Especially in a new work environment, it is often difficult to adapt to the clothing style of colleagues and superiors. Nevertheless, it is important to appear appropriately dressed and not to fall too much out of the grid with your outfits. That's why we've put together some tips for everyday professional fashion in the office for you.

Convincing outfit thanks to professionalism

In addition to impeccable content, punctuality and a confident appearance, the appearance should also be right. After all, external factors - such as the style of clothing and a well-groomed hairstyle - also have an impact on the overall image and convey a certain professionalism. Especially in business appointments, in meetings or in appointments with potential customers, the appearance should therefore also match the content presented and convey the same aplomb. Self-confidence, interaction and a healthy self-assessment are also important in order to maintain a professional image. With these three additional tips, the appearance will succeed:

• Fit: buy clothes in the right size.
• Cleanliness: Ironed, washed and without stains, holes or tears.
• Restraint: muted colors are better than colorful, garish patterns.

Follow the dress code of the company

Nevertheless, one thing applies above all: Observe and adapt! It's best to look at your colleagues at the beginning and pay attention to their clothing style. In this way, you can quickly and easily determine which dress code applies and is appropriate in the company. Especially in traditional companies, a suit and tie or a suit or pantsuit are often still the order of the day. In other offices, on the other hand, the smart casual or casual look may be more the norm.

Dos and don'ts when choosing clothes

Often it is not so easy to know whether an outfit is appropriate for the office or whether it will cause unpleasant looks. So it is all the more important to take into account some basic rules that will save you from these embarrassments. At a glance:

Thu:

• Blouses and shirts: Are classic office all-rounders and never a mistake. Unless the rest of your colleagues prefer to wear T-shirts or simple sweaters. Then you should adapt to this style.
• Chino, jeans and slacks: Simple, plain pants are also a great option for the office look and are easy to pair with a blouse, shirt, sweater or tunic.
• Colorful tunics and loose dresses: Are not only comfortable, but also great to combine in winter. With tights and a chic blazer the ideal office outfit.
• Leather lace-ups, loafers and moccasins: When it comes to footwear, there are also some classics that are not only comfortable, but also well suited for everyday office wear.
• Blazer and jacket: Especially for those who have business appointments in between, a blazer or jacket is well advised and top dressed.
• Accessories: A pretty necklace, a pair of chic glasses or a few simple cufflinks are often enough to enhance the outfit and set subtle accents.

Don't

• Too much naked skin: Either opt for a skirt and show leg or wear a blouse with a neckline. Both are definitely too much for the office.
• Ripped jeans: In most offices, used-look jeans are not considered appropriate. It's best to go for simple jeans without rips and holes.
• High heels or over the knee boots: Women in particular often tend to wear high heels to the office. But beware: better (and more comfortable) are shoes with only a few centimeters heel.
• Animal Print: Attention also applies to leopard looks. These often look cheap and not very professional.
• Too much perfume: Nothing is more unpleasant than a colleague who is too strongly perfumed.
• Unkempt appearance: Three-day beard or clothes that smell of sweat can attract negative attention. Freshly washed laundry should therefore be a matter of course.
• Sneakers: Wearing sports shoes to the office probably doesn't go down too well. Unless the casual look is commonplace in the office. Then you should only pay attention to clean sneakers.

The inspiration for this post comes from the international fashion company Ulla Popkenwhich specializes in plus size women's fashion. Especially in the area of business fashion you will find numerous outfit ideas and inspirations for varied office looks.

The vast majority of companies and public authorities are pushing ahead with digitization during the pandemic: it remains the top priority for 2021 as well. That about sums up Capgemini's IT Trends Study 2021. Almost half of the respondents (48.4 percent) said their company plans to increase its IT budget in 2021; twelve months earlier, 63.1 percent still intended to spend more money. For around 27 percent, IT budgets for 2021 will remain at the previous year's level. That is a good 5 percent more than a year ago. Only just under 15 percent of respondents will reduce IT spending. This proportion is unchanged, but the cuts are more drastic than before. The sectors most affected are those that are currently subject to restrictions or are facing fundamental challenges. 9.4 percent of the study participants abstained.

This means that the Corona pandemic is only having a limited negative impact on IT spending. This is because 87 percent of companies and public authorities are using it as an opportunity to expand digitization. After the waning interest in the previous year, it is once again at the top of the priority list for 2021, followed by efficiency enhancement, cost reduction and the development of new IT products and services. Alignment with the needs of end customers has become more important for many organizations and now ranks fifth.

Projects stopped or postponed

Almost 55 percent of respondents reacted to the uncertain economic situation by shifting budgets. Around 25 percent have stopped IT projects, while 42 percent have postponed the start of projects into the future. Almost three-quarters of the postponed projects are expected to start in the coming year. Of the stopped projects, nearly half are expected to continue in the coming year. 18 percent of the study participants have brought forward IT projects. Of these, however, almost one-third are not expected to be completed.

Guido Kamann, Head of Capgemini in Switzerland, explains: "Since the outbreak of the pandemic, companies and public authorities have been increasingly pushing digitalization in order to maintain operations in the new situation with lockdown and longer-term restrictions. There was a need to quickly enable or expand working from home, as well as contactless service and online sales. As part of this, information evaluation and use, shorter release cycles and partner networks became more important, while less attention was paid to flexibility and efficiency."

Expenditure on system maintenance still high

On average, CIOs invest 27 percent of their budget in modernization and around 26 percent in new applications and systems. Expenditure on maintaining existing systems remains high at just under 47 percent. Large corporations have the lowest costs in this area, while midsize companies have the highest. The midmarket pro rata obtains fewer services from provider clouds, which possibly leads to higher fixed costs. Another factor could be the lower level of automation in the last 12 months compared to corporations. As a result, SMEs are currently able to invest less money in modernization and new developments than corporate groups.

IT budgets: Reducing the cost of what already exists

"IT budgets have increased almost permanently in recent years, but the proportions of spending on existing IT and new have hardly changed. To gain financial leeway, companies and public authorities should reduce their costs for the existing - for example, through automation and other innovations. Then they can respond more easily to market changes and develop their business models in a more visionary way," comments Guido Kamann. However, only individual organizations or industries are currently succeeding in implementing the principle of cost reduction through innovation.

Source: www.capgemini.com/ch-en/.

From August to October 2020, the market and social research institute gfs-zürich conducted a representative survey of 503 CEOs of small companies (4 to 49 employees) in German-, French- and Italian-speaking Switzerland on the impact of the Corona pandemic on digitalization. The survey was conducted on behalf of digitalswitzerland, Mobiliar, the National Cyber Security Center (NCSC), the School of Business at the University of Applied Sciences Northwestern Switzerland (FHNW) and the Swiss Academy of Engineering Sciences (SATW).

Opportunities seized - cyber risks underestimated

After an average of 10% of employees worked primarily from home at the beginning of 2020, almost four times as many did so during the lockdown (38 percent). After the lockdown, the figures fell again, but with 16% of employees working from home, the proportion has risen by 60% compared with the start of the year. While Swiss SMEs demonstrate flexibility, the risks of home office and digitalization are underestimated by many. Some results of the study in detail:

• Online conferencing tools on the rise: After e-mail and telephone, communication in SMEs most frequently takes place via private communication channels such as WhatsApp or other messenger services. With the lockdown, online conferencing tools in particular have become more important: The share of virtual meetings has increased from 9% to 20%, more than doubling.
• A quarter of Swiss SMEs have already been the victim of a serious cyber attack: of the approximately 38,250 SMEs attacked throughout Switzerland, around one third (12,930 SMEs) suffered financial damage and one in ten attacks resulted in reputational damage and/or the loss of customer data.
• Preventive measures are taken too rarely: Despite frequent cyberattacks, only one in two SMEs has an emergency plan to ensure business continuity, and around two-thirds neither conduct regular employee training nor have they implemented a security concept in the company.
• People as a risk factor - cyber risks are often underestimated: Only just under half (47%) of CEOs said they were well informed about security-related issues. Even more drastic is the lack of awareness of becoming a victim of a cyber attack themselves: Only just 11% rate the risk of being put out of action for a day by a cyber attack as high.

Federal government to further improve framework conditions for cyber security

Florian Schütz, the federal government's delegate for cybersecurity, praises the adaptability of Swiss SMEs: "It is gratifying to see how progressive even Switzerland's smaller SMEs are in terms of their IT infrastructure and that cybersecurity is attracting more and more attention. The lockdown has shown how important digital transformation is in order to remain adaptable. Many SMEs have recognized this and accelerated their digitization efforts. However, the current situation also makes it clear how important it is that we create framework conditions to shape cybersecurity in Switzerland in such a way that the opportunities of digitization can be exploited as well as possible. To this end, the Confederation intends to further expand its efforts and actively support the population and the economy in protecting themselves against cyber risks." Specifically, the Confederation has developed a quick test for SMEs in collaboration with digitalswitzerland. This allows small businesses to quickly and easily check how well they are protected against cyber risks. More efficiency is also required in the prosecution of cyber crimes. In this regard, cooperation among the cantonal police corps is being strengthened.

Around 13000 SMEs have already been victims of a cyber attack

As mentioned above, almost 13,000 SMEs have already been victims of a cyber attack. Most of these were cases of ransomware: via phishing or open ports, criminals installed malware that encrypts data and decrypts it again for a ransom. Andreas Hölzli, Head of Mobiliar's Cyber Risk Competence Center, regrets that too many SMEs still think that nothing can be taken from them. Accordingly, risk management is poorly developed: "The problem is that organizational measures in particular are often not given as much weight. Companies need measures that go beyond the technical aspects, including, for example, raising the awareness of their employees." In addition to technical protection measures such as antivirus programs or firewalls, functioning backups are also important. "Unfortunately, we often experience that backups cannot be restored properly. Either the data is also encrypted or not all the data has been backed up at all," says Hölzli. He therefore emphasizes that backups must always be kept separate from the system. He also finds that many SMEs lack contingency planning in the event of a business interruption due to a cyber incident.

Home office will become more established - cyber risk awareness must keep pace

Prof. Dr. Marc K. Peter from the FHNW is convinced that the home office will establish itself in the long term as a component of the new working world strategy of "blended working": "In many jobs, a mix between working in the home office and in the office will be part of everyday life. However, it must be urgently taken into account that this will increase the demands on important technology and IT security investments in Swiss SMEs."

The large number of SMEs affected by a cyber attack is an additional motivation for Nicole Wettstein, Program Manager Cybersecurity at SATW, to push forward with the ongoing awareness activities: "It is central to further increase the proportion of SMEs that implement minimum measures for basic cybersecurity protection." Andreas W. Kaelin, deputy managing director and head of the cybersecurity dossier at digitalswitzerland, adds: "The cyber resilience of SMEs must increase." In this context, he speaks of "unconscious incompetence" that is still too widespread in many places. Delegating the issue of IT security to external service providers falls short of the mark. Kaelin points out: "According to the survey, around two-thirds of small companies are supported by external IT service providers. This shows that we urgently need to take measures that make it easier for companies to identify trustworthy IT service providers. After all, a company's security stands or falls with its service providers." A label is therefore also in the works that certifies IT service providers for their competence in cyber risks.

Source and further information: ictswitzerland.ch and digitalswitzerland.com

The proportion of female board members worldwide and in Switzerland in particular is growing steadily - but slowly. This is shown by the latest edition of the Global Diversity Study, which the consulting firm Egon Zehner has been collecting every two years since 2004.

Gender equality on boards of directors: Companies make up ground

According to the study, at the end of April 2020, 97.6 percent of the leading Swiss companies covered by the study had at least one woman on their board of directors, compared with 94.6 percent in 2018. Switzerland is thus catching up with the Western European standard, which now stands at almost one hundred percent. Internationally, nine out of ten boards of directors (89 percent) already have at least one female representative, up from 85 percent in 2018.

Of the 400 board seats held by the Swiss companies surveyed, around a quarter - 99 - are currently held by a woman. This means that the proportion of women on Swiss boards has increased by 15.8 percent since 2004. The boards of Western European companies showed even stronger growth, namely 24 percent - 32 percent of the more than 5,000 board seats there are now held by women, with France again showing the greatest diversity with a 43.8 percent share of female board members.

Diversity as a competitive factor

The number of Swiss companies with already two female representatives on the board of directors has increased by 5.1 percent to 78.0 percent in the last two years, while the number with already three female board members has risen by 8.5 percent to 46.3 percent. The reason for this increase may be that some female board members have expanded their activities and accepted additional mandates. For example, the number of female board members with multiple mandates rose from 2.5 percent in 2018 to 6.5 percent at the cut-off date of the 2020 study.

The consulting firm Egon Zehner expects the situation for Switzerland in this area to develop further over the next few years, not least as a result of the new gender benchmarks introduced as of January 1, 2021 in accordance with the revision of stock corporation law. In 2020, for example, 35.4 percent of new board memberships in Switzerland were already held by women. In the case of new appointments, globally less than a third of the positions to be filled go to women (29.7 percent), while the average in Western Europe is 36.8 percent and for the USA together with Canada 37.2 percent.

"When considering companies, diversity in practice is playing an increasingly important role for investors. This also has an impact on the attractiveness of a company as an employer. Diverse teams with an inclusive culture achieve more innovative results. They understand the expectations of changing target groups. The distribution of management tasks among people of different genders and backgrounds is therefore a sociopolitical as well as an economic imperative. Diversity and inclusivity have thus become an important competitive factor for corporate success," says Simone Stebler, responsible for diversity and inclusion activities at Egon Zehnder, commenting on the results of the study.

Still (too) few female CEOs

When it comes to executive functions or positions held by women within a board of directors, gender equality is not yet so good. Female CEOs or CFOs are also a rare species. In 2020, for example, only 2.4 percent of the Swiss companies analyzed were headed by female CEOs. Their share is thus below the average for Western Europe (5.7 percent) or the USA (5.3 percent). Switzerland also ranks behind in terms of female CFOs, with a share of 2.5 percent compared with 14.0 percent in Western Europe and 14.7 percent in the USA.

"The identification and development of high-potential female employees must be given priority in all companies," clarifies Simone Stebler. She is convinced that "there is no shortage of highly qualified female candidates. But it is not enough to look at their potential and develop them - without a focus on creating an inclusive corporate culture in which both male and female leadership qualities are equally valued, we will continue to make progress only at a snail's pace."

Source: Egon Zehnder

Despite the current circumstances, the Business Expo 2020 was held with the Entrepreneur Award, and online. Various workshops were offered on practical and current topics that concern small businesses, such as crisis management, marketing via social media, financial investments, online marketing and much more. These workshops could be booked in advance and were held as webinars.

Entrepreneur Award 2020 new in two categories

One of the highlights will be the presentation of the Entrepreneur Award. This award recognizes the achievements and commitment of the countless micro and small enterprises, many of which consist of just one person. In a multi-stage nomination process, a shortlist of three finalists was selected in each of the categories "small business" (2 to 49 employees) and "sole proprietorship without employees". These had the opportunity to present their business model in a three-minute pitch to a panel of experts. This jury of four, Lukas Nauer (CEO netpulse AG), Riccarda Mecklenburg (founder CrowdConsul.ch), Rolf Kummli (founder KUMMLI Netzwerk GmbH) and Sandra Ischi (co-owner Permashop AG), represents a very strong connection to micro-enterprises. All jury members once started "small" themselves or are consciously on the road as micro-enterprises themselves.

Small business with ambition and a sense of sustainability

The finalists for the Entrepreneur Award 2020 in the category "Small businesses with 2 to 49 employees" were:

• Kay Keusen with his Premium Swiss Chocolate GmbH from Adliswil: The business model is based on the "bean-to-bar" concept. This means that the entire supply chain, from the cocoa bean to the finished product, can be tracked seamlessly. And the complete production of the chocolate bars also takes place without intermediate products. In other words, everything is cracked, roasted, conched, ground, sieved, tempered and poured in-house. This results in premium products with a wide variety of flavors.
• Michi Keel with Simplee AG: The core competencies of this small company from Dübendorf lie in the implementation of charging infrastructures for electric cars. The company sets up chargers in new or existing underground garages, for example, and also handles the billing of the electricity used. simplee AG has already won projects from well-known clients.
• Karin Patton with the Barfuss Brewery Ltd. from Wuppenau TG: From a hobby brewery in the laundry room developed since 2014 to a creative production of gourmet beers in combination with regional "appetizers". The Barfuss Brewery has also made a name for itself with tasting events and has already been able to take top places with its products at some of the renowned awards in the beer brewing scene.

Of these three finalists, it was ultimately Barfuss Brauerei GmbH with Karin Patton that convinced the jury the most. In particular, the emphasis on sensory aspects was praised: "The sensory takes on a new significance precisely because of the Corona pandemic," said jury member Riccarda Mecklenburg. The integration of the family - Karin Patton's husband Bryan comes from Grand Rapids in the USA, the actual "beer capital" of the United States, and provided the actual impetus for home-brewed beer - as well as the agility of the company were also viewed positively by the jury. This is because the Barfuss Brewery's online store was quickly expanded and the sales concept adapted accordingly. The jury was also impressed by the microbrewery's "young talent concept": Instead of apprenticeship training, the brewery offers internships for apprenticeship graduates from Ticino or Welsh-speaking Switzerland. Karin Patton was visibly pleased with the award: "At last I'm in the front rank. Often enough I was only second!" was her first reaction.

Sole proprietors with a sense of craftsmanship

In the case of sole proprietorships, the following three entrepreneurs were in the final:

• Angelika Eggmann from Frauenfeld: She has revived a local specialty with the "Thurgauerli". Angelika Eggmann makes this confection from almond paste with a chocolate coating herself and sells them in her Heart Manufacture Ltd. as gift packs. Angelika Eggmann pays special attention to local suppliers and fair trade products.
• Tanja Kunz, Baar ZG, has a "Female Power Coaching"for ambitious power women. As a "mental mountain guide", she encourages women to tap their potential and use it for a successful professional career. Tanja Kunz has been on the road independently since March 2020 and has already been able to successfully offer her program several times. Through a high level of activity in social media, she draws attention to the topic of "Gender Equality" and strives to be able to accompany her own women's advancement programs in companies.
• Karin Jost, Möhlin AG: The trained biology lab technician produces natural soaps, which she sells in her "Soap Garden" named company offers for sale. No synthetic fragrances or colors are used in these soaps, only plant-based raw materials. The products are therefore particularly well tolerated by people suffering from skin diseases such as neurodermatitis - which also affects Karin Jost. The products are sold online, and from January 2021, the company will now also open its own store.

In the end, "craftsmanship" won the race in this category as well: The Entrepreneur Award 2020 was won by Karin Jost. The jury paid particular tribute to the continuity of business development and Karin Jost's motivation to continue a sustainable business model and diversify the product range despite high production costs and low margins. "Her visions of how she wants to go into the future with her soap garden convinced us," summarized jury member Sandra Ischi.

Entrepreneur Award honors impressive examples of (small) entrepreneurship in action

Overall, all the nominated companies mentioned here were characterized by a high degree of intrinsic motivation for their entrepreneurship: They live for their small business. Not all entrepreneurs are yet able to make a 100 percent living from their business, but they are nevertheless highly satisfied with their current work-life balance. First and foremost is the conviction that they are responsible for something and can make their own entrepreneurial decisions.

The pitches and the award ceremony can be viewed as a video here: https://entrepreneur-award.ch/pitching-siegerehrung

Jörg Weber, owner and founder of the Swiss fashion chain Chicorée, is stepping down from the Board of Directors after more than 38 years of operational activity and is handing over the reins to the new CEO Thomas Ullmann. Thomas Ullmann has already been working for the company for 25 years as COO in the purchasing and sales departments and has played a significant role in the successful development of the Chicorée Group. Newly, the two sons Pascal Weber & Mathias Weber take over the functions as Co-CEOs and join the management.

The young generation takes over

"It gives me great pleasure to be able to hand over operational management to the next generation with Thomas Ullmann and my two sons," comments Jörg Weber on the generational change. "In this constellation and through my function as Chairman of the Board of Directors, we will lead Chicorée into the future together. In view of the strong position in the market, the timing is ideal for a generational change in management," Weber continues. The management reshuffle at Chicorée has been completed as of December 1, 2020.

Chicory continues to grow

Chicory Group increased total sales in 2019 by 5% to CHF 159 million, the highest sales in the company's entire history. In the current year 2020, Joerg Weber expects a decrease in sales of 10% due to the closures because of Corona. "This is a pleasing result in that we were able to continue to increase sales this year outside the 2-month closures, which is due to the still good consumer demand in the discount sector, a strong collection, as well as a further massive increase in customer loyalty," explains Jörg Weber. In 2020, 6 new stores have been opened so far, with another new opening to follow in December. The detailed report on the 2020 financial year will be published in January 2021.

Launch in e-commerce and new omnichannel services

Chicory continues to aim for a fast pace and further growth in 2021. Between 5 and 10 new locations are planned. Also planned for next year are new omnichannel services such as Click & Collect (reserve products online and pay or pick them up in the store) and the launch of the e-commerce business.

Source and further information

Many people talk about CO₂. But AEE SUISSE, the umbrella organization of the economy for renewable energies and energy efficiency, doesn't just want to talk. It has launched "Mission Zéro," a voluntary initiative by Swiss industry and science. Its goal is to identify solutions to counter climate change and to encourage people in their various roles to play an active role.

Swiss Future Prize: Application until 21.1.2021

The Swiss Future Prize now wants even more: It presents people who, with ideas, courage and perseverance, are making a tangible contribution to a world in balance. The motto of the Swiss Future Prize 2021 is "Economy in (Climate) Change" and is deliberately formulated in an open manner. With which solutions and at which stage - already implemented for years, recently introduced or only in planning and development - is irrelevant. Everyone can become a Climate Hero 2021!

Companies, company founders, start-ups or individuals and teams from Switzerland and Liechtenstein can apply for the title "Climate Hero 2021" until January 21, 2021.

The jury

The jury for the Swiss Future Prize is as diverse as the commitment and solutions to climate change. Experts from business, science, media and society judge the applications received. However, the public has the final say on who deserves the title of "Climate Hero 2021": Starting in March 2021, three finalists and their solutions to climate change will be presented and evaluated in a public vote.

The National Climate Day

The Future Prize will be awarded on the occasion of the first National Climate Day. The National Climate Day will take place on May 27, 2021 in Bern on the Bundesplatz, in Zurich's main train station and at other locations throughout Switzerland. The National Climate Day 2021 is intended to bring together people, organizations and companies who not only want to discuss, but also want to act. The focus is on effective solutions, ideas and innovations. The mixture of inspiration, dialogue and entertainment is unique. Together we can take action and achieve a lot to bring the world back into balance.

The Swiss Future Prize is part of AEE SUISSE's "Mission Zéro" and is supported by Promerit, SAP and Cardea. You can find more information about the Future Prize at www.zukunftspreis.ch.

Each year, the International SOS Risk Outlook study examines risks to employees, identifying gaps in employee health and safety protection. These include risk perception, mental health, impact on productivity and operational challenges. Also incorporated into this study are findings from the Workforce Resilience Council (a panel of representative experts from all health, safety and occupational safety fields) and extensive consolidated data from International SOS with support from their clients. The study's key findings show one thing: Covid-19 overshadows everything.

The risks for employees are expected to increase in 2021

Around eight out of ten survey participants say the health and safety risks for employees have increased in 2020. This applies to local employees at the company site (85 percent agree), expatriates (81 percent), business travelers (79 percent) and employees at remote project sites and construction sites (77 percent). More than half of respondents expect this to increase further in 2021.

The assessment that risks have increased is accompanied by declining trust in local governments and health authorities. One-third (31 percent) of the professionals surveyed see this as a key challenge - most clearly in North and South America (40 percent). Only for business travelers did the assessment that risks had increased reach a high level in the past (72 percent in 2016). At that time, the focus may have been on terrorist attacks in places that had previously been considered safe. In 2018, the assessment that risks had increased already received less support again (47 percent) before rising to the current level of 79 percent. "The Covid 19 pandemic has created a triple whammy: of public health, geopolitics and the economy. All three are hitting workforces and business on a global scale," said Stefan Esser, M.D., Medical Director Central Europe at International SOS. The situation is exacerbated by an infodemic in an increasingly complex world, Stefan Esser adds. Companies also need to work harder to fulfill their duty of care, he added. "Just as September 11, 2001, changed the way employers look at duty of care and security issues, the
pandemic will permanently change how employers view health threats to the workforce," Stefan Esser believes.

Covid 19 glasses put other risks in the background

The majority of professionals surveyed believe that infectious diseases (such as Covid-19, malaria, dengue fever, Ebola, Zika, etc.) will lead to a decline in employee productivity over the next year. One in three respondents expect mental health impairments to be a contributing factor as well. In fact, experts at the Workforce Resilience Council predict that mental health issues will overtake Covid-19 in the next year.

Other risks are also becoming less important for many respondents, for example, country risk ratings worldwide, road safety issues and security threats. Respondents with business travel responsibilities cited "geopolitical threats" (30 percent), "civil unrest" (25 percent) and "security threats" (32 percent) significantly less frequently than last year (52, 52 and 68 percent, respectively). "The results show that Covid-19 is very much in the foreground and other risks are taking a back seat - to a potentially business-threatening extent," says Gautier Porot, Security Director Switzerland and Italy at International SOS. "This is because the pandemic has exacerbated security issues, particularly those related to civil unrest and political protests. Similarly, crime has increased in some places, and we are only at the beginning of the socioeconomic and
psychological consequences of the Covid-19 crisis. At the same time, dealing with major threats such as natural disasters is becoming more complex as Covid-19 and ever-changing travel restrictions must be considered."

The five most important challenges for companies

Companies face various challenges in ensuring the health and safety of their employees. The survey revealed the following difficulties:

1. Sufficient resources to handle Covid-19: 54 %,
2. Access reliable and up-to-date information on health and safety issues: 40 %,
3. Educating employees about current risks: 35 %,
4. Managing mental health stresses: 33 %,
5. Communication during a crisis: 33 %.

In these five areas, organizations are required to develop appropriate strategies to ensure the best possible protection for their employees.

Source: International SOS

After 21.AbaNinja, the already well-known tool for offers, invoices, payments, accounting, time and activity recording and much more, the software for payroll accounting in Swiss21 also comes from Abacus. The module 21.AbaSalary contains all functionalities for the accounting, payment, evaluation and posting of wages. The opening is fast and uncomplicated from Swiss21. In addition, access by the trustee is also possible. 21.AbaSalary is free of charge up to the payroll of seven employees. With the 21.AbaSalary dashboard, companies would have an overview at all times and data available in real time, Swiss21 informs. Pay slips and wage statements are automatically stored by the system in digital personnel files.

Complete payroll accounting quickly

Like all Swiss21 applications, 21.AbaSalary is designed to make administrative work in small businesses quick and easy. In general, software in companies should always be up-to-date for security reasons. This is especially true for payroll accounting: it is subject to constant changes due to increasing regulation by laws and directives of the authorities as well as the high requirements of insurance companies. With the cloud solution hosted in Switzerland, the payroll software is always up-to-date and on any device. In this way, Swiss21 is making a contribution to relieving the burden on small businesses now also in the area of human resources. Payroll accounting thus becomes efficient and reliable, it says.

Ideally, only a few minutes pass from the opening to the first payroll with 21.AbaSalary. Thanks to the integration with 21.AbaNinja, the accounting in Swiss21 is also always up to date and enables an up-to-date view of the financial development at any time.

Sustainable free of charge

Up to 2,100 receipts/year, 2,100 items in the store and 2,100 contacts, the offer is free of charge for the company. This ensures that no costs are incurred in a start-up phase and, in the case of smaller organizations, also in the longer term. The participating software companies have committed themselves to sticking to the free use also in the longer term. If a user exceeds these limits, CHF 21/month will be charged for up to 5,000 receipts/year, 5,000 articles or 5,000 contacts. A change to another system is possible and the data can be exported. A modular extension of the applications is also possible and thus allows a scalable and customizable overall system with manageable costs.

The central goal of Swiss21 is to drive digitization forward and keep the costs low, especially for SMEs. The organization was founded in 2017. Walter Regli, its managing director, is pleased with the new expansion: "Thanks to the addition of payroll accounting, Swiss21 is the most complete overall solution for office administration on the market. We can thus offer SMEs a comprehensive package of business software. And all that free of charge! The offer has been well received; we recently had over 30,000 users on Swiss21."

Source: Swiss21 

The consequences of the Corona pandemic are being felt particularly acutely by some sectors, such as the travel, hospitality and events industries. Industry insiders believe that the weeks-long loss of sales will mean "lights out" for some companies unless financial help arrives quickly. In other words, there is a threat of an increase in insolvency proceedings.

Avoid bankruptcy and liquidation thanks to probate proceedings

Swiss debt enforcement and bankruptcy law (SchKG) essentially provides for three forms of insolvency proceedings: bankruptcy, composition proceedings or bankruptcy moratorium. Little known and relatively little carried out is the composition procedure. This was the finding of a new study published by the consulting firm Alvarez & Marsal and the Swiss Turnaround Association. The composition procedure according to SchKG must be applied for at a court and has the following effects, among others:

• Debt collection and legal proceedings are suspended
• Assets of the debtor cannot be seized
• Assignments of receivables become ineffective upon approval of deferment
• Statutes of limitations stand still
• As soon as the deferment is granted, interest ceases to accrue against the debtor for all claims not secured by a lien (unless otherwise stipulated in the composition agreement)
• Preventing the cancellation/cancellation of claims prior to the probate proceedings.
• No social plan obligation in case of mass redundancies occurring during the probate proceedings concluded with a probate agreement with assignment of assets
• Appointment of a custodian; with the custodian's consent, long-term contracts can be terminated if they stand in the way of reorganization

The probate process probably could have actually saved some companies that filed for bankruptcy in the recent past - along with many jobs.

Managers should assess the financial situation more objectively

The study found that companies in payment difficulties often wait too long before taking the necessary measures, and when they do, they realize that there is little room for maneuver left and that the company will ultimately have to file for bankruptcy. Instead, in the event of liquidity bottlenecks, company management should objectively evaluate restructuring at an early stage and consider a debt-restructuring moratorium as a possible solution. A debt-restructuring moratorium gives companies the time they need to implement restructuring measures.

Out-of-court solutions are often preferred instead of probate proceedings. In 2019, according to the study by Alvarez & Marsal (A&M), only 66 Swiss companies opted for a debt-restructuring moratorium. Compared with the 4,691 bankruptcies in the same period, the debt-restructuring moratorium instrument was only used in around 1.4% of all Swiss bankruptcies. By comparison, petitions for Chapter 11 proceedings in the USA were ten times higher in 2019 (14%).

40% of companies that went into probate in 2019 were successfully restructured

17 (38%) of the companies that were granted forbearance in 2019 and for which the proceedings are now closed were successfully restructured either through a straight restructuring or through an ordinary forbearance agreement with their creditors. In 28 (62%) of the closed proceedings, the company ceased to exist. Nevertheless, in 5 cases a solution was found, either with a fall-back solution (i.e. the healthy part of the company became an independent entity) or the company was transferred to a third party. According to the study authors, in the current difficult economic environment, debt restructuring could be an excellent tool for rescuing competitive companies suffering from the Covid 19 shock.

In 2020, only 34 companies entered into a debt-restructuring moratorium

In the period from January 2020 to the end of September 2020, 34 companies were granted forbearance. If this number is extrapolated for the year, it corresponds to 45 cases and a decrease of 30% compared to 2019. This decrease can be explained by the Swiss government's COVID-19 support measures for companies. Compared to the 2,760 bankruptcies in the same period, the debt rescheduling instrument was only used in around 1.2% of all bankruptcies.

In addition to the ordinary procedure, only 22 companies used the simplified  COVID-19 Probate proceedings. This is a low-cost procedure that was in place until October 19, 2020 to protect small businesses from the COVID-19 shock. This shows that an initial wave of insolvencies was effectively avoided for the time being by the Swiss government's other COVID-19 measures. These measures included government-backed COVID loans, the relaxation of short-time work compensation and the temporary suspension of the notification of over-indebtedness under Art. 725 of the Swiss Code of Obligations (CO).

What are the requirements for probate proceedings

The formal and material requirements for provisional debt-restructuring moratorium are deliberately kept low by the legislator. A provisional restructuring plan must be submitted. However, there are no legal requirements as to what the restructuring plan must contain in the application for debt-restructuring moratorium. In practice, the provisional restructuring plan usually contains an overview of the measures and objectives of the intended restructuring process. An application can only be rejected if there is obviously no prospect of reorganization. In this case, the probate court opens bankruptcy ex officio (Art. 293a SchKG). In practice, the challenges are less apparent in the formal requirements than in the costs involved in a debt-restructuring moratorium, which must, however, be considered in the light of all creditor claims and the loss of jobs.

The SKF company was founded in Sweden in 1907. As early as 1920, the company opened its Swiss branch in Zurich's Bahnhofstrasse to distribute ball and roller bearings and other machine elements for the Swiss market from here. But there is now more than just ball bearings from SKF in Switzerland: for example, in 1987 the company acquired Jacob AG, a specialist in linear drives, and in 2008 integrated Actuation Systems Liestal, formerly Magnetic, a leading manufacturer of electromechanical actuators, into its Swiss sales structure. Thus, the business activities of the Swiss SKF were significantly expanded.

Swiss headquarters in Schwerzenbach

Swiss SKF has been managed for more than three decades from the office and former warehouse in Schwerzenbach, which was thoroughly renovated, rebuilt and modernized in 2019. The 40 employees are primarily involved in nationwide sales and technical consulting for customers. "Over the past 100 years, SKF Switzerland and its employees have earned the trust of customers time and again with technical expertise and great commitment," emphasizes Erik Nelander, President Industrial Sales Europe and Middle East and Africa at SKF Group Management. "In doing so, they have made an important contribution to the success of the company as a whole. For this, our heartfelt thanks!"

100 years of ball bearings from SKF Switzerland: donation instead of celebration

Jochen Diehm, Country Manager of SKF Switzerland, is pleased to celebrate 100 years of SKF in Switzerland. "I would like to take this opportunity to thank all our customers, shareholders and supporters. They have been and continue to be integral to our success. We look forward to many more years of positive collaboration." He adds, "Since an official ceremony with customers and representatives of local authorities and associations is not possible, we will support the caregivers and relief efforts related to the Corona pandemic with a donation. Our thoughts are with all those directly or indirectly affected by COVID during this difficult time."

Source: SKF

The Distance Learning University of Applied Sciences Switzerland is expanding its directorate from five to six members. As of November 1, 2020, Prof. Dr. Markus Dormann has taken up the new position as Director of Continuing Education. Dormann joined FFHS in 2019 as department head of e-didactics. He studied sociology and business education in Bamberg and subsequently conducted research, particularly on the use of digital media in education and training. As an independent consultant and trainer, he also worked for numerous national and international companies, for which he contributed his research results in lectures and workshops.

New Administrative Director of the FFHS

As of February 1, 2021, Arsène Jossen will join the FFHS as Administrative Director. He replaces Johannes Bühler, who is retiring from the directorate and will continue to head the Finance and Controlling department at the distance learning university. Arsène Jossen worked for UBS and the Walliser Kantonalbank in various functions. At WKB, he headed the recovery department for the Upper Valais region for several years and is currently head of the Brig regional branch. Jossen holds an Executive Master of Business Administration degree in Corporate Management and lectured at the FFHS in Accounting, Controlling and Finance.

New Department of Construction, Real Estate and Facility Management

As of November 1, 2020, the FFHS has a new Department of Construction, Real Estate and Facility Management. The department will be headed by Yvonne Ganz, who has been working as real estate manager at the Distance Learning University of Applied Sciences Switzerland since 2017. Ganz is an architect ETH and has many years of experience as a lecturer in real estate management and management-oriented business administration. In her role as real estate officer, she developed the FFHS real estate strategy, is project manager of the Zurich campus (Gleisarena), and is a technical advisor to the FFHS on the campus project in Brig. Both campus construction projects will open next year.

Source: Distance Learning University Switzerland