LeTSGEPs’ project aims at developing Gender Equality Plans of our RPOs within a Gender Budgeting perspective. A significant part of each partner’s activities consists therefore in implementing GEP measures, some of which may be defined “Best Practices” because of their innovative approach. Thanks to a scientific methodology developed by LeTSGEPs’ partner ICM, we selected a “Best Practice” measure for each of our six partners, and we are now very happy to share them with the RPO’s community.

In this post you find the presentation of the Best Practice N. 5 by our Partner UNIME (University of Messina – Italy) you can find the other Best practices at these links: ICM, MISANU, MPIN, CY, UT.  

Should anybody be interested in further details, please contact us: info@letsgeps.eu 

 

 

 

BEST PRACTICE TITLE: WORK-LIFE RECONCILIATION POLICIES in RPOs. The case of UNIME.

The Context and the Identified need(s)/ Inequalities addressed

From the interviews made with UNIME employees (researchers, teachers, administrative staff), it emerged that, despite the UNIME commitment to support gender equality, employees still feel that they are unable to coincide working life with family life, especially women. In detail:

  • Compared to men, a larger percentage of women perceived access to high positions or career  development opportunities, access to offices or equipment, and informal circles of influence, as more easily allocated to
  • Compared to men, a larger percentage of women perceived declining unwanted non-mandatory teaching hours, being recruited, and informing the department about health issues, as more easily allocated to men. Obtaining a permanent contract, adequately preventing occupational hazards and participating in spaces of representation were perceived as easier for women, by both men and women
  • About 40% of the respondents worry about work when they are not working, and more than 50% are too tired to take care of housework at the end of the day. More than 40% of men and 50% of women perceive that their job prevents them from devoting the time they want to their personal About 50% of the respondents feel the need to work during holidays to meet work demands.

Best Practice Description:

 The first strategy was to directly involve the internal stakeholders of the University, not only through an interview but also by dialoguing with them during the many meetings that were organized to disseminate the GEP.

The needs identified were then discussed in various meetings where the following were present: the general manager, the pro-rector for welfare, the single guarantee committee (CUG), the reporting and planning unit and the LeTSGEPs work team. Together we discussed the best actions to implement to fill needs and invest a certain amount to improve services.

The strong point of our strategy is to have involved in our LeTSGEPs team the pro-rector for welfare and the delegate from the rector for the social report who directly dialogue with the government officials.

 Main achievements:

During the first years of the GEP we set up summer schools for employees’ children; agile work  by “particular” categories of employees of the administrative staff was activated; a free gym was inaugurated for students and with special rates for UNIME employees.

 Strengths of the measure/action and key elements for success:

  • It is institutionalized procedure with the endorsement of the management
  • Implies coordination and cooperation between the institutional actors
  • They are services that last over time and can also be extended to the non-academic community in the future

It implies that part of the university budget is earmarked for the coverage of work-life balance services.

Photo by Dessidre Fleming on Unsplash