Reconciling Family Life and Work/Studies

Are you expecting a child? You will certainly have some questions about your rights and obligations as an employee and expectant parent. On the websites Maternity Protection and Absence During Pregnancy as well as in the leaflet Download Maternity Protection (PDF, 174 KB) you will find extensive information on the legal basis, safety and health at work, and working and breastfeeding times.

The Download Maternity Discussion Guidelines (PDF, 175 KB) can serve as an information and planning aid for superiors and expectant mothers during and after pregnancy.

Information on the legal regulations regarding breastfeeding/pumping during working hours can be found on the website Maternity Protection.

ETH Zurich follows the recommendation of the external page Swiss Breastfeeding Promotion Association and provides first aid rooms as a place of retreat for breastfeeding people at the various ETH Zurich locations. The keys to the rooms can be requested at mutterschutz@ethz.ch. People who would like to use the room once should contact ISC HG D 61.1.

The map of the Safety, Health and Environment Department shows the locations as well as information on the equipment in the rooms.

ETH employees can find all the information they need about parental leave (entitlement, duration, continued payment of salary, submission, insurance cover, paid sick leave, etc.) on the maternity/paternity leave website. The information sheet on parenthood, which summarises information by phase (before the birth, after the birth, etc.), is also helpful.

Other important topics are:

• Protection against dismissal
• Unpaid leave
• Family allowances
• external page SNSF guidelines on project extensions due to parenthood

For students at ETH Zurich, there is the website Studying with a child, where you can find everything you need to know about support options for combining full-time study with family commitments. 

Hello Kids! is a central contact point for all questions relating to childcare.

The external site external page Kihz Foundation supports members of the University of Zurich and ETH Zurich in all matters relating to childcare outside the family. It runs 8 daycare centres with around 210 places and more than 100 employees. The foundation organises holiday care, arranges childcare assignments and offers flexible short-term care.

Internal advisory services

• Hello Kids!  is the central point of contact for all questions relating to childcare. It helps ETH employees in their search for supplementary childcare and offers customised solutions.
• For employment conditions, maternity/paternity leave, working time models, child allowances and other labour law issues, ETH employees should contact the relevant person in the Human Resources department.
• ETH Zurich supports employees and students in optimising the compatibility of family and study/work with a free coaching/counselling service. Parents with child(ren) or dependants to care for can benefit from up to two coaching or counselling sessions at the UND (Competence Centre for the Reconciliation of Work and Family/Private Life).
• The Human Resources Department offers career advice and courses for ETH employees.
• The Counseling and Coaching Center can help you with parenthood during your studies.
• For questions about dual careers at professorship level, please contact Dual Career Advice.
• The Welcome Center supports people who come to ETH from abroad with issues such as entry, finding accommodation, childcare, working and living in Switzerland.
• If you feel that you are being prevented from combining family and career at ETH Zurich or are being discriminated against because of your care obligations, the Respect Office is there for you. Your inquiries will of course be treated confidentially.

External advice centers

• external page mamagenda – information portal for employees who are going to become parents and for their superiors with lots of practical tips (only in German, French and Italian)
• external page Mothers and fathers advice service for the city of Zurich (only in German)
• external page männer.ch – umbrella organization of Swiss men’s and fathers’ organization (only in German, French and Italian)

Events

ETH Diversity regularly offers various events and workshops for (expectant) parents at ETH Zurich. Current dates can be found on our events page.

ETH CAREs - Community for Assistance, Resources, and Empowerment

The newly founded network "ETH CAREs - Community for Assistance, Resources, and Empowerment", which is accessible on Teams, is a place where ETH Zurich employees and students come together to support each other, share resources and exchange ideas about challenges and successes in balancing professional, academic and caregiving commitments. To join, please use this code: r8ppozd

Caring for sick, elderly, physically impaired relatives or family members with disabilities can pose significant challenges for ETH Zurich employees. The website Caring for dependants contains a variety of resources designed to support ETH members and provide important initial guidance on the most frequently asked questions.

Events

ETH Diversity regularly offers various events and workshops for ETH members with care responsibilities at ETH Zurich. Current dates can be found on our events page.

ETH CAREs - Community for Assistance, Resources, and Empowerment

The newly founded network "ETH CAREs - Community for Assistance, Resources, and Empowerment", which is accessible on Teams, is a place where ETH Zurich employees and students come together to support each other, share resources and exchange ideas about challenges and successes in balancing professional, academic and caregiving commitments. To join, please use this code: r8ppozd