The work aid "Protective measures for pregnant women (MuSchG)" from the company medical service can be found here and on the intranet in the forms of the HR department.

Further information on risk assessment can be found on the intranet pages of the Safety department on the subject of "Maternity Protection".

From the beginning of the pregnancy until four months after the birth, termination of the employment relationship by the University Hospital is not permitted. Exceptions are only possible for reasons unrelated to the pregnancy after prior authorisation by the competent authority (Tübingen Regional Council).

The prohibition on dismissal only applies if the University Hospital was aware of the pregnancy at the time of dismissal or if it is notified within two weeks of receipt of the notice of dismissal.

A fixed-term contract expires on the agreed date despite pregnancy or parental leave. Protection against dismissal does not apply here, as the contract is not cancelled but merely terminated*.

You should register with the employment agency three months before your contract expires.

If your membership with your statutory health insurance fund ends, you can apply for maternity benefit from the Federal Insurance Office.

According to the German Academic Fixed-Term Contract Act (WissZeitVG), academic employees have the option of extending their contract under certain conditions (e.g. when taking parental leave).

Further details can be found in the information on the equal opportunities portal of Ulm University.

If you have any questions, please contact the personnel officer responsible for you at the University Hospital Administration.

As an expectant or breastfeeding mother, you may work a maximum of 8.5 hours a day or 90 hours in a double week (for those under 18 years of age, a maximum of 8 hours a day or 80 hours in a double week). However, the contractually agreed working hours may not be exceeded in the average month.

Night work is generally prohibited between 8 pm and 6 am.

You may only be employed between 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. if you

• expressly declare your willingness to do so (this can be revoked at any time in the future)
• a medical certificate shows that there is no reason why you should not work until 10 p.m.
• in particular, there is no irresponsible risk to you or your child from working alone and
• your employer has submitted a corresponding application to the competent supervisory authority.

You may be employed on hospital duty on Sundays and public holidays if

• you expressly declare your willingness to do so (this can be revoked at any time in the future)
• you are granted a substitute rest day each week following an uninterrupted night's rest of at least eleven hours
• in particular, there is no irresponsible risk to you or your child from working alone
• your employer immediately notifies the supervisory authority.

This information has been taken from the maternity protection guidelines of the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth as of July 2018 and applies to general employment relationships without specific risks. In special situations (e.g. exposure to radiation, exposure to chemicals, etc.), further rules apply, which will be compiled for you personally as part of the risk analysis carried out by the Safety Department.

If you are still breastfeeding your child, you must be given the time required for this, including travelling time, at your request, at least twice half an hour or once an hour a day. This must not result in a loss of earnings.

Yes, as an expectant mother you must be released from work for medical examinations as part of maternity care if these examinations are necessary. You are required to make an appointment outside of working hours if this is possible.

Which examinations are necessary depends on the catalogue of services provided by the statutory health insurance funds. This also applies if you are not insured with a statutory health insurance fund.

The leave of absence must not result in any loss of pay. The time must neither be worked in advance nor made up. It does not count towards the rest breaks stipulated in the Working Hours Act.

No. If, as an expectant or nursing mother, you have to stop work partially or completely or change your type of employment or pay grade due to an employment ban, you are entitled to the average earnings of the last 3 months before the beginning of the month in which the pregnancy occurred. So if, for example, you regularly worked night shifts as a nurse, you will continue to be paid the average supplements for night shifts during your pregnancy until your maternity leave.

Are you a researcher and unable to continue your work in the laboratory because it poses a risk to your child?

Then you can apply for laboratory support as part of the Hertha Nathorff Programme of the Faculty of Medicine.

You can find more information and the application form here.

Before the birth:

You may not be employed in the last six weeks before giving birth unless you expressly declare your willingness to work. You can cancel this decision at any time.

After the birth:

As a rule, you may not be employed until at least 8 weeks after the birth. In the case of premature or multiple births or the birth of a disabled child (provided the disability is medically diagnosed before 8 weeks after the birth), you may not be employed until 12 weeks after the birth. In contrast to the protection period before childbirth, there is an absolute ban on employment here.

You generally have a period of protection of at least 14 weeks, even if your baby is born before the calculated due date. This means that the 8-week protection period after the birth is extended by the days before the birth that were not utilised.

During the maternity protection period, you generally have no loss of earnings.

If you are covered by statutory health insurance (voluntary or compulsory), you will receive a maternity allowance of €13 per day from your health insurance fund. You can apply for maternity benefit from your health insurance fund, which is also responsible for paying the maternity benefit. The hospital will pay you the difference to your average net earnings in the last 3 months before the start of the protection period.

If you are not a member of a statutory health insurance fund, you will receive a one-off maternity allowance of up to € 210 for the period of protection and the day of delivery in accordance with the provisions of the German Reich Insurance Code. In this case, the maternity benefit will be paid by the Federal Insurance Office, Maternity Benefit Centre, Friedrich-Ebert-Allee 38, 53113 Bonn(www.bva.de). Here too, the hospital will pay you the difference to your average net earnings in the last 3 months before the start of the protection period. However, the calculation is based on the fictitious maternity allowance (13 euros per day) for those with statutory health insurance.

As a civil servant, you will continue to receive your salary during the maternity protection period.

During the maternity protection period, you are not entitled to the employer's contributions to the occupational pension scheme and private health insurance.

If you (or your partner) were employed at Ulm University Hospital before 1 October 1997 or continued to be employed after this date with an unchanged employment contract, you (or your partner) can apply to the Personnel Department for a lump sum for baby and infant equipment after the birth of your child. The lump sum is € 250. If you are a part-time employee, you will receive the lump sum according to your level of employment.

If you are a civil servant, you can apply for this lump sum at the State Office for Salaries and Benefits (state aid office).

No. If you have not taken all or part of your leave before the start of the employment ban or maternity leave, you can claim your remaining leave in the current year (before the start of parental leave, if applicable) or in the next leave year after the end of the maternity leave period. This remaining leave can also be taken after the end of parental leave in the current or next leave year.

The period of maternity protection and employment prohibitions under maternity protection law are regarded as a period of employment when calculating the entitlement to holiday leave.

As an employee or civil servant at Ulm University Hospital, your spouse is entitled to one day off work with continued payment of salary when you give birth (§ 26 TV-UK, § 29 TV-L, § 29 TV-Ä, § 29 AzUVO).

This regulation also applies to unmarried couples at Ulm University Hospital. To apply for the day off work, you must submit the child's birth certificate to the Human Resources department. Your partner must be entered on the certificate as the father of the child. The birth certificate must also show that the partners share a household (alternatively, proof of the shared household can be provided by submitting an official household certificate).

Every mother and every father who is in employment is entitled to parental leave. Both parents can take parental leave together. Parental leave can also be taken on fixed-term contracts. However, fixed-term contracts are not extended as a result, except in the case of employees to whom the Wissenschaftszeitvertragsgesetz applies, in particular doctors and other academics.

For these, the duration of the fixed-term employment contract is extended (if you agree to this) by the periods of maternity leave, parental leave or a ban on employment due to pregnancy to the extent that you were not in employment. Please discuss the details with your personnel officer.

You are entitled to parental leave if you live in the same household as your child and look after it mainly yourself. During parental leave, you may work up to 30 hours per week ("part-time parental leave") without losing this entitlement. Please coordinate your plans with your line manager in good time (for more information on "part-time parental leave", see below).

Each parent is entitled to parental leave until the child reaches the age of 3 (= 36 months). Parts of this parental leave can also be postponed (see below).

You must apply for parental leave in writing to the Human Resources department at least seven weeks before it begins.

Application for parental leave

Please note the following when applying for parental leave

... for children born before 01.07.2015:

• Parental leave can be spread over up to two periods
• Therefore, when applying for parental leave, you must make a binding commitment to take parental leave for at least the next two years. If you are not yet sure whether you want to take the full three years, we recommend that you initially only apply for two years. You can then apply for an extension at least 7 weeks before the end of your parental leave.
• It is possible to carry over up to 12 months beyond the age of three up to the age of eight with the employer's consent.

... for children born from 1 July 2015:

• Parental leave can be spread over up to three periods.
• This means that you can apply for parental leave for just one year, for example.
• You can then apply for an extension at least 7 weeks before the end of your parental leave.
• A transfer of up to 24 months beyond the age of three is possible up to the age of eight without the employer's consent.

There is no legal entitlement to prematurely terminate parental leave once it has been applied for. This is nevertheless possible with the employer's consent, e.g. in the event of the birth of another child, due to particular hardship or if you wish to return to work earlier. In this case, please send an informal application to the Human Resources department. A rejection of the application is only possible in writing and within a period of 4 weeks.

Yes, you can take a proportion of your parental leave

... of up to 12 months for your child born before 1 July 2015 until your child reaches the age of 8, if your employer agrees. This application must also be submitted at least 7 weeks before the start of the parental leave period that you wish to postpone. Please note that parental leave can be divided into a maximum of two periods. It can only be split into further periods with the employer's consent.

... of up to 24 months for your child born on or after 1 July 2015 until your child reaches the age of 8. The employer's consent is not required in this case. The application to take parental leave after the age of three must be submitted 13 weeks before the start of the parental leave period. Please note that parental leave can be divided into a maximum of three periods. It can only be divided into further periods with the employer's consent.

Yes, you can work part-time for up to 30 hours per week during your parental leave if you were previously employed at the hospital for at least 6 months without interruption and there are no urgent operational reasons against working part-time. To do this, your working hours must be reduced to between 15 and 30 hours per week for at least 2 months. A further reduction (e.g. to 25%) is possible with the employer's consent, but there is no entitlement to this. Please discuss your plans with your line manager in good time.

Application for part-time employment during parental leave

The application must be submitted at least 7 weeks before the start of the planned part-time employment. If the University Hospital does not agree to the reduction in working hours, it can only refuse approval within 4 weeks for urgent operational reasons. If you wish to work part-time for another employer, you must obtain the consent of the University Hospital. Please submit an informal application to the Special Department of Human Resources (Albert-Einstein-Allee 29, 89081 Ulm). Your own signature is sufficient.

Civil servants can also work part-time during parental leave. To do so, working hours must be reduced to at least 50% of regular working hours, but no more than 30 hours. This must not conflict with official interests. A lower level of employment (minimum 25%) is only possible if this is in the interests of the employer.

How much is the parental allowance?

During the period in which you are entitled to parental allowance and are caring for your child, you will receive parental allowance to replace the loss of earned income. You can find more information on parental allowance and its amount, how maternity pay is taken into account, etc. on the website of theFederal Ministry for Family Affairs athttp://www.bmfsfj.de/BMFSFJ/Service/rechner,did=76746.html.

You can also find a parental allowance calculator on the Federal Ministry of Family Affairs website.

How much is Parental Allowance Plus?

The maximum amount of Parental Allowance Plus is half of the monthly parental allowance that parents without part-time income would be entitled to. You can find further information and sample calculations for Parental Allowance Plus on the website of the Federal Ministry of Family Affairs.

You must apply for Parental Allowance and Parental Allowance Plus in writing. This does not have to be done immediately after the birth of the child. However, retroactive payments are only made for the last three months of life after the application.

Applications can be made at the parental allowance offices and at many municipal administrations.

The Landeskreditbank Baden-Württemberg, Schlossplatz 10, 76113 Karlsruhe, telephone hotline: 0800/6645471, Elterngeld L-Bank is responsible for Baden-Württemberg.

For the region of Swabia in Bavaria, contact the Bavarian Centre for Family and Social Affairs, Swabia Region, Morellstr. 30, 86159 Augsburg, phone: 0821/570901, Elterngeld ZBFS.

Yes, if you have school-age children, see §7 Para. 1 of the Federal Leave Act, which states: "When determining the timing of leave, the employee's leave requests must be taken into account, unless their consideration conflicts with urgent operational concerns or the leave requests of other employees that deserve priority from a social point of view".

Urgent operational concerns may nevertheless prevent a specific holiday request from being granted.

Yes, in principle, holiday should be taken as consecutively as possible (according to the Federal Holiday Act, one holiday period per year must comprise at least 12 working days). However, it is also possible to take individual days of holiday (provided there are no urgent operational reasons for not doing so).

If you and your child are insured with a statutory health insurance fund

For the care of a sick child who has not yet reached the age of 12, you are entitled to child sickness benefit as a statutory insured person in accordance with §45 SGB V. You will receive child sickness benefit from your health insurance fund. In 2024 and 2025, you are entitled to a maximum of 15 working days per child and parent, and a maximum of 30 working days for single parents. This applies to both compulsory members of a statutory health insurance fund and voluntary members.

In accordance with § 2 TV UK-Beruf und Familie, since 1 December 2015 you have also received a children's sick pay allowance for the days for which you are entitled to children's sick pay in accordance with § 45 (1) and (2) SGB V. Section 19 (4) TV UK in the version dated 6 May 2014 applies accordingly to the calculation of the allowance.

You will be released from work (without pay) for the days on which you receive child sickness benefit due to a child's illness. Please report to your line manager in good time before starting work and submit the relevant doctor's certificate immediately.

If you and/or your child are privately insured or you are a civil servant at the hospital

If your child is seriously ill and has not yet reached the age of 12, you can be released from work for up to 4 working days per calendar year with continued payment of wages. The basis for this is § 26 TV-UK / § 29 TV-L / § 29 TV-Ä / § 29 AzUVO.

Furthermore, an individual leave of absence without continued payment of remuneration can be authorised following an examination of the individual case and in consultation with the respective line manager. The basis for this is § 26 TV-UK / § 29 TV-L / § 29 TV-Ä (paragraph 3, sentence 2 in each case) and § 31 AzUVO (paragraph 3). The other provisions of the collective agreement (see previous paragraph) remain unaffected.

Yes, after consultation with your line manager. In the event of a family emergency (e.g. an accident or if the nursery calls to say that your child has fallen ill and needs to be picked up), you may also leave the workplace at short notice. However, you may only do this after consulting your line manager to ensure that patient care is still guaranteed.

Yes, but there are no special meals for children. For tax reasons, it is unfortunately not possible to offer meals at the employee price. You must therefore pay the guest price for your child's meal.

If this is possible at the specific workplace, you can bring your child to the workplace in exceptional cases, for example if the childminder is unavailable at short notice, in consultation with your supervisor.

Working from home (teleworking) is generally possible, provided the area of responsibility allows it. An application for teleworking must be submitted by the line manager to the Human Resources department. The details are regulated in a supplementary agreement to the employment contract.

The Centre for Information and Communication offers a VPN service that enables access to the hospital network and the applications running on the terminal servers, such as SAP and others. It is also possible to operate your own Outlook (e-mails, appointments, room bookings, etc.) externally.

Please clarify with your supervisor whether the use of the service is an option for you. There are costs of €100 per year for VPN use, which your institution must bear.

The service agreement and the application form for teleworking can be found on the intranet. If you do not have external access, your HR officer will be happy to help you.

Yes, family obligations are recognised as a reason for using a private car or plane instead of public transport. Additional costs for detours for family reasons will be reimbursed. Please explain accordingly in the field "Reason for using a private car/plane" in the business trip application.

The discussion guidelines are intended to make it easier for both employees and their line managers to plan how to reconcile work, career and family. The sheets guide you through the most important aspects of maternity leave, parental leave and returning to work as well as caring for relatives.

The sheets are for internal coordination and information purposes and are not a binding document under labour law.