Equal Opportunity – Practical Information
Here we collect some basic information around this topic, intended as a rough orientation guide for scientists at DESY and the UHH. Please be aware that the provided information may change over time. Also please understand that we do not intend to give any legal advice, but rather urge you to contact the offices and websites quoted below for up-to-date information.
General Information Sources
Contact for further inquiries
For any questions on equal opportunity measures contact Ms. S. Faverot-Spengler, equal opportunity officer DESY (+49-40-8998-1830) and Ms. A. Paschke-Kratzin, equal opportunity commissioner MIN (+49 40 42838 4353). For any personal questions concerning equal opportunity don't hesitate to contact Birgit Richter (+49 40 42838 5173). Christoph Schweigert (+49 40 42838 5170) acts as a contact person for families with small children.
More resources and information can be found at fv-gb.desy.de, at www.min.uni-hamburg.de/Gleichstellung.html or at www.uni-hamburg.de/familienbuero_e.html
Social Services
Facilities
Please find a family-friendly map of the Universität Hamburg here.
Contact to Civil Service
All information about Hamburg’s Civil Service can be accessed at the website www.hamburg.de. Alternatively you can call 115 oder +49 40 42828 0 for general inquiries. You will then be directed to the appropriate office or find an overview of the district office customer centres here.
Pregnancy
Please inform your employer at the earliest opportunity. Immediately regulations for the protection against dismissal become active ("Mutterschutz"). Normally, six weeks before birth and eight weeks after birth mothers are forbidden to work. In some cases these periods may be longer, for example when working with dangerous chemicals. For details please contact your HR.
After birth
Mothers and fathers are entitled to take parental time off work for a total of three years ("Elternzeit"). However, financial support ("Elterngeld") will only be granted for 14 months if also the father takes at least two months off. Please inform yourself early on the details, since there are deadlines and legal regulations you must meet. Contact your local welfare office see www.familien-wegweiser.de
State support for families
Families with children are entitled to receive a fixed amount of money as support for each child ("Kindergeld"). Please remember that you must apply for this. You can get more information at arbeitsagentur.de
Back into the job
Taking parental time off means your contract with your employer is still active, and you must be offered a position when you want to return to work. If you are on a fixed-term contract those months may be added to the contract’s period. Please contact your HR department for details applying to your specific contract. Please also have a look at this information about the Wissenschaftszeitvertragsgesetz (WissZeitVG): Scientific Career and Parenthood and this English translation of the Act of Academic Fixed-Term Contract (NB: legally binding is only the German WissZeitVG!).
Help after parental leave
The UHH MIN-Fakultät offers a reduction of up to 2 hrs/week of your teaching load if you are a professor and a parent of an under 3 year old child. Contact: Gleichstellung.MIN@uni-hamburg.de
DESY offers support for parents who want to work again after having resigned from their jobs. There are dedicated positions reserved for exactly this case (Wiedereinstiegsstelle). Please contact Ms. S. Faverot-Spengler (+49 40 8998 1830) for details.
Public child care in Hamburg
The City of Hamburg issues various coupons which make day care for children available at a reduced price. For details on services and regulations see www.hamburg.de/familie-beruf and contact your local welfare office, see www.hamburg.de/jugendaemter
Work-Life-Balance
Flexible work hours
DESY and the UHH support families by offering regulations for part-time work, telework and home office. Contact your employer's HR department for details on these regulations.
Getting help
You are entitled to use the database betreut.de with your DESY account in order to get local offers for nursing, child care and household help. Be aware that this database also contains private offers.
On the DESY Site
Parent-Child Offices
There are two parent-child-offices available at the campus Bahrenfeld. The room 111 in building 67 at the UHH Institute for Experimental Physics is designated as a rest area for pregnant and breast-feeding women and as a workplace for parents with children. DESY offers a parent-child-office in room 001 in building 6.
Kindergarden
DESY runs an on-site kindergarden, which is open between 8am and 6pm. There is a waiting list for regular places. In emergency cases exceptional day care can be arranged. Please inform them as early as possible.
More information is available at kinderwelt.desy.de