Mothers in Business is well-known and followed for being at the forefront of developing and experimenting with family-friendly practices, and a trusted partner of family-friendly employers. At MiB, we actively develop and implement family-friendly practices and share our know-how with others.
Ours is a meaningful network of mothers united by an interest in developing themselves and their skills while maintaining the balance between work and family life. Our network brings together a huge amount of expertise, many of our members’ workplaces already implement family-friendly practices while others are on the path of becoming more and more family-friendly!
Promote a family-friendly company to us!
We are now looking for companies that want to join us in promoting family-friendliness, equality and the position of mothers in working life, share our vision and wish to profile themselves as family-friendly partners of MiB. We are also looking for companies that can provide added value to our most important stakeholder - our members- in the form of member benefits!
We want to hear from you - which workplace do you think is family-friendly? Do you know a company that offers flexible working time solutions, supports parenting, offers child-friendly benefits or promotes a family-friendly and equal work culture in other ways?
It's time to pay it forward - showcase a family-friendly workplace and tell us about your own experiences!
Recommend a family-friendly workplace by sending your tip directly to Linda Gustafsson, MiB's Development Manager: linda.gustafsson@mothersinbusiness.fi
We believe in the power of cooperation and work in a transparent way across all our collaborations. All partners are of equal importance to us. Together, we can make a bigger, wider impact and create more and more added value for our members!
Shaking up the working life
A family-friendly working life is in everyone's interest. When it is possible to flexibly combine work and personal life, employees feel and cope better and reach better results. We want to shake old attitudes and change work culture to support family-friendliness throughout the country. Our aim is to make an impact in society and steer working life towards a more equal direction!
We organize an annual Family-Friendly Working Life Seminar, where we discuss what kinds of concrete family-friendly actions can be implemented in the workplace. This year, the Family-Friendly Working Life seminar will be held on Friday 6th October 2023 with the theme “Coping skills and resources in everyday life - what are the building blocks of a working life that supports coping?”
What makes a workplace family-friendly?
A family-friendly workplace supports the reconciliation of work and family and enables a healthy balance between work and the rest of life.
Family-friendliness is taken into account across the board, but also reflected in a number of smaller gestures that convey the employer's family-friendly attitude, such as Take Your Child to Work Day, greetings and compliments sent on behalf of the work community in connection with family events, or inviting family members to workplace parties.
In a family-friendly workplace, everyone has an equal opportunity to combine work and family life.
The practical arrangements of a family-friendly workplace can include:
the possibility of working remotely
doing part-time work as desired by the employee
family-friendly meeting times
making substitute arrangements well in advance
considering employees' needs when planning work and holiday schedules
flexible working hours and, if the duties allow, the possibility to agree on flexible work (“joustotyö”) in accordance with the Working Hours Act
encouraging family leave and ensuring a smooth return to work, with induction if needed
the possibility to combine work and family leave if the employee so wishes
check-up appointments during family leave
communicating about possible (major) changes at the workplace or about new job openings and development opportunities during family leave
A family-friendly working life does not apply exclusively to parents of small children - all of us have lives outside of work, and each life situation merits individual attention. As the world becomes increasingly fast-paced, the necessity for a family-friendly working life has never been greater. The idea of being able to balance work and family life without compromising on either has rightly become a top priority for many employees and hopefully for employers as well.
