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I called on Friday and explained that I have a childcare issue because my parents fell ill unexpectedly. They were supposed to look after Paul for three weeks. So, I need childcare for one week starting next Monday.

When the G. family moved from North Rhine-Westphalia to Herrenberg near Stuttgart in 2010, because the father, Hardy, took a job as a software consultant at IBM's Böblingen branch, the young family found themselves quite alone in a new environment. His son was 3 years old at the time, and the daughter was only 3 months old. And full-day nursery or kindergarten places were not something they could find quickly.

I frequently go on business trips because we have several large company locations," describes Christine S. her professional routine. The 48-year-old is a personnel development officer and mother of a 7-year-old son. "Trains are sometimes delayed, I have to change, and it's often not possible to pick up my son from the after-school care on time." Knowing that her child is reliably and lovingly cared for is important to the working mother.

The plan was completely different. Sabrina C, who works as a tax consultant for Ernst & Young in Düsseldorf, and her husband had agreed that the new father would take 6 months of parental leave to care for their baby. Starting in May, Sabrina (31) wanted to return to work part-time, fully resuming in mid-July 2013, and then the father (32) would return to his job as a system administrator. But he hadn't counted on his employer, who fired him.

In the mornings, get the youngest ready for school and the eldest for training, go to work, care for the mother from 2:00 PM to 6:00 PM, and then look after the children, husband, and own household. That was Petra Knoll's daily routine from August to December 2011. To be able to care for her mother, the instructor even moved closer to her parents. A decision she has not regretted for a single day.

I want to do this for as long as I can," says retiree Gabriele Krschka from Stuttgart, who looks after 3-year-old Emily as a surrogate grandma. She has always liked children, the 69-year-old recounts. And since she unfortunately had no children of her own, she got involved in looking after the children of her friends and neighbors. She can look back on a total of 30 years of experience in childcare, the retiree reports proudly.

At the age of 8, Gerit's daughter Kirsten H. is already at an age where she wants to have a say in childcare. "If it hadn't been right for our daughter, then we wouldn't have done it," says Gerit from Poing near Munich. The 44-year-old computer scientist works as a project manager at metafinanz Informationssysteme GmbH and is responsible for the "Claims" area, where she and her team develop specialist and technical solutions for the insurance industry. She already has experience in finding childcare beyond the normal daycare places, as Gerit started working part-time for 20 hours a week during parental leave, just 7 months after the baby was born.

Just before Christmas, it's expected to happen: The third child of the K. family from the Stuttgart area is anticipated. The 40-year-old project manager and his wife (32) already have a boy (5) and a little girl (2.5), both born via cesarean section. As a well-organized project manager, Michael K. can calculate that his wife will need help around the time of the birth and afterwards as well.

As part of the awards ceremony for the "Land of Demographic Opportunities" ideas competition organized by RWTH Aachen, the Demography Atlas will be presented on Friday, September 6, 2013. The publication contains 101 ideas for solving demographic challenges in the workplace, selected from the competition entries. famPlus is included with "Elder- and Familycare." With this offering, famPlus provides an innovative solution approach for companies to address and withstand demographically induced changes in the workplace.

It is already a reality: A laptop and smartphone are sufficient for many tasks. Projects are planned on the terrace, medical reports are written in the home office, and even complex engineering drawings are collaboratively created thanks to modern collaboration software, even if individual team members are sitting in a hotel or café.

famPlus in conversation with labor law expert Manuela Obert. Manuela Obert has her own law firm in Kirchseeon near Munich. She is a mother of two and works full-time. Additionally, she is responsible for labor law issues as a legal expert at the Association of Working Mothers (VBM), providing initial legal advice to female members. Therefore, she knows the legal aspects of childcare very well, not only as a lawyer but also from her own experience.

famPlus in conversation with labor law expert Manuela Obert. Manuela Obert has her own law firm in Kirchseeon near Munich. She is the mother of two children and works full-time. Additionally, she is responsible for labor law issues as a legal expert at the Association of Working Mothers (VBM) within the framework of initial legal consultation for members. Therefore, she knows the legal aspects of childcare not only as a lawyer but also from her own experience very well.