Our Commitment to Equality
At the Leibniz Institute for Media Research, we are actively committed to equal opportunities, diversity, and fostering an inclusive work culture. Our equality initiatives support all employees, with a particular focus on women and underrepresented groups in science.
These overarching goals are further elaborated on and continuously adapted in the Equality Plan (only available in German).
Certificate for “audit berufundfamilie“
The Institute aims to achieve equality among women, men, and people with non-binary gender identities in various dimensions of diversity. Taking into account the unique challenges of care work, we define family as a community of responsibility, where people live together and support one another. Thus, our concept of family explicitly includes relationships with people toward whom we have a family-like sense of responsibility.
The institute wants to ensure that all employees can achieve the best possible work-life balance. However, human resources policy should also take into account other life stages. After all, childcare or caregiving must be balanced with professional lives not only by families with children, but also by those who care for relatives.
After completing an audit and dialogue process, the institute received the “audit
berufundfamilie” [work and family] certificate, which confirms its family-friendly status. This certificate is considered a seal of quality for sustainable strategic personnel policies that consider family and life stages, as well as family-friendly working conditions.
The Leibniz Institute for Media Research already has firmly established family-friendly working structures that include flexible working hours, flexible work locations, diverse opportunities for professional training as well as personal development and a good work-life balance. Plans for the future include implementing a cooperative occupational health management system, optimizing communication systems, creating a parent-child room, providing bicycles for all employees, establishing qualified employee evaluations, and developing management strategies.
Equality Team
The Equality Team is responsible for establishing the equality plan, implementing the measures set out therein, and continuously evaluating the status quo.
The team’s aims and measures include achieving equal opportunities in management positions and recruitment procedures, promoting work-life balance through flexible work schedules, protecting against discrimination by providing an anonymous counseling center for those affected and clear complaint mechanisms, and promoting networks and further training in the area of skill acquisition.
If you have any questions or suggestions regarding equality at the institute, please contact our equal opportunities officers:
- Julia Prütz (j.pruetz@leibniz-hbi.de),
- Louise Oberhülsmann (l.oberhuelsmann@leibniz-hbi.de)
- and Katharina Mosene k.mosene@leibniz-hbi.de.
Ideally, contact should be made via the equal opportunities mailbox: gleichstellung@leibniz-hbi.de.
Internal Complaints Office under Section 13 of the AGG
The Institute is committed to taking a firm stand against all forms of discrimination. One component of this is Section 13 of the General Equal Treatment Act (AGG), which includes the establishment of a complaints office.
The HBI’s complaints office consists of the following members:
- Claudia Lampert (Institute Council)
- Katharina Mosene (Equality Team)
- Jan-Hinrik Schmidt (Works Council)
Substitution:
- Cindy Hesse (Works Council)
- Julius Reimer (Institute Council)
- Julia Prütz (Equality Team)
You can contact us directly at beschwerdestelle@leibniz-hbi.de
Who Can File a Complaint with the Complaints Office?
All employees of the institute have the right to file a complaint with the AGG Complaints Office if they feel discriminated against or harassed by their employer, supervisor, colleagues, or third parties in connection with their employment relationship for a reason specified in §1 AGG.
The complaints office advises and supports those affected, investigates the facts of the case immediately and comprehensively, and provides information on possible courses of action on a case-by-case basis. The procedure is strictly confidential, and all steps are discussed transparently with those affected. The office only initiates steps with their consent. Complaints may be submitted in writing, verbally, in person, or anonymously, as there are no formal requirements. If the office finds that the complaint is justified, it will inform the employer. Under §12 AGG, the employer is obliged to take the necessary measures to protect the person concerned.
For further information, please contact the Equality Team.
Photo by Clay Banks on Unsplash