Family-friendly measures increase employees' sense of security and reduce turnover. Get Work Trend HR Service Provider received the Family-Friendly Workplace certification in April from the Family-Friendly Hungary Center Nonprofit Ltd. Ákos Jáhny, the CEO, talked about the measures they have taken so far, their impact on retention, and attracting new employees. The company is currently introducing another family-friendly element: after 4 pm, no significant meetings can be scheduled.
"The family-friendly value has always been part of our company culture; we just haven't consciously focused on it until now. It was never a question that if an employee with children had any individual issues, we approached it flexibly and together found a solution. When we saw the grant announcement and the criteria system in January of this year, we felt that we practically meet all the requireents," says Ákos Jáhny, the CEO, who is also a father of two five-year-old boys.
The Hungarian-owned business specializing in labor leasing operates with 11 offices, employing 60 internal and 1400 leased employees. Ákos Jáhny illustrates the fact that the family-friendly mindset is not deeply rooted everywhere in Hungary with an example: "One of our new colleagues struggled with tears of joy when she learned that she could attend her child's Mother's Day performance at our company. Her previous employer wouldn't even let her go on leave for it. It doesn't even occur to us to oppose such things; everything can be organized," he says.
At Get Work Trend, several measures assist in creating a balance between work and family life, which were elaborated in more than 100 questions of the application. Here are the most important ones:
Transition to flexible work arrangements (part-time, remote work)
Support for kindergarten and nursery placement
Back-to-school support
Continuous communication with employees on maternity or parental leave. If a project ends, they search for new opportunities within the organization
Planning the return from parental leave, including training to prepare mothers for specific positions
Building a community: inviting families to company events
Gifts for children on Children's Day, Santa Claus Day
Seeking summer and student jobs for employees' family members' children
Coordinating shifts for husbands and wives, fathers and mothers in the leased workforce as well (so they don't work the same shift)
"Play corner" at the workplace. If home supervision is not feasible, children can be brought to the workplace for a day
In case of relocation, the Get Work office closest to the new residence keeps in touch with the expectant mother and searches for job opportunities locally.
In case of relocation, the Get Work office closest to the new residence keeps in touch with the expectant mother and searches for job opportunities locally.
There's also a measure that the CEO implemented based on his own example. "We are currently introducing the rule that no significant meetings can be scheduled after 4 pm. Parents typically start working between 8 and 9 am, and concentration decreases after 4 pm. Many people then pick up their children from kindergarten, school, or nursery."
The CEO explained that they don't measure and can't clearly quantify the impact of family-friendly measures. However, it definitely reduces turnover, improves employees' well-being and sense of security, enhances the company's reputation, and increases the number of applicants. "Employees are proud to work for such a company; they spread the word among their acquaintances, and we communicate this award on all our offline and online platforms, even including it in job advertisements."
In the opening picture Ákos Jáhny