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Plant manager Dr. Stefan Kästner received the certificate this Wednesday in Berlin from the hands of the State Secretary in the Federal Ministry of Economics, Dr. Bernhard Heitzer.

At the annual award ceremony for certificate holders, Heitzer explained: "The issue of 'Equal Opportunities for Families' is very topical from a family policy, but also from an economic policy perspective. Already today, many companies in Germany generally or at least partially have problems finding suitable specialists. The situation will worsen due to low birth rates and the aging of society. Securing skilled workers through the compatibility of work and family is of great importance. “

Hydro was audited and certified in August 2012 by berufundfamilie gGmbH, a subsidiary of the Hertie Foundation under the patronage of the federal ministries for economy and technology as well as for families, seniors, women and youth. & nbsp; "We are committed to implementing a three-year plan with a range of activities and are making good progress," said Kästner.

In order to avoid bottlenecks in the care of sick children, for example, people often respond quickly to their superiors. Shift work is changed because you have to look after a relative. Bottlenecks during the holidays are bridged by a holiday program at Hydro. Far more employees than before also take advantage of the opportunity to look after their young children on parental leave. "We are doing all of this today and want to do it even better in the future," says Kästner.

Pioneer in manufacturing

According to "berufundfamilie", this benefits employees, but also employers. A survey showed higher motivation and productivity of the employees as well as less absenteeism or sick leave.

At the ceremony in Berlin, Federal Minister for Family Affairs Kristina Schröder said: "Family-conscious employers make an important contribution to further improving the general conditions for families in our society." Her ministry is also certified, now for the fourth time.

A total of 304 companies, authorities and other institutions, from small law firms to large factories, received awards in Berlin. Hydro is one of the pioneers in the field of manufacturing, because just under 6 percent of all certified companies come from this area. & nbsp;

For Hydro-Manager Kästner, it is the right way that his work will go on: “You can only be successful in a plant if all employees feel well looked after by the employer. We want to contribute to this. "

This text is machine translated. To view the original German text, click on DE on the top right of this window

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