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Strategy and tools of the Gezinsbond to promote family- friendly working places
Lutgard Vrints
9th October 2012

2. Gezinsbond (League of families)2
Gezinsbond (League of families)
Pluralistic, non-governmental family organisation, °1921
families in Flanders and Brussels are member
Representation of 1/6 of the Flemish population

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Aims of the Gezinsbond
Care for the material and non-material quality of family life
Promotion of solidarity between families
Protect the interests of all families
Work towards a family and child friendly climate in our society

4. Actions and activities of the Gezinsbond4
Actions and activities of the Gezinsbond
Activities on local, regional and national level
Family-oriented services on local, regional and national level
Political action on local, regional, national and international level

5. Promoting family-friendly working places 5
Promoting family-friendly working places
= part of our family policy for a good balance on work and family
Other revendications on national and regional level are:
- Good leave systems for care
Services (household services…) and care institutions (elderly, persons with a handicap, children)

6. Family friendly working places6
Family friendly working places
not a new concept
Links with other measures and tools such as sustainable entrepreneurship and corporate social responsibility, genderfriendly working places, diversity measures
Still there is a specifity: focus is on families

7. family-friendly working places7 7
family-friendly working places
Important principle: there is no standard solution
depends on
Type of activity and production
Characteristics of the company’s employees (age, gender, statute…)
Seize of the company…

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Family-friendly working places important priciple: result of a dialogue
How to answer the needs of the company and the employees?
Instrument:
Dialogue on (inter)sectoral and company level

9. Charter for a family-friendly working place9
Charter for a family-friendly working place
° June 2009
Content: values and principles of a family friendly working place
No audit or label (cfr other initiatives),
but a start for a dialogue on company level

10. In many other the dialogue started
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Results:
20 companies (profit and non-for profit), local and regional governments signed in
In many other the dialogue started
Ideas spread by articles, conferences and in sectors and companies that not signed in (yet)
Charter used by academics and HR consultants for research and policy

11. My company subscribes to the following values:
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My company subscribes to the following values:
The management of my organisation respects the person behind the employee as a member of a family, regardless of his or her place or position in the organisation.
The management of my organisation considers family-friendly working conditions and employment terms a powerful instrument in personnel management.
The management of my organisation creates equal opportunities for women and men among its personnel, regardless of their age or family situation.
The management of my organisation is open to dialogue concerning the needs of the employee's family.

12. My organisation applies the following principles:
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My organisation applies the following principles:
The management of my organisation knows the existing regulations with a view toward a healthy combination of work and family, and respects these.
The management of my organisation actively and clearly communicates concerning existing legal regulations and the extra family-friendly measures that it offers its personnel.
If my organisation has a business plan, family-friendliness is given a visible place in it.
The management of my organisation actively listens to its personnel in order to understand the needs related to combining family and work, and tries to meet these needs as much as possible.

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The standing employment conditions of my organisation include family-friendly measures that meet the real needs of the employees and that were checked with them. Possible examples are teleworking, the option of part-time work, priority for holidays given to parents of school-age children during the school holidays, family-friendly flexible work schedules, the option of being compensated for overtime in time instead of money...
If my organisation has a collective consultation body, measures promoting a healthy combination of family and work are regularly on its agenda.
Family-friendly measures are not a bonus awarded on an individual basis. The management of my organisation implements these transparently, based on objective criteria.

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The management of my organisation works on creating a family-friendly climate among colleagues, and does not tolerate criticism by colleagues of employees who opt for more family time.
The management of my organisation does not link the career perspectives of employees with a temporary absence or reduction in time worked.
The management of my organisation finds it self-evident that men (may) also opt for more family time.

15. Other instruments Agenda setting
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Other instruments
Agenda setting
Lobbying (different political levels; trade unions and employers organisations)
Information to and empowerment of our members and civil society

16. Thank you for listening!
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Thank you for listening!