Service Provider certification mark in 2022. In connection with that, we asked Dr. István András, Rector of the University.

First, I would like to congratulate on this achievement, how did you get here?

Family-friendly measures, both for students and employees, have always been an integral part of the University of Dunaújváros' approach. We were awarded the Family Friendly Place earlier in 2011 and 2017. The aim of formulating a family-friendly policy is to enable employees to give sufficient attention to their loved ones while meeting workplace expectations, or to reconcile their individual needs with the needs and expectations of the employer and the family while minimising stress and conflict.

The Family Friendly Place certification mark is a unified certification based on a high set of criteria, which can be obtained in the categories "Workplace" and "Service Provider". We were nominated in three categories:

• Workplace – the University for its family-friendly measures for employees.
• Place of service – for the University’s family-friendly measures for students.
• Place of service – for the provision of nurseries.

Our institution was successful in all three categories, thus winning the certificates.

What does this award mean for the University and where can it be used?

As family-friendliness is a value that carries a positive social message, it is becoming increasingly important and attractive at organisational level, and employee focus is family-friendliness itself. Those about to start a family should also be looked after, given the chance to build their personal lives, and support for colleagues who already have a family is just as important.

In my opinion family-friendly institutions are better in adapting to changes, have better staff retention, and the award of the certificate can provide a competitive advantage for the organisation, while the trademark holder also gains significant communication and PR value, as the trademark makes the organisation more attractive to employees and students.

You can use the trademarks for 2 years, after which you can reapply.  

How do you see social inclusion in family-friendly measures?

First of all, it is important to mention the of the University-run nursery. Maintaining a day nursery is a family-friendly workplace and educational institution that promotes work/study-life balance and the reconciliation of family, private and work communities. For parents who want to return to work, it is essential to be able to manage daycare for their young child.

With our activities, adapting to the current labour market situation, we would like to support families with small children aged 1-3 years, where one or both parents are employees of the University of Dunaújváros and wish to return from maternity leave. In case of remaining vacancy, we can accomodate children of families living in the area of Dunaújváros.

In the case of the University of Dunaújváros as a workplace, our aim is to enhance the synergy between work and private life. Family-friendly measures are also set down in organisational documents, e.g. gender equality plan, policy on equal opportunities for students with disabilities. A more permissive attitude towards workers with children is always more rewarding, as the workplace can become a career model with skilled, committed human resource. It is important to value employees with up to 5-10 years of experience, even if their family status changes. 

In addition to the university’s employees, priority is given to supporting students and the opportunities and services provided to them. Family-friendly measures, among other things, can be an added bonus for them, providing them with a special and unique contribution to a successful university experience. The university also employs an equal opportunities coordinator who represents the interests of students and employees. In order to properly process the feedback, we also carry out a number of measurements, such as measuring graduates and active students in the Diploma Progression System (DPR). Of course, we are also interested in students' views on both teaching and the quality of teaching, using our Student Opinion on Teaching (OMHV) system.

Could you mention some examples of family-friendly measures?

To achieve the objectives of the child-friendly facility, 2 "Baby changing and baby rooms" have been created. As a result of the ?? investment, the institution will have community spaces that will allow for a more active and full participation of female employees and students in the insitution’s operations, complementing the family-friendly nature of the university’s services and ensuring its third mission objectives. Within the university campus, we have set up 1-1 rooms in the Main Building and the IT Building.

The basic philosophy of our institution is continuous learning, training and acquisition of new knowledge. To this end, we support in-school and out-of-school vocational training for staff who want to learn, and we regularly run our own knowledge transfer and refresher internal training, such as supported training and coaching opportunities on stress management and return to work. 

There are a variety of options available for employees' schedules, if the demands of their life situation require it. Examples include flexible working hours, informal working hours and home office. It is also important to mention the subsidy for housing (dormitory accommodation), the discounted telephone fleet for employees and the one-off HUF 50,000 subsidy for the birth of a child. We don't forget our colleagues in childcare and retired colleagues, who are welcome at all our events.

For the students, the various community-building programmes such as special events, sports days, the Freshers' Ball, the Alma Mater, and the Salamander play a prominent role. In addition, the institution takes into account and provides separate rooms for married students, students with children or students who are related to them. The institution offers time advantage in the case of course and examination attendance for students with children or pregnant women.

What other objectives have been set for the Family-friendly measures?

Our aim is to measure the satisfaction of our colleagues, to ask for their opinions and to facilitate long-term improvements.