Who looks after the children during the long summer holidays? PostFinance helps employed mothers and fathers solve this predicament for five working days with the holiday week in Bern and the support of individual regional childcare services. The measure, designed for more work-life balance, benefits not only the parents and children, but also the employer.
Who looks after the children during the long summer holidays? PostFinance helps employed mothers and fathers solve this predicament for five working days with the holiday week in Bern and the support of individual regional childcare services. This is one of many measures for a better work-life balance that not only benefits staff and their families, but the employers too.
Balancing work and family life can be a real challenge. Working mothers and fathers know only too well: sometimes the days are just too short to do everything at home and at work as well as you’d like to. You’re always faced with fundamental questions like: “How do you best divide up your time to balance working hours, potential business trips, meetings and family obligations?”, “How do we arrange external family support?” or “What should I do if my son or daughter is ill?”.
In Switzerland, the Federal Law on Improving Work-Life Balance sets out certain statutory framework conditions regarding family and work. Moreover, companies often offer their staff additional benefits to promote a work-life balance. After all, this is the responsibility of everyone and it benefits everyone, including working mothers and fathers, the economy and the employer. A healthy work-life balance ensures parents can participate in the labour market and it also reduces the shortage of skilled workers. Employers offering family-friendly working conditions are also more attractive and in a better position to attract and retain skilled workers. Measures like this boost the economy and the competitiveness of the company in question.
In Switzerland, employees are entitled to 14 weeks of paid maternity leave from the day the child is born, and two weeks of paternity leave within the space of six weeks after their child is born. Sometimes more holiday is offered, depending on the company. Even parents who adopt a child are entitled to two weeks of adoption leave in Switzerland as long as they are adopting a child under the age of four.
At PostFinance, maternity and paternity leave is more generous: mothers get 18 weeks of maternity leave, and fathers get four weeks of paternity leave. At PostFinance, maternity leave can also be extended to up to two years – and by up to a year with the guarantee of being able to return to the same job.
Companies can opt to share the costs of supplementary childcare, e.g. by subsidising outside crèche places, special arrangements with outside daycare centers so that staff benefit from reduced costs, either directly through the sharing of childcare costs or the provision of and (partial) financing of in-house childcare facilities.
PostFinance shares the costs of supplementary childcare for children up to the age of 14 if they are cared for during working hours in an institutional model subject to social security contributions. The amount they contribute depends on disposable household income and actual childcare costs.
If their child is ill, parents can take care of them for a maximum of three days if they present a medical report until they find another childcare option. This is enshrined in the Employment Act and applies to the mothers and fathers of children under 15.
If an underage child is seriously ill or has had a serious accident, parents get 14 weeks of paid shared parental leave under the Swiss Code of Obligations.
Flexible working conditions comprise measures such as flexible working hours, working from home, part-time work, flexitime, looser requirements about being on site or remote working. These allow staff to tailor their working day to their individual needs and give them more time for family obligations.
Find out what PostFinance is doing about working conditions to create a family-friendly company in our interview with Stefanie Hagg, Sustainability Manager with PostFinance, and Anja Magariños, Lead for Employer Branding.
To promote work-life balance, PostFinance has offered childcare support during the summer holidays since 2016 – either with the holiday week at the headquarters in Bern, or with a financial contribution to an external childcare service such as a tennis or horse-riding camp throughout Switzerland that the parents can choose themselves. During the holiday week in Bern, children from age five to twelve have the opportunity to take part in various workshops. They are cared for and fed between 7.30 a.m. and 6 p.m. Around 60 boys and girls take part in the PostFinance holiday week each year. Ulrike Meisel has used the service yet again, and she explains exactly why.
“This is the third time our daughter has taken part in the holiday week in Bern. Since my husband and I don’t have our parents nearby to look after our daughter, and because the day school is closed throughout the school holidays, the holiday week is a great way to cover some holiday time. During the five days, we don’t have to juggle childcare supervision. And our daughter always looks forward to this time very much. What PostFinance has set up with the holiday week is just great. The holiday week shows that PostFinance is sincere about its commitment to promoting a balance between work, family and private life. Because it’s making it happen.”
For its commitment in the areas of work-life balance, family and private life as well as gender equality, PostFinance repeatedly receives awards such as the UND label.
