As of: March 12, 2024, 4:47 p.m
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“There are an incredible number of well-educated women”: Head of Research Dr.
Hella Kohlhof (r.) and research director Dr.
Evelyn Peelen from Immunic Therapeutics in Gräfelfing is not specifically looking for female applicants.
But gender-equal conditions have led to a current figure of 75 percent women.
© Dagmar Rutt
Even if there are no exact statistics about the female employment rate in the biotechnology sector, a proportion of around 75 percent is still outstanding: On International Women's Day, this provided the opportunity to stop by the female-focused company Immunic Therapeutics.
Gräfelfing –
There was already a female component when it was founded in 2016: the biologist Dr.
Hella Kohlhof was part of the cloverleaf that launched the active ingredient developer Immunic Therapeutics - then in Martinsried.
Since then, the New York Stock Exchange-listed company has been perfecting modified molecules that can inhibit inflammation and autoimmune diseases - from multiple sclerosis to celiac disease.
And today the proportion of women in the workforce is 75 percent.
“We don’t specifically search for female applicants,” explains Hella Kohlhof, “but we do emphasize some family-friendly factors in the job advertisements.” In addition, reservations are left out when selecting personnel.
What is meant is the worry about the pregnancy break.
In companies that are mostly male-dominated, there is at least a subtle level of skepticism about baby time off, says the research director.
“At Immunic, the only things that count are qualifications, commitment and fitting into the team.” The high proportion of women is almost self-evident, because: “There are an incredible number of well-trained women.”
In order to avoid collisions between work routine and possible family life, employers simply have to build in more flexibility.
“We have two Flexidays per week as well as effective IT equipment – a MacBook for everyone and a company cell phone so that you can work from elsewhere for two days,” explains Kohlhof.
“Of course, we continue to value direct cooperation on site,” adds the Krefeld native (born in 1972).
The flexibility options would by no means only benefit female employees.
Regardless of whether you are female, male or diverse – there can always be a sudden additional burden, “because there is no such thing as a predictable life”.
After consultation, a third Flexiday can be arranged if this is possible due to work processes.
When it comes to parental leave, Immunic deliberately encourages men to get involved with their children - which then indirectly benefits the women.
Another plus for young parents is the care offered at “BioKids” in Martinsried, “a kindergarten with really good opening times”.
In addition, Immunic focuses on fair play when it comes to wages: similar qualifications and comparable work.
This leads to an identical salary framework - with always some individual flexibility, but which has nothing to do with gender.
Internal statistics on the positions and salaries of the currently 78 employees in Germany show: “On average, we absolutely adhere to equal pay, regardless of gender.”
The company policy also pays off for employers: Immunic is regularly mentioned by employees on social media as a “popular employer”.
On the one hand, this ensures enough applications and, on the other hand, extremely low fluctuation.
Finally, the “team spirit” among the employees is particularly open and positive for scientific exchange without hierarchical thinking - supported by 82 employees (four of them in the USA) from 26 nations.
Hella Kohlhof ultimately admits that there is still a bit of room for improvement when it comes to equal rights.
So far there is only one woman out of five men in upper management, although they are actively looking for more women.
The goal is a more balanced distribution at the management level – “I’ll stick with it”.
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