Question:

Are the Family-Friendly Enterprise and Socially Responsible Employer certificates comparable in terms of meeting social criteria in public procurement?

Answer:

The Socially Responsible Employer certificate at the "Entry" and "Advanced" levels is equivalent to the Family-Friendly Company certificate (Basic or Full), provided that the holder has selected the "Work-Life Balance" pillar/area. For the Socially Responsible Employer certificate, companies can choose between four pillars/areas: Work-Life Balance, Health and Safety at Work, Intergenerational Cooperation, and Organizational Management.

If the holder has selected the pillar/area Work-Life Balance, then the certificate is equivalent in all areas, ensures the implementation of measures, and pursues the same goals as the Family-Friendly Enterprise certificate. However, if the holder has selected additional pillars/areas, or even all four, then the certificate is even stricter and more effective than the Family-Friendly Enterprise certificate.

Opinion on the ISO 9001:2015 standard:

ISO 9001 is a standard for business quality and the quality of internal business and organizational systems. Its goal is the continuous improvement of the holder's business processes, and it is a very useful standard if it is actually applied in practice. However, the standard does not deal with the actual content of the business and the specific organizational culture. Consequently, this standard does not guarantee that the company is actually working in the areas required by the tender and that it has adopted the required measures, nor that it is pursuing the set goals.

The ISO 9001 standard is a systemic standard rather than a content-based standard, which is why we believe that, in terms of tender requirements, it is not equivalent to the Family-Friendly Enterprise certificate.

Question:

Answer:

What is the difference between a basic and a full certificate?

Based on an internal assessment of the current situation, the company draws up a plan for introducing measures aimed at improving the management of work processes and the quality of the working environment in order to better reconcile work and family life. After a positive assessment of the implementation plan for the selected measures by the audit board, the company obtains the basic "Family-Friendly Enterprise" certificate. The process of obtaining the basic certificate takes six months.

After three years, an assessment is made to determine whether the measures set out have been implemented and the objectives achieved. If the objectives have been achieved, the company obtains full "Family-Friendly Enterprise" certification. The process of obtaining full certification takes 36 months.

Question:

Answer:

Is the certificate also suitable for smaller companies or public organizations?

Yes, the certificate is suitable for any organization that employs at least five (5) employees and complies with applicable labor laws, regardless of its legal form, size, nature of business, or organization.

Question:

Answer:

When can a company apply for certification?

Companies or organizations can apply for the process at any time during the calendar year. Details and application documentation can be found here.

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Answer:

Does a company need to have family-friendly measures in place before applying?

No, because the certificate does not reward/evaluate the current situation, but encourages the company to improve it.

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Can a certificate awarded to a company also be revoked?

The Rules stipulate that the certificate may also be revoked in the event of violations. Reasons for revocation include, for example, bankruptcy of the company, a final conviction for systematic violations of applicable labor legislation, failure to meet deadlines for submitting interim reports, etc.

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How much does the certificate cost?

The cost of obtaining the basic certificate depends on the size of the company or the number of employees. The cost of obtaining and maintaining full certification is the same for all companies. All costs related to certification can be found here.

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Who decides whether a company is awarded a certificate?

The Audit Board is responsible for reviewing the prescribed documentation and issuing a final opinion on the applicant's eligibility for a basic or full certificate. The Audit Board is a professional, independent body composed of representatives of the professional public and social partners.

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Answer:

Where can I complain if I believe that a certificate holder is not implementing the certificate or is violating labor legislation?

If you believe that the company is not fulfilling its obligations arising from the certification process, you can file a complaint here.

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Answer:

Which companies have the Family-Friendly Enterprise certificate?

The full list of certified companies can be found here. You can check the status of a certificate for a particular company to see whether it is an active certificate holder or a company whose certificate has already expired.