The care

For family carers, time off and flexible working hours are important prerequisites for coping with the different demands of work and care. Viadrina employees have various options at their disposal to reconcile caring for relatives and working at the university. The following service agreements give you the opportunity to adapt your working conditions to your family situation.

Service agreement on flexible working time arrangements (FLAZ II) (currently under revision)
Service agreement on the implementation of home office and mobile working (only accessible internally)

You can find an overview of the topic in the information folder on reconciling work and care below on the right and in the brochure Better reconciliation of family, care and work from the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth.

 

Care and work information folder

A law on caring for relatives has been in force since January 2015. It offers family carers more flexibility to reconcile work and care. The law covers three areas:

1) The care support allowance for short-term leave of up to 10 working days
2) Care leave
3) Family care leave

In addition, the concept of close relatives has been expanded. This means that close relatives are not only grandparents and parents, parents-in-law, spouses or partners in a marriage-like relationship, but also stepparents, brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law and partners in a civil partnership-like relationship. Siblings, children, adopted or foster children of the spouse or civil partner, as well as children-in-law and grandchildren are also considered close relatives.

In addition to caring for a close relative in need of care at home, the care of a minor child in need of care outside the home is also included. This also applies to the care of close relatives in the last phase of life.

1.) Care support allowance for short-term leave of up to 10 working days

In the event of an acute care case, relatives can take up to 10 days off work in order to organise needs-based care or ensure nursing care during this time. There is an entitlement to care support allowance as a wage replacement benefit. Care support allowance is granted by the care insurance fund of the close relative.

2.) Care leave

Just like the short-term leave of absence, the 6-month period of care leave also remains in place. If caring for a relative takes longer, carers can take up to 6 months off work in whole or in part if they look after and care for close relatives at home. The legal entitlement that has existed since 1 January 2015 also applies to caring for a close relative who is a minor and in need of care outside the home. Care leave requires a need for care; serious illness alone does not lead to an entitlement to leave. Employees can reduce their working hours or take a complete leave of absence for up to 3 months during the last phase of a relative's life. This also applies if the person is in a hospice. The care leave must be announced at least 10 working days before it begins.

During care leave, carers can take out an interest-free loan from the BAFzA. The loan is paid out monthly and must be repaid in instalments after the end of the care period. It generally covers half of the net salary lost due to the reduction in working hours, but lower amounts can also be applied for. In cases of hardship, the loan can be deferred or partially waived.

3.) Family care leave

With the change in the law, there is a legal entitlement to family care leave and carers can reduce their working hours to up to 15 hours per week for a maximum of 24 months. Carer's leave and family carer's leave can be combined and can also run into each other. The total duration of the leave of absence is a maximum of 24 months. The interest-free loan can also be utilised for this period. At the end of the leave, carers can return to their previous level of work. The family carer leave must be announced at least 8 weeks before it begins.

Protection against dismissal and legal entitlement

Employees are protected against dismissal from the time of notification until the end of the leave. The legal entitlement to care leave and family care leave depends on the size of the company. If the company has 15 or fewer employees, there is no legal entitlement to carers' leave; if the company has 25 or fewer employees (excluding those in vocational training), there is no legal entitlement to family carers' leave.

Students who take on caring responsibilities face the particular challenge of reconciling studying and caring. Caring for a family member is an additional burden that often extends over several years. As a family-friendly university, Viadrina also supports students with caring responsibilities.

To ensure that students with caring responsibilities can study without any disadvantages, the study and examination regulations of the respective subject include a paragraph to compensate for disadvantages, which also includes students who care for close relatives. Close relatives include parents, grandparents, children, siblings and partners, regardless of the legal status of the partnership.

If a specific regulation is required due to caring responsibilities (e.g. extended deadlines, exceptions to compulsory attendance, etc.), the examination board of the degree programme should be contacted with reference to the so-called compensation for disadvantages.

Another option for combining studying and caring is individual part-time study.