About FamSmart
Creating Familysmart workplaces since 2008
Over the years, we have helped hundreds of organizations in different industries and countries become more familysmart. By exploring what creates real change, our experience has resulted in a number of concrete activities.The FamSmart platform guides you through the development, and our team assists you in getting started. It only takes a few minutes to register your organization and add your employees on parental leave. We also offer lectures, workshops and consulting. Take a simple first step that yields immediate results.
Team Members
Our expert team members
Meet the FamSmart team! We are a diverse group of professionals, all gathered by the urge to transform working life for many. We all believe that it can be better. When employers see the value parents and other caregivers bring to the table and make working life work with our private lives.
Tiina Bruno
Mother, economist, author and entrepreneur. Organizational consultant and international lecturer. +15 years of experience in the topic and founder of the FamSmart concept 2008. Her focus is on employer branding, inclusion and social sustainability in modern organizations. Tiina is referred to as a norm breaking change maker and influencer across the globe. With a passion for networking, uniting forces with customers and partners, her strive is to reach the FamSmart vision together with familysmart believers in all countries.
Henrik Sidebäck
Father, partner and advisor to the FamSmart team. +25 years of IT experience, co-founder of Netlight Consulting, building it from scratch to a success story. Helping many companies over the years has given him insights about challenges and solutions in a wide range of businesses, technologies, company sizes and cultures. Henrik met Tiina when Netlight took familysmart steps, and as a familysmart leader role forward. Involved in the initial plans for a digital platform based on the FamSmart idea and experience, as first partner, investor and strategic advisor to Tiina and the team.
Katarina Matson
Mother, leadership consultant and international lecturer within DEI (Diversity, Equity & Inclusion) and gender equality. 15+ years in communications, HR and DEI on a global level, working with Tiina when sharing her experience about the Volvo Cars global paid parental leave “Family Bond” policy in international FamSmart webinars. Today in the FamSmart team supporting with expertise, delivery and sales, with the clear mission to train and support inclusive leaders and organizations where everybody can thrive.
Maria Sölscher
Mother, +15 years experience of building and leading tech teams in global companies as wells as start ups. Change manager, sales, agile coach and experienced in recruiting tech talents. Maria makes sure that FamSmart has the best tech solution in the business and are focused to give the best user experience for the customer.
Jennie Jensen
Freelance journalist and writer with 15+ years of experience of covering the HR field as a contributor to titles as Personal & Ledarskap and Vd-tidningen. Proud mother of two boys and an educated HR professional and journalist. Worked with a great number of organizations in the role as employer branding consultant and through that experience seen the many challenges employees and employers face. A familysmart believer forever and even more so after getting to know Tiina for an interview following her book release in 2010. Helps building the FamSmart brand and cause.
Marcus Larsson
Father, executive leader with more than +15 years’ experience from CEO and executive leadership positions within Real estate, Telecom-, IT- and the digital online services industry, both in listed companies and non-listed start-up/scaleup companies. Marcus was part of the operative startup team developing the platform foundation and business strategies securing strong sales in the coming growth phases.
What is Famsmart and who started the initiative?
Famsmart is an initiative for more inclusive, sustainable, and attractive workplaces. The core of the idea is built on a common denominator, possible to start witheverywhere. To speed up development and success of workplaces and societies, in line with Agenda2030.
The concept is based on a pioneer idea developed by Tiina Bruno in 2008. She is a mother of three, entrepreneur, CEO, economist, author, and organizational consultant with a long experience from the areas of learning & development, communication, and employer branding.
Tiina Bruno has often been referred to as a norm breaking change maker. Through her persistent work during the years, she is considered a thought leader and global expert on how family supportive workplaces can add key actions to get real impact.
Tiina Bruno and her team in Famsmart help leaders and employers walk the talk and get return on their investments for working parents and other caregivers in a family context.
Famsmart supports local and multinational companies, participates in international conferences, panels, podcasts and UN projects.
Where it all began – background and history
It all started with curiosity when Tiina had small kids of her own.
The methodology centers on two key questions posed then, relevant in all countries:
1) How does your parenting and family life develop leadership and skills useful
at work?
2) How can your organization benefit and get ROI on the support of working
parents and caregivers?
100 Swedish employees and managers were asked these questions – 80 stories came back, within less than a week, and most respondents thanked Tiina Bruno for posing the question, enlightened and
motivated by the new perspective introduced. Even though it was nothing new.
Parents have in all times, everywhere and in all businesses and cultures, used their parenting skills at work. We just don’t talk so much about it.
The family smart stories and ways to work with the perspective of managers and employers were launched in a book by Tiina Bruno in 2010. Following this, Tiina Bruno and FamSmart were invited to lectures and panels around the world to
discuss and spread the universal perspective.
While the idea is based on the Swedish experience, the methodology focus is possible to implement everywhere, adapted and connected to local legislative and cultural context.
Famsmart is a step-by-step model from assessment and small first steps with quick and strong impact, to long term activities transforming workplace cultures, norms and behaviors.
We, the Famsmart team, dream, and work for, a near future vision when no-one needs to choose between family or work, anywhere in the world. When employers, leaders and employees use ALL available competence in smarter ways.
Our mission is to increase growth and sustainability for both people, organizations and societies by showing that family life is an asset and investment at work.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
A benefit for employed parents. An easily accessible application for employees on parental leave to stay in touch with the closest manager on their own terms. A tool for self-reflection and personal growth before, during and after leave.
Helps managers and employees stay in touch on the employees’ terms. Easy way to meet individual needs and discover how family skills naturally grow at home, and can be of value at work later. Did you ever learn parenthood is the best leadership training you can get? We think so, too.
The platform is built with the intention of being on the employees’ terms, meaning THEY will get started and log on when the timing is right for them. The platform is introduced by managers before the leave, as a voluntary option and benefit. It gives managers and HR a channel to understand and meet needs during leave and share the most important company news, without the parent having to log into the intranet or e-mail during their time away.
As a new parent it is common to experience a rollercoaster of emotions. Professionals on parental leave often appreciate the pause from work, but some unfortunately feel left outside and excluded more than they wish. They wonder what might happen to their professional development while they are away. Some have fears and doubts about going back to work. We want to fix this, but with no pressure to perform during leave.
You CAN have it all – both enjoy the pause and stay in touch a bit. On your terms, through the FamSmart app instead of having to access your e-mail or intranet.
Our tool gives you the time and space to identify the learnings you will do as you naturally grow into your new role as a caregiver. Transferable skills that you will be able to bring to the table once you are back at work.
The upside for the employer is strengthened inclusion, engagement and retention. Employees who feel seen and valued during their parental leave will more likely return and contribute instead of seeking better luck with another employer. Retaining talent can save you up to an annual salary (the average cost of replacement recruitment).
Also, parental leave sends your employee on a learning journey free of charge. This kind of development should not be neglected. Instead, make sure you as the employer gain from your more mature, skilled and professional employee.
To be family smart is a way to add proof points differentiating your employer value proposition (EVP) showing how you offer an inclusive, gender equal and sustainable workplace in practice, connecting to Agenda2030.
In brief: Higher retention. Inclusion. Upskilling. Personal development. Leadership support. Time saving. An informal and voluntary contact channel. A tool for engagement. We can go on forever.
Say it even quicker? We help you be a better employer and leader, retaining your talent.
Please contact us to get more information
Transferable skills are the skills that can be used in several areas and in every job, no matter the title or the field. Some are hard skills, like coding or other technical skills, and some are soft skills like communication and relationship building.
Let us have a look on a few of these competencies. Think about each of them and reflect on how you have recently faced any of them yourself. Next step: how do you think you will find them useful back at work? Do they connect to the leadership and self leadership you wish to have yourself and among your managers and employees? And your organization, your customers and owners – could they benefit from these competencies (or others developed in the private space)?
- Prioritization and delegation
- Situational leadership
- Organizational skills and effectiveness
- Empathy and compassion
- Goal orientation and problem solving
- Perspective in life
- Thinking outside the box
- Mindfulness
- Communication and conflict resolution
- Setting boundaries – for others and yourself
- Patience and trust
- Social competence
- Self-esteem
With the FamSmart platform you get the tools to reflect on and build your individual family smart competence profile with these skills developed at home. There are many other examples too.
The continuously growing Family Smart Competence Profile makes it clear and easy for the employee and manager to discuss before reboarding how family skills may add value at work as well, and how to make the best use of it in the current or a new role when going back to work.