Family & Career
Work-Life Balance
The balance between professional obligations and family needs is a core concern of our institute. We are aware of the unique challenges faced by our employees with family responsibilities. To support them and promote a harmonious work-life balance, we have developed a range of service offerings. These measures reflect our commitment to creating a supportive and flexible work environment where everyone can thrive, both professionally and personally.
Family Services
The Max Planck Society offers a variety of services to facilitate the balance between work and family life. Specifically, for absences due to business trips, there is a special service available: Are you planning to attend a conference and need someone to take care of your child? Do you want to ensure your child is well looked after during the holidays? Do you need permanent childcare? The Max Planck Society has contracted a family service company that arranges caregivers for non-school-aged and school-aged children up to 14 years old - whether it's a babysitter, au pair, or even short-term emergency care. Assistance with elder care is also provided.
The pme Family Service is a private consulting and placement service with an office in Berlin. This service is your point of contact for all questions regarding the balance of family and career, arranging caregivers for children and dependent relatives.
pme Family Service GmbH**
https://www.familienservice.de/en/home (for MPG members)
Hotline: 0800 801007080
Childcare
As an institute, we are proud to offer our employees, scholars, and visiting scientists special conditions for childcare spots in day-care centers through a cooperation with FRÖBEL Bildung und Erziehung gGmbH. This agreement allows members of our institute to have preferred access to FRÖBEL's high-quality childcare services throughout Berlin. As part of this cooperation, all FRÖBEL kindergartens in Berlin are accessible to our staff. A complete list of FRÖBEL day-care centers in Berlin available under this agreement can be found here.
Parent-Child Room
The Fritz Haber Institute offers all parents special rooms where they can work while their child has space to play or sleep. These are located in the Haber Villa (Building K) on the 1st floor to the left.
The facilities include:
- Workstations
- Toys and books
- Play and craft table
- Changing table
- Baby travel cot and baby bouncer
- Armchair (for nursing)
The key is available at the reception. Upon collection, the terms of use must be acknowledged with a signature. The rooms can be used at any time on short notice. Additionally, reservations can also be made.
Immediate Counseling Service
To support the well-being of our employees in both their professional and personal lives, we offer access to an immediate counseling service or psychosocial counseling (EMAP). This service is provided by the external service provider pme and is completely free of charge for you and the family members living in your household.
Diversität & Inklusion
Talent, creativity, and passion are the pillars on which the Max Planck Society relies. It promotes all employees equally because research requires diversity. This is also stated in the Code of Conduct, the core values of the Max Planck Society: "We treat each other with respect and tolerate no form of discrimination based on ethnic origin, gender, disability, religion or belief, age, sexual orientation, or identity." Thus, the Code of Conduct specifies the nine focal points that define the understanding of diversity. An open, international, diverse, and inclusive work culture is the foundation for the cutting-edge research conducted at the 84 Max Planck Institutes.