Family Platform Eastern Switzerland strengthens its commitment
Consultations around the topic of reconciling work and family are in demand. Therefore, the Family Platform Eastern Switzerland (FPO) would like to further expand its commitment: This intention was supported by the FPO members at the general assembly on April 1, 2019, which took place at the new headquarters of Lidl Switzerland in Weinfelden.
"Inquiries have continued to increase over the past year. This shows how important the topic of work-life balance is," said Corinne Indermaur, Managing Director of the Family Platform Eastern Switzerland FPO. Most of the approximately 100 personal consultations with employees of member companies dealt with aspects of childcare. The topic of care for the elderly, for which FPO also offers support, is becoming increasingly important. This offer is to be publicized even more in the future.
Management of the family platform increased
At the general meeting, members approved the annual report, accounts and budget. They also approved the change in membership fees: municipalities now fall into the same category as other employers. For associations, the category "Supporter" was also created. In order to strengthen the impact of the family platform, a lot of energy will be invested in the acquisition of new members in the coming years. Association president Christof Stürm therefore proposed to increase the management from 40 to 50 full-time positions for the next two years. In view of the association's capital, the financial scope for this is available. The members followed the proposal.
Survey shows potential
Corinne Indermaur emphasized that the search for new members has started successfully. Several new member companies have already joined in the first quarter of 2019: The more than 100 member organizations currently have over 50,000 employees who can benefit from FPO consulting. She is also optimistic that she will be able to decisively advance the cooperations with the cantons of Graubünden and Schaffhausen in the course of the year. In order to gain deeper insights into the family-friendliness of companies in eastern Switzerland and to be able to respond even better to needs, a survey on the subject of paternity leave was carried out last year, in which around 170 companies from eastern Switzerland took part: it showed that paternity leave is granted in the vast majority of companies, although the number of vacation days varies greatly between companies.
Outreach for families
The members of the FPO then took the opportunity to look around the recently opened headquarters of Lidl Switzerland in Weinfelden. Gisela Schoch, Department Manager Employee Engagement at Lidl, showed, among other things, how the discounter is committed to the compatibility of work and family by means of a parent-child office equipped with toys. Lidl, which is itself a member of the FPO, is also one of the pioneers when it comes to paternity leave, offering two weeks.
More information: www.familienplattform-ostschweiz.ch
