Anyone who wants to enable excellent research and attract and retain international talent in the long term needs working conditions that take work, family and personal life into account. For its commitment in this area, Leibniz IPHT has received the certificate for the audit berufundfamilie for the second time.

Working conditions need to fit the people who use them. This idea was at the heart of the 28th certificate award ceremony for the audit berufundfamilie on 18 June in Berlin. Under the motto “Strong performance: work-life balance and diversity”, around 350 guests from companies, universities and institutions came together to exchange ideas on family- and life-phase-conscious HR policy.

Leibniz IPHT was once again among the organisations honoured at the event. Andrea Borowsky, Co-Head of Communications, accepted the certificate at the dbb forum berlin. The institute has held the certificate since 2023 and is one of 28 Leibniz institutes that are currently certified.

The audit berufundfamilie is not a one-time award, but a guided development process. It examines how well work, family and personal life can be reconciled in everyday working life: from flexible working arrangements and reliable information to leadership, team agreements and concrete support in special life situations. The certificate is valid for three years and confirms that work-life balance is strategically anchored at the institute and continuously developed. In this way, it strengthens Leibniz IPHT as an internationally competitive research location.

“Excellent research thrives on committed people who are able to contribute their skills, regardless of the phase of life they are currently in,” says Jürgen Popp, Scientific Director of Leibniz IPHT. “Family-conscious working conditions, reliable agreements and respectful consideration of different life realities are therefore an important part of our institute culture. At the same time, they strengthen our position in the international competition for outstanding scientists and specialists. The renewed certification shows that we are on the right track and that we are continuing along this path consistently.”

At Leibniz IPHT, people in research, technology and administration work together with different tasks, life phases and personal circumstances. Reconciliation is therefore an important part of a modern HR strategy and attractive working conditions. Flexible working hours and mobile working, a parent-child office, campus kindergarten places, subsidies for childcare during business trips and services related to care already support employees in different life situations. Open coordination within teams and the willingness to find individual solutions when tasks, schedules or personal requirements change are also part of this approach.

The renewed certification confirms this development. In the target agreement for the audit berufundfamilie, Leibniz IPHT sets out how existing services are to be further bundled and strengthened. The focus is on easily accessible information, reliable agreements within teams, support for managers and services related to mental health.

Across Germany, 250 employers and universities received the certificate for the audit berufundfamilie or audit familiengerechte hochschule this year. The award ceremony made clear that reconciliation is not a side issue, but an important success factor for attracting excellent employees, retaining them in the long term and enabling cutting-edge research in a sustainable way.

Photo: Andrea Borowsky accepted the certificate for the audit berufundfamilie on behalf of Leibniz IPHT at the award ceremony in Berlin.

Photo credit: Jens Schicke / berufundfamilie Service GmbH