Becoming parents

Are you pregnant? Are you going to be a father? Congratulations!

Picture: Pixabay

Counseling for parents:

If needed, please feel free to schedule a counseling appointment in the Equal Opportunity Office. You will receive tips on topics such as:

• Planning and preparing discussions with superiors on parental leave, leave of absence, and returning to work.
• How can parental leave and returning to work succeed without frictional losses?
• How do you continue your career despite parenthood?
• What does part-time work mean for your career?
• Is it even possible to plan all this?

Pregnancy

During pregnancy and breastfeeding, the employer has a special duty of care for the health of the expectant mother and the unborn child. These duties begin as soon as you have informed your superior of your pregnancy. The superior is required to conduct an assessment of the pregnant woman's working conditions. The purpose of the assessment is to identify hazards and, if necessary, to initiate measures to protect the expectant mother, such as redeployment. The Department of Safety and the Occupational Health Service will provide support at any time.

Information on maternity protection provided by the University

A different situation arises, if the pregnant woman has health problems. The attending physician decides whether to issue a prohibition of employment in accordance with §16 of the Maternity Protection Act (MuSchG), if the life or health of the mother or child is endangered by continued employment (maternal or child indication).

There is also a temporary medical prohibition of employment, if the life or health of the mother or child could be endangered by continued employment, because there are doubts as to whether the working conditions comply with the legal requirements for the permissibility of employment of pregnant women.

In addition to the care provided by your attending gynecologist, you may seek the advice of the University's Occupational Health Service.

Internal and external links:

• The Family Service offers advice on childcare
• Brochure of the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth (BMFSFJ): Guide to maternity protection
• Brochure of the BMFSFJ: So sag ich's meinen Vorgesetzten („How to tell your superiors“, currently only available in German)
• Information specifically provided for fathers can be found here (in German): BMFSFJ - Publications
• A checklist designed by the Equal Opportunity Representative in cooperation with the Human Resources Department with all important dates for parents can be found in the intranet in the section „Formulare“ / P 898b-e ZUV Formulare
• Information for parents provided by the Staff Council: Staff Council/Topics

Your HR administrator will advise you on the rights and obligations of employers and employees and on financial regulations. For example, certain months serve as the basis for calculating the annual bonus, and the amount of the annual special payment can change significantly due to parental leave/part-time work.

Further internal links

• Are you new to the University? (in German)
• Telework and home office (in German)
• Working hours (in German)
• Overtime (in German)
• Schools with after-school care (in German)

 The University of Freiburg is networked with the „Freiburger Bündnis für Familie“ and with the „Freiburger Netzwerk Familienbewusste Betriebe“.