At Rotte and 83 other companies in the Paderborn district, family friendliness is not just an empty phrase. It is lived practice. This was demonstrated by the presentation of the “Family-Friendly Company 2023” award.
The companies were honored for their commitment to reconciling family, care and work. District Administrator Christoph Rüther and Eva Leschinski, head of the Competence Center Women and Work OWL, presented the certificates in Salzkotten-Thüle in a ceremonial setting.
“During the discussions with the companies, it became clear that the employees attach great importance to flexibility, work organization and communication. Family friendliness is more important than ever in view of the increasing shortage of skilled workers. Steps toward family friendliness are well invested, because they influence the working atmosphere, motivation and thus productivity. The measures create transparency, generate trust and demonstrate reliability,” says Rüther.
Individual measures convince
The award has already been presented since 2017 to companies that support their employees through a family-friendly HR policy. For the first time or in succession, those responsible in the companies develop individual measures and offers on site to support families and make their everyday lives easier.
In a three-stage award process, applications were examined and evaluated by a jury consisting of representatives from the Chamber of Industry and Commerce, the Chamber of Crafts, the Job Centre, the Employment Agency, the Paderborn district, the Paderborn, Büren, Warburg and Höxter Employers’ Association, the DGB and the OWL Women and Work Competence Centre. Rotte was able to impress with numerous family-friendly measures, such as counselling services, family parties, reduced working hours for carers, overtime accounts, a daycare centre close to the company and taking the family dog to work.
In 2017, 27 companies decided to submit their application documents. In 2021, there were already 75 companies. In 2023, the number of applicants was 90 companies, 66 of which had already repeatedly participated in the process. A clear signal that the topic is also gaining importance among companies in the Paderborn district. Family friendliness is not a question of size or industry, as the number of employees ranging from 4 to 3,500 from many different sectors of the economy makes clear.
