Along with changes in society, corporate culture and values are also changing. Unfortunately, our region often lags several decades behind certain solutions in the West, but fortunately, what works well eventually reaches us too. Thanks to this, in recent years an approach focusing on the family has also emerged in Serbian companies.
This primarily means that companies have realized that it is not only important to hire new employees, but also to retain them. One of the key elements of retention is that colleagues feel good in their workplace, fostering a friendly, family-like atmosphere. For this, it is essential that employees receive the attention and support they need to adequately address childcare responsibilities.
10 points of the family-friendly approach
The family-friendly approach has become an internationally accepted concept, to the extent that UNICEF, the United Nations Children’s Fund, has developed a ten-point system of criteria in this regard. These points are as follows:
1. Ensuring that women are not discriminated against because of pregnancy, motherhood, or family responsibilities, whether in terms of employment conditions, pay levels, or opportunities for advancement.
2. At least six months of paid maternity leave, allowing mothers to spend quality time with their children.
3. Providing breastfeeding support at the workplace, including breastfeeding breaks, appropriate facilities, and conditions.
4. Ensuring affordable and high-quality childcare so that children have access to educational opportunities that enable them to develop necessary skills.
5. Providing flexible working hours through options such as working from home and other measures.
6. In addition to mandatory legal measures, ensuring decent working conditions, including wage levels that allow families to make a living.
7. In the case of employees who relocate or perform seasonal work, providing support for family relocation and assistance with integrating families into a new environment.
8. Encouraging positive parenting practices by launching training sessions and awareness-raising campaigns on the importance of family-oriented thinking.
9. Extending family-friendly policies to business partners as well.
10. Informing and educating clients about the importance of early childhood development through social media and other communication channels.
Some good examples from everyday practice
Obviously, these goals are important and should be supported without exception; however, depending on the nature of workplaces, they cannot be applied one-to-one in every company. The following are some good examples from everyday practice:
- Family-friendly work schedules, with reduced working hours and the option of working from home
- Additional days off in the event of unexpected situations, and a generally flexible approach toward mothers
- Various subsidies for raising children, such as support for starting school, company-provided scholarships, and possible childcare services at the workplace
- Providing training such as family time management and education aimed at facilitating a return to the workplace
- Creating a database where mothers who are at home with small children can register, but would be willing to perform occasional tasks that can be done from home.
Tisza Mammy – one-time financial support
Tisza Automotive considers family values to be extremely important, and a family-like atmosphere prevails in all three of our production units—in Senta, Bečej, and Kikinda.
In order to achieve this goal, we implement the Tisza Mammy program, under which each of our female employees receives a one-time financial support of 20,000 dinars upon the birth of a child.
If you would like to apply to work with us because a family-friendly workplace is important to you, you can do so by filling out the application form at tisza.rs/karijera/ i.