They do not follow career plans, nor do they care about project deadlines. Care needs arise suddenly and turn the lives of those involved upside down. The social relevance of the issue is also evident. According to the Statistical Office for Hamburg and Schleswig-Holstein, over half of all those in need of care are looked after exclusively by their relatives at home. This has far-reaching consequences: according to recent surveys by the AOK Scientific Institute (WIdO), 45 per cent of all family carers have to reduce their working hours due to the additional strain.
So how can work and caregiving be better reconciled? Where do staff need support? And what role can the university play as an employer in this regard? A workshop held at the Technical University of Hamburg (TUHH) recently focused on these questions. Under the theme ‘Reconciling work and family life from a caregiving perspective’, staff with caregiving responsibilities discussed practical solutions there.
The TUHH is thus becoming part of the funded pilot project CareNet Hamburg, in which the Authority for Schools and Vocational Training (BSFB), the Techniker Krankenkasse health insurance fund and ERGO Insurance are also participating. The aim of this joint, cross-organisational project is to establish internal organisational networks. This is intended to provide impetus for a care-sensitive working culture in the Hamburg area.
“Care work is sometimes more complex than any plant modelling”
The workshop was organised by Heike Emdal from the TUHH Family Office. “I am delighted that today, together, we are not only making the famous elephant in the room – known as care – visible, but also giving it the recognition it deserves,” said Emdal in her opening remarks. She also touched on her own situation: “As a family carer, I know first-hand how much energy, organisational skill and, at times, the art of improvisation go into this.” The figures bear this out: according to a representative Forsa survey commissioned by WIdO, almost two-thirds of primary carers are actively involved in caregiving every day.
The project is supported, amongst others, by Prof. Dr Kerstin Kuchta, Head of the Institute of Circular Resource Engineering and Management. In her welcoming address, the project’s patron spoke clearly about its strategic importance: “As an engineer and a long-standing member of Hamburg University of Technology, I have learnt that we often tend to expect more from technology and less from one another – a fatal mistake. Work-life balance is not a ‘nice-to-have’, but a central component of an innovative, high-performing and people-centred teaching and research institution. Perhaps care work is sometimes more complex than any plant modelling.”
Practical solutions drawn from real-world experience
The event was moderated by Volker Baisch and Tara Luisa de Pinho from the CareNet Hamburg project team. Together with the staff, they used the occasion to conduct an open review of participants’ personal circumstances. The participants then split into two working groups to formulate specific proposals – such as flexible working time arrangements – for the university as an employer. Based on these collected ideas and requests, the CareNet Hamburg team is developing a concrete, long-term strategy for the TUHH care network in close consultation with Heike Emdal. The clarification of goals and alignment will take place at an initial strategy meeting on August 26th. The meeting is open to all TUHH employees. The first meeting of the newly established Care Network is planned for October.
CareNet Hamburg is supported by KWB Koordinierungsstelle Weiterbildung und Beschäftigung e. V. and Väter PAL gGmbH. The project is funded by the Hamburg Investment and Development Bank (IFB Hamburg) as part of the PROFI Impuls #UpdateHamburg programme.
