State Minister for Social and Family Affairs Miklós Soltész handed over on Wednesday in Budapest “Family-friendly Workplace” awards to 43 institutions and enterprises in four categories. There were over 300 applicants for the awards, which were divided into four categories: government institutions, large, medium and small businesses. Each category had a special prize for one winner while the rest received a plaque denoting their achievement.
In the government institutions category this year’s special award winner is the municipality of Budapest’s 16th district, the Szeged Science University, the University of Debrecen, the Márianosztra Prison, the municipality of Tapolca and that of Budapest’s 23rd district, the Unified Welfare Institutions of Miskolc, the Cultural Institutions of Ózd, the Heves County government offices, the Budapest Municipality Home for the Elderly, the Óbuda Rehabilitation Centre, the Mayor’s office of Jászberény and other institutions.
The special award for the large enterprises category went to BT ROC Kft., in the medium enterprises category to the GAK Kft. and in the small enterprises category to Vision-Software Kft. Other small enterprises receiving the award included the Fonó Music House and two agricultural firms.
At the awarding ceremony Soltész gave a short overview of the government’s family policy achievements over the past four years saying that due to a change in approach more and more employers are making efforts to create family-friendly workplaces. He said that between 2011 and 2013 the fertility rate rose to 1.34 from 1.26, the number of marriages is rising and that of divorces and abortions is declining.
Deputy Minister of State for Families and Inclusion Policy said that creating family-friendly workplaces is primarily an executive decision and is less dependent on available funds. He also said that family-friendly workplaces are good for the employees who can spend more time with their families while employers in turn gain more devoted employees.
(Ministry of National Development)
