Compatibility in every situation

How do you reconcile childcare and a career? This is a question that immediately pops into many people's heads when they think about work-life balance. However, very different factors can play a role depending on the phase of life. One person does voluntary work, another has a time-consuming hobby. A life-phase-oriented HR policy takes such individual needs into account. We asked three employees how they benefit from this, regardless of whether they have children or relatives in need of care.

"As a carer, I work in shifts. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, I also volunteer to coach a children's soccer team. I really enjoy that. But it also means that I can't work late in the afternoon on these days. Fortunately, our employer gives us the freedom to coordinate our own schedules as a team. This means that I can explain to my colleagues myself why I can't work a shift during this time. They are very understanding when I cover for them elsewhere. That only benefits everyone."

Sarah Hubig, 28 years old, specialist in a nursing home

"My job is quite mentally demanding. The weekend is often not enough time to relax - especially as I also have to do things like shopping, cleaning and tax returns. That's why I reduced my weekly working hours from 40 to 32 for a period of three months. Fortunately, my employer is very flexible. It's relatively easy for us to reduce working hours by up to one day a week. I just had to fill out a form and discuss with my employer which tasks I wouldn't be able to do during this time. I use my extra day off to go shopping, enjoy the nice weather or simply read again."

Thorsten Kowalski, 32 years old, communications consultantr

"I often go surfing on my vacations. The best destinations require long journeys. I also have hardly any opportunities to train in Germany. This means that I always need a certain amount of time to build up my strength again. I only make real progress after three to four weeks. My employer usually limits the length of a vacation to a maximum of four weeks. Unfortunately, that's not enough for my hobby. As I don't have children and therefore only take vacation outside the school vacations - also at my employer's request - we have agreed that I can take my entire annual leave in one go. Another advantage for both me and my employer is that I can really switch off on a longer vacation and come back to work with renewed energy."

Carsten Schneider, 47 years old, Project Manager