For many years, the Ana and Vlade Divac Foundation has been advocating for measures that improve the balance between work and private life, such as flexible working hours, paid leave for child care, financial support for parents, and daycare. The Foundation works intensively with the business community and employers to facilitate the harmonization of professional and family obligations of employees, to ensure stability and progress in their careers, and to improve well-being in the workplace, with a special focus on gender equality.
The two main reasons that prevent employers in Serbia from providing additional support to their employees are business concerns (possible drop in productivity, efficiency, and profits) and lack of awareness of the importance of work-life balance for employees, especially women, and of the potential benefits for employers (satisfaction, loyalty, productivity). That is why the Ana and Vlade Divac Foundation, with the support of the United Nations Population Fund, will provide support to employers in the implementation of gender-sensitive models and family-friendly policies through the program Expanding Choices through Family-Friendly Policies.
The Family Friendly Workplace (FFW) model focuses on a broader definition of family, not just parents, and supports the design, implementation, and monitoring of gender-responsive family policies, recognizing that unpaid care work is not limited to childcare but also refers to other life obligations and that it should be provided to all employees.
Key activities include:
- Identification and partnership with companies for piloting the Family Friendly Workplace Model
- Support to companies in the implementation of the family-friendly workplace model
- Enhancing private sector-led advocacy and mutual support among companies on gender-responsive family policies
The activities are carried out by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) in Serbia and The Ana and Vlade Divac Foundation through the project "Expanding Choices through Family-Friendly Policies" in partnership with the private sector and the Government of the Republic of Serbia, with the financial support of the Austrian Development Agency.