Niš, July 11, 2024 - Today, at the Deli shared space in Niš, a meeting of employer representatives was held where it was concluded that by investing in family-friendly initiatives and by making efforts to help employees maintain a balance between work and private life, companies contribute to strengthening their brands, increasing employee attraction and retention, and portraying themselves as socially responsible. This event in Niš follows an info session held in Novi Sad at the end of June and is the second of three sessions for employers within the regional project "Expanding Choices Gender - Responsive Family Policies for the Private Sector in the Western Balkans - Phase 2 ".
During today's event, the "Family-Friendly Workplace" business model for employers was presented, along with information on how companies can apply to participate in the program and improve their employee policies.
"Family planning is a significant challenge for women who wish to remain in the workforce, especially in the Western Balkans, where traditional norms and stereotypes further complicate their professional engagement," said Tina Aničić, Population and Development Programme Analyst at the United Nations Population Fund in Serbia. She added that the "Expanding Choices" project is designed to support governments in advancing family-friendly policies and creating an environment that benefits both women and men, enabling them to balance career and family plans. The project focuses on two main activities: collaborating with the Government of the Republic of Serbia and representatives of the state administration to assess and propose improvements to legislative acts concerning work and parenting coordination, and conducting info sessions with state administration bodies to promote and enhance gender-responsive familypolicies. Another aspect involves working with companies that already have some developed practices in creating family-friendly workplaces to further enhance those practices, as well as collaborating with companies lacking experience in this area who wish to establish such policies.
Research indicates that Millennials and Generation Z prefer employers whose values support work-life balance, career advancement, and personal development. The "Family-Friendly Workplace" model aims to establish a work-life balance that enhances employee productivity and improves company performance. This model supports all employees, irrespective of parental status, in achieving a balance between their professional commitments and family responsibilities, thereby creating an inclusive and supportive work environment.
The "Expanding Choices" project, set to run until 2026, includes mentoring support for implementing this model in company operations, whether by enhancing existing practices or developing new initiatives.
"We aim to help companies strengthen their business operations by improving employee’ care. Through this project, we continue our long-standing collaboration with the business community to enhance measures that facilitate a balance between employees' professional and family responsibilities, ensuring career stability and advancement, and enhancing the well-being of both employees and companies," said Marija Jovanović, project manager at the Ana and Vlade Divac Foundation.
The "Family-Friendly Workplace" business model, which will be implemented in selected companies during the project, aligns with each company's general business objectives, needs, and ambitions. Some measures within the model that can contribute to balancing employees' business and private obligations include enabling remote work, scheduling meetings during working hours only, assisting with integration into work during and after maternity and childcare leave, providing necessary technical equipment for remote work, offering paid parental leave, childcare support, household support, and more.
Today's meeting was organized with support from the Regional Development Agency South, and examples of best practices were presented by companies FlowNinja and Symphony.
The activities are carried out by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) in Serbia in collaboration with the Government of the Republic of Serbia and private sector, with active support from the Ana and Vlade Divac Foundation within the project "Expanding Choices: Gender-Responsive Family Policies for the Private Sector in the Western Balkans - Phase 2" with financial support from the Austrian Development Agency.
