Sufficient residual water downstream of hydropower plants is necessary to ensure the diverse, natural functions of water bodies: be it as habitats for animals and plants, as landscape elements or for feeding groundwater. Four years after the legal deadline, only three quarters of the catchments of hydropower plants have been rehabilitated.

There are still 250 of around 1000 necessary remediations outstanding. This is the result of another survey conducted by the Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN) among the cantons, which are responsible for implementing the Water Protection Act.

FOEN survey on "residual water remediation

The FOEN survey, which was published at the end of May 2017, paints the following picture: Basel-Landschaft and Geneva were the only cantons to complete remediation within the legal deadline by the end of 2012. Solothurn and Uri did so by the end of 2014. In Appenzell-Innerrhoden, Basel-Stadt and Schaffhausen, there are no water withdrawals requiring remediation.

All other cantons have started with the rehabilitation, they are differently advanced. Glarus, Obwalden, St.Gallen, Ticino and Vaud have already rehabilitated more than 90 % of the residual water stretches. The canton of Schwyz had already rehabilitated over 90 % at the end of 2014, but did not participate in the 2016 survey.

Aargau, Zug, Bern, Graubünden, Nidwalden, Thurgau and Zurich have carried out between 60 and 90 percent of the rehabilitations. Fribourg, Lucerne and Neuchâtel, Appenzell-Ausserrhoden, Jura and Valais have rehabilitated less than 60 percent of the residual flow stretches. However, Appenzell-Ausserrhoden, Jura and Valais have made significant progress since the last survey at the end of 2014. Of the total of 250 remediations still outstanding, a good third is accounted for by the canton of Valais and a quarter by the canton of Grisons.

The new survey also shows that many cantons had been too optimistic about the expected completion of their residual flow remediation projects in the last survey at the end of 2014. At that time, 95 % of the remediations were expected to be completed by 2017, whereas the cantons now expect just under 90 % to be completed by the end of this year. For a quarter of the still outstanding remediations, they were not able to give any deadline at all. (Source: FOEN)

The federal government is aiming for residual water remediation to be completed nationwide by the end of 2018, if possible. You can find the complete report as a PDF in this Link

 

Messer Schweiz AG is one of the leading industrial gases companies in Switzerland and has been supplying industrial, medical, pharmaceutical and food gases to companies in Switzerland, hospitals and research institutes for over 100 years.

Many industrial processes emit CO2. In recovery plants, the gas is captured before it escapes, cleaned in several steps and thus processed for reuse. Customers in the expanding food and beverage, chemical and agricultural industries will be supplied from Nanjing.

Swiss Nutrition AG focuses on CO2 reduction

Switzerland's first and only economical CO2 recycling plant is located in Sulgen/TG at the baby food manufacturer Hochdorf Swiss Nutrition AG. By recovering around 1,700 tons of CO2 per year, the Swiss company is helping to reduce CO2 emissions in Switzerland. This makes the company a pioneer in Switzerland and more than makes an active contribution to CO2 reduction.

"By providing high-quality food-grade CO2 and drawing on our 120 years of experience, we aim to help our customers increase production, reduce costs and improve product quality," says Stefan Messer, owner and CEO of the Messer Group. The company employs over 100 people and is part of Messer Group GmbH, the world's largest owner-managed industrial gases company with over 5,500 employees and over one billion euros in sales.

Largest CO2 recycler in the world

Many industrial processes emit CO2. In recovery plants, the gas is captured before it escapes, in In the meantime, the Messer Group has also commissioned its largest CO2 recovery plant in the world in Nanjing, China, making it the most important supplier of recycled CO2 in China. In addition to Nanjing, Messer already commissioned a plant in Yunnan in 2014 and another in Sichuan in 2015.

The Nanjing plant has a capacity of 150,000 tons per year. The gas can be used in the food industry, for example as carbon dioxide for beverages.

Messer now recovers a total of 300,000 tons of CO2 per year from industrial processes in China. In Belgium, Messer recycles 13.5 tons per hour with one plant, which equates to 118,260 tons per year. Switzerland now manages 200 kg per hour in a pilot plant, which amounts to 1,700 tons per year.

www.messer.ch

 

The Lightning Information Service (BLIDS) from Siemens uses around 160 connected measuring stations in Europe to record lightning and manages the measuring network in Switzerland, Germany, the UK, Benelux, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary. Thanks to MindSphere, Siemens' cloud-based, open operating system for the Internet of Things (IoT), lightning data is also available to customers on PCs and mobile devices.

Highest lightning density

The most lightning strikes from January 1 to and including August 1, 2017, in terms of area size, occurred in Semione. The BLIDS system registered 12.26 lightning strikes per km² here. The most lightning-rich locality in German-speaking Switzerland is Schwende in the canton of Appenzell Innerrhoden with 7.79 lightning bolts per km². In more than 200 Swiss localities, however, no lightning strikes were registered at all.

Looking at the absolute numbers at the cantonal level, the canton of Graubünden recorded the most strikes with 9360 ground lightning strikes, followed by the canton of Ticino (9322) and the canton of Bern (9105). In the canton of Basel-Stadt, there were only 34 lightning strikes in the same period. For comparison: In the Ticino town of Blenio alone, there were 889 lightning strikes in seven months, in Schwende 446.

Determination accurate to 100 meters

The high accuracy of BLIDS is based on the Time-of-Arrival (TOA) principle. The lightning location is calculated from the difference in the times recorded in the receivers. "Whereas it used to take up to 30 seconds for information about a lightning strike to be retrievable in the system, today it takes only ten," explains Stephan Thern, head of the lightning information service at Siemens. "Today, we can pinpoint about half of the lightning strikes to better than 100 meters."

In addition to precise localization, this measurement and calculation method also makes it possible to detect polarity and current strength as well as partial flashes within an overall flash. The more precise and faster the data, the greater the protection for people, industrial plants and infrastructure. BLIDS is used by weather services, insurance companies, and industrial and power companies, among others.

How the BLIDS system works

Every lightning bolt emits an electromagnetic signal, or electromagnetic waves. This information is registered with antennas and analyzed at Siemens' BLIDS center in Karlsruhe. The antennas are designed in such a way that they can detect from which direction the signal is coming. In combination with the information from other antennas, it is possible to determine the point of impact. The course of a thunderstorm can now be shown without gaps by the lightning information service.

With the free BLIDS spy, interested parties can register under www.blids.de quickly and up-to-date information also about lightning strikes in Switzerland.

 

Employees themselves are a risk to organizations. A global study by Kaspersky Lab shows that 46 percent of all cybersecurity incidents are caused by employees. What's more, 40 percent of self-inflicted cybersecurity incidents are kept secret.

Many circulating attacks target employees, who often exhibit a lack of care or attention to their documents. Employees are the "easiest gateway for highly technical and specialized attacks on companies," highlights a recent Kaspersky study.

Targeted methods

According to Kaspersky Lab, 28 percent of all targeted attacks last year were carried out via phishing or social engineering. An example: an email contains a malicious file disguised as a supplier's invoice; if this is opened by a careless accountant, the corporate network may already be infected.

"Employees often open the doors to a company's infrastructure for cybercriminals," explains David Jacoby, security researcher at Kaspersky Lab. "The spectrum of attacks ranges from phishing emails to passwords that are too weak to supposed calls from IT support. Another scam involves seemingly lost and compromised memory cards that are deliberately placed in the company parking lot or secretary's office and then found and read by well-meaning colleagues."

Corporate management required

Employees are reluctant to report cybersecurity incidents for fear of possible consequences - according to the Kaspersky study, 40 percent of companies do so. The consequences are serious, because security experts need to identify cybersecurity incidents as quickly as possible in order to combat them adequately.

Instead of threatening with strict rules and consequences, companies should therefore promote awareness and a willingness to cooperate. "Cybersecurity is not just a question of technology, but also a question of corporate culture. Top management and HR departments should also be aware of this," says Slava Borilin, Security Education Program Manager at Kaspersky Lab.

"When employees cover up incidents, there are good reasons: guidelines that are too strict and unclear, too much pressure, or the search for culprits. All of these lead employees to cover up the truth out of fear. Far better results come from a positive cybersecurity culture that emphasizes awareness building and information flow, and is exemplified by senior management."

Information, good working atmosphere and technology

The silver bullet for preventing human cybersecurity failures lies in the combination of technical and personnel measures, which form two main layers:

• Personnel level: Safety training, clearly and concisely formulated guidelines, further training and motivation measures, and a positive working atmosphere.
• Technological level: Endpoint security solutions can be used to contain human error by employees. Preconfigured protection measures and advanced security settings can also be used to meet the special requirements of small and medium-sized enterprises and corporate groups.

The full Kaspersky study, "Human Factor in IT Security: How Employees are Making Businesses Vulnerable from Within," is available below:

The human factor: Can employees learn not to make mistakes?

 

 

 

It is possible that the silver generation will help to stop the shortage of qualified workers. Today, two major challenges are holding back the realization of longer working lives. First, older workers may not be able to balance productivity and labor costs.

Rising wage trends, reinforced by the increase in non-wage labor costs in old age, cannot compensate for the productivity stagnation that sometimes occurs. If productivity and wage costs do not develop in step, older employees become less attractive for the company.

When know-how is a burden

Secondly, many years of company-specific knowledge can become a "burden" when looking for a job. This knowledge makes older employees attractive within the company and justifies a higher salary. Outside the company, on the other hand, the value of their knowledge is greatly reduced: anyone who is well networked within company X hardly offers company Y any added value.

For older employees, this means that their market value is significantly reduced and discrepant with their previous salary and status when they look for a new job. If a company wants to utilize the potential of older workers, their qualities and needs must be taken into account. In this context, Generation Silver workers are by no means a homogeneous group, so successful models are usually flexible and tailored.

Rainbow career - take a step back

With flexible handling of wages and areas of responsibility, older employees can remain in the company even if they wish to reduce their area of responsibility or performance pressure or are no longer able to perform at their previous level (for example, for health reasons).

In the rainbow career concept, the middle of working life is the zenith of the professional career. From the middle of working life onwards, there is a gradual reduction in requirements, salary and management responsibility. Thanks to flexibility, any discrepancy between salary, value added and position between the old and the new company can also be overcome in the case of a new job.

The employee makes sacrifices with this concept. However, in a company with a rigid remuneration system, he would not be employed in the first place due to the discrepancy between remuneration and perceived quality.

The rainbow career challenges not only the employee, but also the corporate culture if salary, rank and management responsibility are still conceived in a linear way (for example, remuneration according to seniority or personnel organization according to the up-or-out principle). Today, a step down in pay, rank or management responsibility is still often perceived as a demotion. Regular, systematic discussion of options can promote employees' openness to rainbow careers. At the same time, it also requires the entire company to be open to such solutions.

Another possibility is to integrate (further) training into the remuneration system, for example instead of additional vacations, wage increases or bonuses. This meets a need of both the company and the older employee. A third possibility is a contractual agreement on the gross wage instead of the net wage.

Due to the ancillary wage costs linked to age, the net wage decreases gradually, but the attractiveness of the employee of the silver generation for the company remains the same.

You can find more information from the current UBS Outlook Switzerland at this Link

 

 

 

 

 

Several issues regarding digitized technologies require a redefinition of the rules: Technology is advancing faster than ever before. Individuals are relatively quick to adapt to ever-changing innovations. Organizations, however, are usually slower. Many have industrial-age structures and employ practices that may be long outdated.

Progress on issues of public concern, such as income inequality, unemployment, immigration, and trade, has been even slower.

It is these gaps between technology, individuals, businesses, and public policy that provide a unique opportunity for HR to help leaders and organizations adapt new technologies, help employees become comfortable with new work and career models, and help the organization as a whole adapt to and drive positive changes in society, legislation, and public policy.

Top Trends 2017 for Switzerland

126 leading Swiss companies have rated the Human Capital Trends according to their importance for their organization. All 10 trends in the Human Capital Report relate to the position of HR, which therefore raises the serious question: How well can HR keep up?

1.) The organization of the future: Arriving now

Organizations are digitizing more and more, and as a result feel an increasing need to realign in order to be faster, adapt more quickly, learn quickly, and respond positively to the demand for dynamic work offerings. Leading companies are already on their way to leaving the planning phase behind and actively shaping this reorganization.

2) Talent acquisition: Enter the cognitive recruiter

Recruiting is becoming a digital experience as candidates now expect user-friendliness and mobile contact. Experienced talent seekers will welcome new technologies for talent acquisition to strengthen psychological and emotional connections with candidates and continuously build the company brand.

3.) Careers and learning: Real time, all the time

As companies shape the organization of the future, a continuous learning process is critical to their success. The new rules require an organization that promotes learning and development and offers knowledge that can be constantly accessed and is permanently available via various mobile platforms.

4.) Leadership disrupted: Pushing the boundaries

In 2015, corporate leadership was described as an "enduring theme" that never seems to lose its relevance. This year, we see a radical change: Today, companies not only need strong leaders like never before, but require a completely different kind of leadership - younger, more agile and digitally oriented.

5.) Performance management: Play a winning hand

Across industries and geographies, companies are re-evaluating every aspect of their performance management program - from goal setting and evaluation to incentive and bonus systems - and adapting their corporate strategy and continuous work change to reflect these changes.

6.) Digital HR: Platforms, people, and work

HR leaders are challenged to take a broader role in helping the business be digital, rather than just using digital tools. As digital management practices and an agile organizational approach move to the center of business considerations, HR is now focused on people, work and platforms.

7.) The employee experience: Culture, engagement, and beyond

Organizations today are developing a holistic focus on the overall employee experience, rather than just focusing on employee engagement and culture. A new marketplace of heart rate monitoring tools, wellness and fitness apps, and employee self-service tools are conducive to this.

8.) Diversity and inclusion: The reality gap

Fairness, equality and inclusion are now challenges for the CEO level, but continue to cause frustration. Education and training do not work well enough. The new rules focus on experiential learning, process change, data-driven tools, transparency, and accountability.

9.) People analytics: Recalculating the route

Analytics are no longer just about finding interesting information and bringing it to the attention of managers - they are now a business function, using data in increasingly targeted ways to understand every part of a business process, as well as integrating analytics data into real-time apps and the way we work.

10.) The future of work: The augmented workforce

Automation, cognitive IT and crowds are disruptive forces that are reshaping the workforce. In a world where work is becoming increasingly automated, companies need to experiment with cognitive tools, train employees to use them, and rethink the role of employees in general.

You can find out more about the latest Deloitte Human Capital Trend Study at this Link

 

 

 

 

 

 

ServiceNow's study found that using machines in everyday work environments drives revenue growth, reduces routine tasks, creates new jobs and allows employees to focus on essential tasks.

ServiceNow surveyed more than 1,850 executives consisting of C-level positions as well as VPs (vice presidents), directors and managers in seven countries. The goal of the study was to assess the impact of automation on everyday business services, as well as the workload of executives and their opinions on the future of work processes.

Study results at a glance

The survey also examined the relationship between automation levels and operating costs. Companies are already reaching their breaking point and urgently need intelligent automation solutions

• 41 percent of respondents say they will need increased automation in 2018 to handle the volume of workloads, up from 49 percent globally. In 2020, 8 out of 10 (82 percent) German companies will reach the load limit.
• Seventy-eight percent say data generated by mobile devices and the Internet of Things contribute to this burden.
• 90 percent confirm that intelligent automation can increase productivity. This includes artificial intelligence (AI) or machine learning (ML) to optimize decision-making processes and thus execute business processes faster and more accurately.
• 54 percent of the study participants already use intelligent automation in at least one business process. 89 percent of German companies are already planning or examining the use of intelligent automation solutions.

"In a world of smart homes, smart cars and smart commerce, the workplace is still not smart - but not for long," says Georg Goller, Area Vice President Germany, ServiceNow. "The shift to automated processes has already begun and will change everyday work."

Checklist for more efficient processes:

To help companies, ServiceNow has established recommendations for leaders:

1. Identify business processes in HR, customer service, IT or other departments that need to be improved
2. Define critical business services and automate workloads
3. Discuss the proposed changes with individual departments to address and resolve concerns
4. Establish best practices around change management
5. Further develop employee competencies to help them navigate the automated work environmentAdditional information about the "Today's State of Work" study can be found at this Link

 

Travelport Resolve is a new tool to mitigate the impact of flight cancellations and massive delays by contacting passengers in seconds and providing them with straightforward assistance - completely paperless and without the frustration of waiting at the counter..

Being stranded at the airport is one of the most unpleasant experiences passengers can have. According to online provider FlightStats, nearly 20 percent of intra-European flights were not on time in the first six months of 2017 alone (403,247 out of 2,075,208). But the real nightmare for passengers begins when flights are cancelled or delayed to such an extent that involuntary overnight stays become necessary.

Successful tool

Normally, stranded passengers have to organize themselves, search for a free hotel room, queue for a long time, where they may receive a paper voucher to show at an anonymous hotel. A lengthy and nerve-wracking process.

Initial tests of Travelport Resolve in the USA have already been very successful. Passengers praised not only the high level of user-friendliness, but also the speed with which they were helped. For example, when a flight had to be canceled after boarding had been completed, all rebookings were already done before the guests had left the plane again.

App also supported in Switzerland

"Being stranded at an airport and spending the night there involuntarily is unpleasant enough. Anyone who has ever experienced this situation will appreciate quick, competent help," says Dieter Rumpel, Travelport's Managing Director Germany & Switzerland. "Travelport Resolve meets all the requirements for speedy handling, as everything can be done in no time with just a few entries on the smartphone. With the help of this solution, airlines can now offer their customers an appropriate top service even in such unpleasant situations."

Travelport Resolve was developed as part of the Travelport Labs Accelerator Program. The new product brings together Travelport's expertise in mobile services, hotel distribution and payment processing, and automates workflows that have traditionally been burdensome for airlines during severe disruptions to flight operations.

What's more, in such situations, Travelport Resolve enables airlines to maintain a full overview of the current status of each affected passenger, the respective costs and, of course, the total cost of the disruption. Analysis tools also help to quickly identify any weaknesses in service or unnecessary cost factors.

Big Data forecasts not excluded

In the next stage, soon to be launched on the market, Travelport Resolve will proactively monitor flight operations and warn airlines should potential cancellations and severe delays become foreseeable. At the same time, the program independently analyzes the hotel situation at the airports concerned and - should there be only a few free hotel rooms left - blocks a room contingent in order to be able to meet the expected demand from passengers at a later date.

www.travelport.com

The Xpenses app from Soreco compares the service provider's details with the database of the Swiss Commercial Registry Office and thus provides information such as company name, address, VAT number, etc. The app also triggers the authorization process and even allows third-party systems to process the data directly in HR or accounting software. The app also triggers the approval process and even enables third-party systems to process directly in the HR or accounting software.

This means that expenses can be automatically offset against wages or paid out as a vendor expense. Of course, the app automatically archives the receipts, making cumbersome paper storage unnecessary. In addition, Xpenses can be used in offline mode even in the absence of an Internet connection.

Easier processes

The data exchange starts automatically as soon as the device is online again. Xpenses also comes with additional features such as various evaluation options for expenses per employee, cost center, period, or expanded functions for supervisors. The easy-to-use app thus brings noticeable relief to employees and supervisors, but also to employees in the HR department and the financial accounting department, by means of simple photographic recording with the smartphone.

"It's amazing that until now there hasn't been an app that allowed for a true digital transformation of the expense process," comments Soreco CEO Claude Sieber. "With Xpenses, there are no more receipts flying around, no more media breaks, and no more angry faces because the accounting department finally asks for expenses to be submitted. Entering them with the app automatically triggers the necessary digital processes for approval, integration with existing business software and to pay out the amounts."

Xpenses can also be used to record and process flat-rate and travel expenses based on the calculation of the vehicle category.

The app is platform-independent and compatible with iOS and Android devices. You can find out more about the new Swiss app at www.sorecoweb.ch

Trainee programs for computer scientists are a dime a dozen, and yet politicians, professional and company associations are sounding the alarm about a shortage of skilled workers in the ICT sector. Companies complain about the lack of skilled workers with the necessary experience and a solid education. What are the real causes of the shortage of skilled workers?

Software engineers from our own ranks

In the greater Zurich area, M&F Engineering AG therefore built up a company network that takes the problem into its own hands and today "produces" the desired software engineers. After a three-year training period, the first graduates are now graduating. "Our trainee program has grown considerably in the meantime. We currently employ twelve trainees and many innovative partner companies have joined us," says Reto Bättig, initiator of the trainee program and CEO of M&F Engineering AG in Fahrweid.

It is the first cross-company program in Switzerland that accepts young engineers directly from university and accompanies them during the first three years of their career. During these three years, the trainees work at four to six different technology companies in the network. There, the young engineers are fully integrated into the respective software team. The trainees are enthusiastic about the program. "Nowhere else can you learn so much in such a short time and build up a huge network at the same time," says Sebastian Wendland, who completed the program in June 2017.

Trainee program already established at universities

The network, which already includes twelve companies, makes the program extremely attractive. This makes it possible to attract the best graduates. Thanks to targeted training, coaching and work in a wide variety of companies and projects, the trainees learn an enormous amount in a very short time. "The concept is unique and an ideal career start for the graduates," agrees Prof. Dr. Olaf Stern, Head of the Computer Science program at the ZHAW. The trainees can develop into excellent software engineers through a lot of practical experience and parallel further training.

SMEs are joining in to cover short-term staff shortages and recruit experienced software developers for the long term. So is the shortage of skilled workers just a myth after all? Bättig says, "We and our partner companies are firmly convinced that you can find enough skilled workers if you're also willing to invest in them."

Note: On September 6, 2017, M&F Engineering AG, together with SwissICT and SI, will be holding an exciting event on the topic of "Skilled workers - what is really lacking?" by. You can find more info at: https://www.m-f.ch/events

 

 

Yawning is dangerous - even if you sleep well yourself. Nonetheless, misconduct on the part of an employee or colleague could result in chronic disturbances. Too much coffee in the evening, watching TV, but also permanent appointment checks on the cell phone could trigger sleep disturbances and recovery stress. It is said that sleep problems are indicators of stress and burnout issues and similar problems.

"It was impressive for me to see that my colleagues have the same little problems," says Markus Portner, responsible for quality issues at s: stebler. "Actually, you know that certain behavior patterns are not good, but you don't necessarily think that they can have a big impact on the people around you."

Serious problems can often only be recognized if they are talked about. That's why s: stebler has decided to hold a workshop of a special kind.

Sleep deprivation is dangerous

"Who says they're tired," interjects Markus Portner. "But today you always want to be present. To say you're tired is to declassify yourself."

The company s: stebler is bound to a collective labor agreement, and they work eight hours a day, in the workshop from seven in the morning to four in the afternoon, with the regular breaks. "It's tightly organized and we have that under control," says Markus Portner. "We don't have the field service under control. Although these employees report their hours, when they step on the gas, they are omnipresent and work everywhere. They check their e-mails in the car at noon and at home in the evening, and if they can't fall asleep, they write another quote. It's true that workshop employees also know this pressure to perform, but time management is different. So I think salespeople are much more at risk."

For the company, sleep problems are also an issue in terms of performance, of course, but even more so in terms of accident risk. "We have large machines, so you shouldn't be careless," says Portner. For Markus Portner, the offer from Suva to conduct a sleep workshop was therefore very timely.

"If you analyze the near-accidents, however, you often see that carelessness was the cause. Now the question arises: were these employees too routine, were they under pressure, were they simply having a bad day, were they distracted or, at best, were they actually too tired? It's difficult to tell."

Sleep problems cost insurers over CHF 512 million

In fact, the effects of too little or too poor sleep are very great. 30 percent of employees in Switzerland are affected by sleep problems. This not only leads to exhaustion and mental and physical illnesses - these people are also less productive and, above all, much more at risk of accidents.

Suva was able to substantiate in a study that sleep problems played a role in every fifth occupational accident. "That's around 53,000 occupational accidents per year, which cause costs estimated at 283 million Swiss francs," says Urs Näpflin, Suva's Prevention Services Advisory Group.

"In addition, leisure accidents due to sleep problems cost another 512 million Swiss francs. These are often accidents involving falling and tripping or injuries with machines and tools. Particularly at risk are poor sleepers who are older than 30, sleep less than seven hours per night and work more than 50 hours per week."

Customized sleep workshop:

The workshop is one of several prevention modules offered by Suva and can be tailored to any company, occupational group and starting situation.

www.suva.ch

 

 

There are many reasons for the increasing stress of the finance department workforce: The workload and responsibility of the finance department is growing. At the same time, however, the tools and work equipment available are not sufficient to cope with the challenges in the best possible way. Increasing competition and understaffing are also causing problems for finance employees.

"The shortage of skilled workers is having a negative impact on companies. A large proportion of Swiss companies have difficulty finding qualified candidates. Existing employees have to fill the gaps, which leads to high stress levels," explains Yeng Chow, Senior Manager at Robert Half in Zurich.

Career changers most welcome

The majority (77 %) of chief financial officers in Swiss companies describe recruiting finance professionals as challenging. For this reason, their willingness to recruit employees from outside their specialist field is now very high: Almost nine out of ten (89 %) CFOs are willing to fill vacancies in the finance department with lateral hires.

This can have great advantages for both sides: Employees in finance and accounting are in demand on the labor market and can look forward to attractive salaries, as the Salary overview from Robert Half shows.

But companies also benefit from hiring lateral hires in the finance department. This is because the increasing automation of tasks in finance and accounting is changing the demands on finance departments. According to CFOs, qualities are becoming increasingly important that until recently received little attention.

"Swiss CFOs are looking for IT skills, entrepreneurial thinking, flexibility and adaptability above all. They want employees with high problem-solving skills and communication skills who bring a strategic vision," says Yeng Chow. "Because important decisions will continue to be made by competent employees who have to argue convincingly."

Expectations for lateral entrants

Career changers bring different professional profiles to the finance department. This is not a problem for CFOs, who consider social skills to be more important than technical expertise in certain positions. Career changers can also score points with relevant industry experience if they lack financial expertise. In certain cases, CFOs even see the lack of financial experience as a clear advantage.

"In addition to IT specialists, entry into the finance department is an option for employees from the banking and insurance sectors, for example. Management consultants are in particular demand for management positions. In individual cases, however, other occupational fields are also possible - lawyers with professional experience can switch to the finance department as compliance managers, for example.", Chow said.