Work-Life Balance Project

Work-Life Balance of the OP RDI Researchers

Brief description of the project:

WLB project has ended, but CEITEC’s activities in this area continue, find out more HERE

The goal of the project is to introduce a system of human resources development aimed at supporting the balance between the family life and professional life (hereinafter work-life balance, WLB) of scientists and researchers. The project involves a complex network of target groups.

The primary target groups are employees – researchers of OP RDI projects in the field of natural sciences, and HR development employees. Individual acitivities will result in:

• qualified employees in the HR development field with a proactive approach to equal opportunities,
• scientists and researchers aware of the WLB issues who have tools available for balancing their family and professional lives.

A partial goal of the project is to increase the uptake of flexible forms of employment – including the introduction of a system, which both helps scientists and researchers maintain contact with their area of specialisation while on parental leave and helps them maintain their professional qualifications.

The key activities of the project are derived from the needs of the target groups and are planned in a logical sequence, starting from a proposal of modifications to the HR development system, up to the introduction of a functional WLB support system. The project starts with an audit of equal opportunities and analytical activities the results of which will be summarised in the HR development management document.

The outputs and pending activities of the project will be discussed in several discussion groups. The discussions at a political level will take the form of round table discussions; working groups of specialists in the fields of equal opportunities and HR will attend workshops and general conferences will be organised for the general public.

An information network will be created for the target groups, consisting of specialised consultants and information materials. Remote access to information will be allowed by an interactive web portal and on-line consulting services.

Contact person:
Eliska Pudova, principal investigator
eliska.pudova@ceitec.cz

Project partners:

• Masaryk University
• South Moravian Region
• South Moravian Centre for International Mobility
• Brno University of Technology
• University of Veterinary and Pharmaceutical Sciences Brno
• Institute of Physics of Materials, ASCR

WLB project has ended, but CEITEC’s activities in this area continue

In March 2015, the implementation of the WLB project, financed with funds provided by OP Human Resources and Employment, was completed. Over the course of the project, we implemented ten key activities including, in particular, re-integration grants for male and female scientists taking parental leave, which were used to cover their part-time work in research teams. As a part of the project, three information brochures were prepared focusing on the topics of maternity and parental leave, pre-school care and balancing of grant implementation and parenthood. All materials compiled in the course of the project can still be used and are available on the Intranet (for employees) and also on the web sites in the Downloads section (for external users). Thanks to the project, we were also able to hold two conferences and two round table discussions, several workshops focused on HR issues in the academic environment, five training courses and a gender audit at CEITEC MU. A complete report on project implementation is available will be available on the Intranet (expected in May).

However, CEITEC’s activities do not finish with the project and we will continue to pay attention to the equal opportunities and work-life balance issues. Starting in October 2015, we will begin preparing for the implementation of certain follow-up activities. At this time we will focus on institutional conditions, the organisation of work, the recruitment of new employees, career development and balancing.

The contact person for the agenda of equal opportunities and work-life balance support in science is Eliška Pudová, who will greatly appreciate any suggestions, comments or queries and, in particular, any individuals interested in active participation in future activities in this area (eliska.pudova@ceitec.cz).

Conference “Young Scientists: Balancing Career and Family”,
November 27, 2014, Brno

We would like to take this opportunity to thank all participants of the conference “Work-Life Balance for Young Scientists: Career and Family” that took place on 27 November in Brno as a part of the Work-Life Balance Project. The conference consisted of four presentations and a panel discussion of young scientists and was closed by a round table discussion of representatives of selected universities.

In December, a conference report will be published, summarising the main issues of each of the presentations and panel discussions, as well as the outputs of this event, both from the perspective of institutions and from the perspective of individuals.

Newsletter (04/2014) with a preliminary overview of the course and agenda of the event, as well as the conference presentations, can be found under the tab “Downloads”.

The press release is available HERE.

New information brochure for employees “Pre-school Care in Brief” 

Please, let us inform you, that new information brochure on pre-school care was finally issued. The text is primarily intended for parents who have children of pre-school age (three to six years of age). It provides brief overview of the most important information you will need in order to register your child in a kindergarten or in another pre-school care facility. We would like to thank to all involved persons! The brochure is available both in Czech and English version. You can download it in “Downloads” section.

UPDATED | New information brochure for employees “Maternity and Parental Leave in Nutshell” 

Please, let us inform you, that new information brochure for employees on maternity and parental leave was finally issued. We would like to thank to all involved persons! The brochure is available both in Czech and English version. You can download it in “Downloads” section.

Grant Agency of the Czech Republic promises more accommodating approach towards mothers

Upon an initiative of the National Contact Centre “Women and Science”, an ombudsman began looking into the rules for post-doctoral grants from the Grant Agency of the Czech Republic (GA CR). Based on his analysis, the ombudsman concluded that the current conditions can be perceived as indirect discrimination on grounds of gender or parenthood. The management of the GA CR have decided to adopt active measures to improve the situation for female scientists.

For more information, see News 2/2013 HERE.

WLB project Newsletters

If you would like to receive WLB Newsletter each quarter, please, send an email to eliska.pudova@ceitec.cz, you can state „WLB Newsletter“ into email subject.

Downloads:

Newsletter 01/2015
Newsletter 04/2014
News 02/2013
News 01/2013
Newsletter 03/2014 (Czech version only)
Newsletter 02/2014 (Czech version only)
Newsletter 01/2014 (Czech version only)
Newsletter 04/2013 (Czech version only)
Newsletter 03/2013 (Czech version only)
Newsletter 02/2013 (Czech version only)
Newsletter 01/2013 (Czech version only)
Newsletter 03/2012 (Czech version only)
Newsletter 02/2012 (Czech version only)
Newsletter 01/2012 (Czech version only)

• Grants, Research and Parenthood (English version)
• Maternity and Parental Leave in Brief (English version)
• Pre-school Care in Brief 
• Grants and parenthood

• Presentations from conference Young Scientists: Balancing Career and Family can be found HERE.

Established in 2001, the National Contact Centre for Women and Science of the Institute of Sociology of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic,is a research, support and advocacy project aimed at improving the status of women and young people in science and advancement of gender equality in the academe. The Centre  isintegrated in international networks (the European Platform for Women Scientists, genderSTE, EUMENT-NET and ATGender), participates in international structural change projects (TRIGGER, EGERA) and cooperates with similar support and research organizations abroad, especially in Europe.

The goals of the project areto stimulate debates and petition for measures and steps to eliminate discrimination and gender inequalities in science, to urge action from responsible institutions, and to offer solutions for improving the professional advancement of women. The project also raises visibility of women researchers and their work and supports and stimulates women’s cooperation in science. 

Take advantage of our consulting services

As of March 2013, employees have been able to take advantage of our consulting services provided as a part of the WLB project. Employees of OP RDI projects can address our consultants with their queries related to balancing their personal and work lives:

• Are you planning to take maternity or parental leave and do you want to get familiar with your rights and obligations?
•  Are you planning to return to work from maternity or parental leave and are considering a flexible form of employment (part-time, compressed work week, etc.)?
• Do you want to learn more about the available forms of balancing your personal and work life and find a way to agree on them with your employer?
•  Are you interested in the up-to-date information relating to grant financing with respect to female scientists leaving on maternity or parental leave?

In such a case, do not hesitate to contact the consultants at the WLB project, either by telephone or by e-mail on workdays. You can also make an appointment for a personal meeting.