Family Friendliness

The complete overhaul of staff regulations and the accompanying regulations on working hours and absences represented a major milestone for employees. Working conditions in general have become more flexible and family-friendlier. Of particular note are the increase of paternity leave to four weeks, the expanded regulations on the care of close relatives, and the significant increase in flexibility with regard to working hours.

The range of child care options for members of the university community has also been expanded: new additions include emergency care for sick children and a nanny service offered by the day care center. Flexible at-home child care options are aimed especially at providing relief for members of the university with low incomes and high demands on their time, whether due to education or employment.

These new policies are an important component of the University of Basel’s efforts to take a pioneering role in family-friendliness, which motivated it to join the "Familie in der Hochschule" network and sign its corresponding charter. The “Familie in der Hochschule” charter outlines normative and instrumental standards for improving the balance of studies, work and family, thereby considering the needs of all members of the university community. Signing the charter obligates the University of Basel to implement these standards and to serve as a role model in the development of a more inclusive and equitable university culture that promotes family focus and diversity. In September 2021, the University of Basel also became the first Swiss university to earn the "audit familiengerechte hochschule” certificate¹. The certificate recognizes family-friendly study and employment policies and is valid for three years. The university must now implement certain stipulated measures and provide evidence of annual progress.

The two funding lines "get on track"  and "stay on track" which are directed at doctoral candidates and postdoc researchers, were continued. An unusually high number of applications were submitted for the funding instrument “stay on track” in 2022, so the budget was increased for the coming year. In early 2022, the application process for both funding instruments was changed over to a rolling process without fixed deadlines. This is a better fit for the life circumstances of doctoral candidates and postdocs and was well-received. More family-friendly news: doctoral students and postdocs who are breastfeeding their infants have been allowed since June 2022 to include travel costs for an accompanying person when requesting travel funds for conference attendance.