Croatian State Secretary at the Ministry of Labor, Pension System, Family and Social Policy Majda Burić commented on this problem at the presentation of the project. She pointed out that the harmonization of private and business life is among the high priorities of this Government: “This is confirmed by the fact that in the last term we increased parental benefits for parental leave by more than 100%, from HRK 2,400.00 to HRK 5,600.00. is to raise that amount to the amount of salary by the end of this term. It is also important for the balance of private and business life to mention APN loans, construction and renovation of more than 500 kindergartens and the introduction of extended work in 96 of them, the program “Wish” for women’s employment, as well as this project working on equal opportunities for women and men at work and in the family. ”The possibilities of joining MAMFORCE SOCIETY through audit were also presented. An audit is a strategic tool for changing organizational culture were also presented. “Reduced sick leave rates, higher employee satisfaction, increased productivity and a larger number of women in management positions – are the results of the changes we have made in 33 international organizations through an audit. These are clearly positive developments, absolutely measurable, which confirm that we are thinking in the right direction. Thanks to the project Re-create life and work for women and men, another 20 companies will have the opportunity to improve their policies and practices, and consequently, crucially, productivity, all with EU co-financing”, said Diana K. Deskovich, CEO of the Spona Code company, which guides companies through changing business environments.
Austrian BKS Bank joined the MAMFORCE Society and the advantages are clear. “BKS Bank provides employees with flexible work arrangements, and it is thanks to MAMFORCE that the visibility of women within the company has increased, who today make up 33% of management positions. Also, we have successfully implemented the Government’s pronatalist measure and we pay the maximum non-taxable amount of HRK 10,000 for each newborn child, along with many other benefits for employees “, said the director of BKS Bank AG in Croatia, Juraj Pezelj.
As part of the public presentation of the project, the play “WorkLife 4U” by the Association of Words / Real / Performances was shown, in an adapted video format due to the current pandemic.
With the help of the MAMFORCE method, which directs the change of organizational culture towards an inclusive and gender-balanced work environment, companies will identify existing biases, introduce organizational changes and practices that enable a balance between the private and business life of employees. Positive developments and best practices will receive recognition in the form of the MAMFORCE standard as a mark of quality for organizations friends of family and women.
The implementation of the project is co-financed by the European Commission through the REC program (Rights, Equality and Citizenship). The project coordinator is the Ministry of Labor, Pension System, Family and Social Policy, and the partners are the Croatian Association of Counties and Spona Code.
The value of the project is EUR 324,518.06, of which the European Commission participates with EUR 241,675.13. The project is implemented in the period from June 1, 2020, to May 31, 2022.
