berufundfamilie

What berufundfamilie does

berufundfamilie Service GmbH is a Frankfurt-based private consulting firm founded in 1998 that develops and operates the audit berufundfamilie, a strategic management instrument for certifying employers on family- and life-phase-conscious HR policy. The company holds the Europe-wide license for this audit methodology, which is recommended by the leading German employer and industry associations (BDA, BDI, DIHK, ZDH) and operates under the patronage of the Federal Family Minister. Its product portfolio extends the core family-friendly audit to higher education (audit familiengerechte hochschule) and diversity management (audit beruf&vielfalt, audit hochschule&vielfalt), alongside structured consulting services (Vereinbarkeits-Trialog, Tri-Check, Beschäftigtenbefragung) and a continuous-training Akademie offering seminars, webinars, Fachforen, and inhouse trainings. The firm also publishes free resources — the VereinbarkeitsABC glossary, V-Timer, VielfaltsTimer calendar, Notfallmappe, and the Leitfaden Nachhaltigkeit — to extend audience reach and reinforce thought leadership.

The business model rests on three revenue streams: (1) recurring certification and re-certification fees for audit engagements, which follow a multi-year cycle (initial audit, target agreements, re-certification every three years within a 9-year framework); (2) project-based consulting engagements for employer attractiveness analysis and employee surveys; and (3) academy revenue from paid seminars, inhouse trainings, and digital learning, partially offset by free network benefits for certified members (Freemium model). Pricing is not publicly disclosed; customer engagement is sales-led, supported by events, content marketing, and a proprietary member portal (berufundfamilie Portal). Since 1998, the company has certified over 1,800 employers, including 251 organizations recognized at the 28th annual Zertifikatsverleihung in 2026.

Customer concentration is dispersed across industries and organization sizes, with primary segments being enterprise employers (HR decision-makers) and higher-education institutions. The firm is associated with the Gemeinnützige Hertie-Stiftung as founding patron and operates with a cooperative governance structure (Genossenschaft der berufundfamilie). It is led by Managing Director Oliver Schmitz, has 11–50 employees, operates exclusively from Frankfurt am Main, and has not raised institutional capital, reflecting a stable, niche professional-services firm rather than a venture-backed scale-up.

Name

berufundfamilie

Legal name

berufundfamilie Service GmbH

Website

https://berufundfamilie.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

berufundfamilie Service GmbH, founded in 1998 in Frankfurt am Main, is a German consulting firm that certifies employers and higher-education institutions on family-friendly, life-phase-conscious HR policy through the licensed audit berufundfamilie methodology, and supplements this with consulting services and an Akademie training portfolio.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

HR and Workplace Consulting Services

NAICS

Human Resources Consulting Services (541612), Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services (5416)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Services-Management Services (8741), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

HR Compliance & Policy Administration Outsourcing (incl. regulatory reporting) (BPACAKAK)

akta.pro secondary industry

Human Resources & Talent (SHRM/HRCI Recertification) (EDAAALAN)

Keywords

• Family-friendly HR certification
• Workplace audit services
• HR consulting programs
• Diversity management certification
• Leadership training seminars

Headquarters

HQ city

Frankfurt

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Certification Services (audit berufundfamilie): Organizations pay for the audit and certification process to receive the family-friendly workplace seal. The certification involves an initial audit, target agreements, and re-certification every three years.
2. Academy Seminars and Training: The company offers paid seminars on topics including Umsetzungsmanagement, Führungskompetenz, Generationenmanagement, Beruf und Gesundheit, and Beruf und Pflege. Inhouse training is also available. Network meetings are free for certified members.
3. Consulting Services: Individual consulting services including Vereinbarkeits-Trialog, Tri-Check, and Beschäftigtenbefragung (employee surveys) for employer attractiveness analysis.
4. Online Portal Subscription: The berufundfamilie Portal provides resources and tools for certified members, suggesting a subscription-based access model.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

berufundfamilie Service GmbH provides the audit berufundfamilie and audit familiengerechte hochschule certification programs, a structured strategic management methodology for family- and life-phase-conscious HR policy that culminates in a triennially renewed certificate. The company complements these certifications with fee-based HR consulting (Vereinbarkeits-Trialog, Tri-Check, Beschäftigtenbefragung) and the berufundfamilie Akademie, which delivers paid seminars, online training, webinars, network meetings, expert forums, and customized in-house training.

Product overview

berufundfamilie Service GmbH offers a comprehensive suite of services centered around work-life balance certification and consulting. The core offering is the audit berufundfamilie, a strategic management instrument for family- and life-phase-conscious HR policy, complemented by the audit familiengerechte hochschule for universities. Additional audit products include audit beruf&vielfalt and audit hochschule&vielfalt for diversity management. The company's consulting arm provides the Vereinbarkeits-Trialog, Tri-Check analysis, and employee surveys. The Akademie division delivers seminars, webinars, network meetings, and in-house trainings across areas including leadership competence, generational management, occupational health, and care & work. Free resources include the VereinbarkeitsABC glossary, VielfaltsTimer diversity calendar, V-Timer planning tools, and the Notfallmappe emergency folder.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Akademie: The berufundfamilie Akademie provides seminars, webinars, network meetings, and in-house training for executives and HR professionals on work-life balance, leadership, generational management, and care topics.

Products and services

• audit berufundfamilie Strategic management instrument and certification program for companies and institutions to systematically shape family- and life-phase-conscious HR policy, leading to a triennially renewed family-friendly employer certificate.
• audit familiengerechte hochschule Certification program for universities, colleges, and academies to systematically create family-friendly working and studying conditions.
• audit beruf&vielfalt

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 1,800 employers certified since 1998
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration8 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• iba - Internationale Berufsakademie NürnbergminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Conducted the 'Faire Arbeitswelt' (Fair Working World) research study with 1,134 employees surveyed on what they perceive as fair in professional contexts.
• Institut für Beschäftigung und Employability (IBE) at Hochschule LudwigshafencoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partnership for conducting studies on work-life compatibility. Jointly created the study 'Vereinbarkeit 2020' which examined how home office, part-time and job-sharing affect career management.
• Hertie-Stiftung (Gemeinnützige Hertie-Stiftung)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Hertie-Stiftung is the founding organization behind berufundfamilie. It provides patronage and support for the audit programs and certificate ceremonies.
• concern GmbHminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSustainability specialists who collaborated with berufundfamilie to create the 'Leitfaden Nachhaltigkeit' (Sustainability Guide) for integrating the audit into sustainability management and reporting.
• Universität BayreuthminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner in the development of the Leitfaden Nachhaltigkeit for sustainability management and reporting.
• Genossenschaft der berufundfamiliecoreOthersThe berufundfamilie Management eG (Genossenschaft) is a cooperative member organization that supports the network of certified employers.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Gallup: Gallup is a global research and consulting firm specializing in employee engagement. It is comparable as a broad incumbent in the employee engagement and workforce strategy consulting space serving similar HR audiences in Germany.
• Korn Ferry: Korn Ferry is a global organizational consulting firm with HR and talent advisory practices. It is comparable as a broad incumbent providing HR strategy consulting to enterprise clients in Germany and across Europe.
• Mercer: Mercer provides broad HR consulting including talent strategy, benefits, and workforce transformation. It is comparable as a broad incumbent offering overlapping workforce and HR advisory services to large German enterprises.

Direct peers

• Kincentric: Kincentric (a former Spencer Stuart business) certifies employers based on employee engagement and culture. It is comparable to berufundfamilie as a culture/engagement certification provider targeting HR leaders at mid-to-large enterprises.
• Top Employers Institute: Top Employers Institute certifies HR excellence and people strategy across global employers. It competes directly with audit berufundfamilie for enterprise HR certifications, particularly among multinationals operating in Germany.
• Universum: Universum provides employer branding research and rankings for graduate and professional audiences globally. It is comparable as an employer attractiveness data and advisory specialist serving HR decision-makers.
• Trendence Institut: Trendence conducts employer attractiveness research and student/employer branding studies in Germany. It is comparable as a German-focused employer research and benchmarking specialist that supports HR decision-makers with comparable data products.
• Great Place to Work Deutschland: Great Place to Work certifies employers on workplace culture and trustworthiness across Germany. It is a direct competitor to berufundfamilie in the employer certification space, addressing overlapping audiences and using a similar seal-based marketing model.

Emerging players

• Kununu: Kununu (by New Work SE) is a leading employer review platform in German-speaking markets. It is comparable as an emerging employer-rating and certification-adjacent player addressing employer branding decisions by HR teams and candidates.
• Personio: Personio is a German HR software platform for SMBs that increasingly bundles people analytics and culture/employer tools. It is comparable as an emerging HR-focused player whose product roadmap may intersect with or substitute parts of berufundfamilie's offering.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/berufundfamilie
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCA34AYwV80KJ_G0evLJkJdw/videos
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/berufundfamilie-service-gmbh

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about berufundfamilie