Citrix, a company specializing in solutions for the digital workspace, conducted a comprehensive survey on the future of work. Studies which lasted over a period of one year. For this, the company worked with the consulting firm Oxford Analytica and the business researchers at Coleman Parkes. More than 500 managers and 1,000 employees in large and medium-sized companies in the USA, the UK, Germany, France and the Netherlands were asked about their current and future HR strategies and working models. From this, the study authors derived the following four trends for the year 2035:

Support from robots and AI - the Digital Workspace

Robots have long played an important role in the economy. For example, they assemble parts in the automotive industry - faster and more efficiently than any human could ever do. However, they follow a precisely defined sequence. A human has decided in advance what this sequence should look like, and the robot has been programmed accordingly. This could change in the future: Artificial intelligence will enable robots or digital assistants to support humans in decision-making as well. 77 percent of those surveyed by Citrix believe that AI will support decision-making processes in 15 years, leading to increased productivity. Eighty-three percent also believe that simple but time-consuming jobs can be fully automated by 2035. In turn, 79 percent of survey participants see this as an important prerequisite for giving employees more room for further development.

Emergence of new occupational profiles

In the course of the digital transformation and especially with regard to AI, there is widespread fear that there could be large-scale job losses. It is often forgotten that every technical development also creates new jobs. In the course of the digital transformation, the following new occupational fields will emerge according to the estimates of those surveyed in the study:

• Robotics/ AI trainers (82 percent of executives/ 44 percent of employees).
• Virtual reality managers (79 percent of managers/ 36 percent of employees)
• Advanced Data Scientist (76 percent of managers/ 35 percent of employees).
• Privacy and trust managers (68 percent of executives/ 30 percent of employees).
• Design thinkers (56 percent of managers/ 27 percent of employees)

Flexibilization of work

The ever-increasing automation of production processes means that less and less manual work needs to be done by people. Employees who only need a laptop to do their job can, in principle, do it anywhere they have an Internet connection. Companies that recognize this and organize their work culture accordingly can access a much larger talent pool. This will enable new, more flexible working models: 67 percent of respondents believe that a so-called "platform" model will prevail, in which employees and companies work together flexibly on a project-by-project basis. Artificial intelligence could also play an important role in distributed work. Intelligent assistants could, for example, ensure that meetings with participants from different time zones are better coordinated and even adjusted to their respective biorhythms.

Productivity and growth increases through AI

51 percent of the executives surveyed think new technology will make employees at least twice as productive as they are now. AI will play a crucial role in this, according to the respondents. Personal assistants could support employees in their day-to-day work by first learning habits and processes and then taking over repetitive tasks themselves. AI could also take a "critical" look at employee workloads and provide early warnings - for example, at the first signs of burnout. But AI can contribute to a company's success not only indirectly, by increasing employee productivity, but also directly, through its own value creation. 90 percent of the executives surveyed even believe that investments in AI technologies will be primarily responsible for the growth of companies in the future.

Source: Citrix

Due to the Corona crisis, companies are increasingly concerned about losing employees with valuable key skills. 86 % of executives worldwide are concerned about not being able to retain skilled and valuable employees for the long term. For more than a third of concerned employers (36 %), recent pay cuts or at least the lack of prospect of a pay rise in the near future are the cause. This is shown by the current labor market study of the personnel service provider Robert Half.

Salaries largely stable, but additional bonuses declining

"There is a lot of uncertainty in the labor market. Nevertheless, there is also good news," says Zerrin Azeri, associate director at Robert Half. "Salaries remain largely stable despite Corona. Many companies have also introduced new benefits, mainly to help their employees with remote work."

According to the new Salary overview 2021 of the personnel service provider for Switzerland, no changes will be made to salaries this year. Despite the economic crisis, bonuses will also be paid this year. For every second person (52 %), there will be no change in additional payments, according to the study. However, 38 % of respondents announce that bonus payments will be lower in 2020 than in the previous year.

Valuable employees are to be retained through additional benefits

These pandemic-induced cost-cutting measures are unsettling employers and employees alike. Almost half (41 %) of the companies surveyed fear that employees in key positions could be poached by other companies. "Employees are the most valuable asset of Swiss companies, both to cope with the crisis in the short term and to ensure long-term company growth," Azeri stresses. "Many employees have been pushed to their limits during the pandemic due to overtime and taking on more responsibility. They have become aware of this in recent months, so they are starting to rethink their personal career priorities."

Many companies are already responding to this development by offering additional benefits since the start of the corona crisis. These include allowances for office equipment, support in the area of mental health, additional leave or support in the area of external childcare.

Remote work has an impact on salary levels

Telecommuting and home office also affect salary levels. As more and more employees work from home, their location is increasingly influencing salary levels. According to Robert Half's labor market survey, starting salary is primarily based on the new employee's location (32 %) and 28 % on the company's. For 37 % of respondents, it is a mix of both locations. This is also visible in Switzerland.

"Despite the current job losses, Swiss companies will continue to hire new employees in 2021, as the impact is not felt equally across all industries. There is a great demand for new talent, especially in the finance, IT and office sectors," said Azeri. "It continues to be difficult for many companies to find the right people they need to support their business professionals. This includes accounting staff, IT analysts or customer service representatives. Professionals with in-demand skills know that you still have a good chance in the job market. That's why employers must continue to offer competitive salaries and benefits. It's the only way they can retain top candidates and continue to find them in the future."

"In addition, there is a significant shift in soft skills. Agility, creativity and communication have become more important as they demonstrate resilience and flexibility in employees. These skills are particularly valuable in these challenging times," Azeri adds.

Source and further information: Robert Half

The Swiss SME Day in St.Gallen planned for October 23, 2020 will be postponed to next year. It will now take place on October 22, 2021. The reason for the postponement is the covid protection measures tightened at short notice by the Federal Council in the new ordinance. They have now proved to be too great an obstacle to keep the mixture of technical input in presentations and discussions and the cultivation and expansion of the personal network still reasonably feasible. It seems that the conference motto "SMEs and surprises - bang on!" is once again proving to be truer than one could wish.

Swiss SME Day focuses on health protection

"We were prepared to hold this important SME networking event with a comprehensive protection concept," explains Tobias Wolf, member of the organizing committee: "Although some guests rebooked for the streaming option, there would still have been over 800 participants on site." For Swiss SME Day, however, the focus is on protecting health - just as it is in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) themselves - and thus helping to contain the pandemic. And this includes a complete implementation of the measures prescribed by the authorities: Admittedly, RFID tracing on SME Day would have gone much further than prescribed. However, the 100-second sectors ordered at short notice in the lecture room and correspondingly also in the catering cannot be implemented at the Swiss SME Day with justifiable effort.

Hope for understanding

Although the organizers regret the postponement, they are certain that the Swiss SME scene will understand and remain loyal to the event next year. In any case, the tickets sold will retain their validity. New details about the program will be announced later.

www.kmu-tag.ch

In times of crisis or uncertainty like the current ones, the psychological stress and illnesses of employees increase. And their managers? They often look the other way when they notice a change in an employee's behavior - partly because they are unsure: Am I offending the employee too much when I talk to him about it? Or does he even perceive it as an intrusion into his private sphere? And: Is the situation possibly even getting worse as a result?

Managers bear joint responsibility

Answering the above questions is not easy for managers! After all, their perception is always subjective. Nevertheless, it is their task not only to recognize changes in employee behavior, but also to respond to them adequately. This presupposes that the manager is in regular contact with the employees.

How do you recognize employees who are under psychological strain? Indications for a strong psychological stress or even illness can be:

• Absenteeism is on the rise.
• The employee quickly reacts irritably and appears exhausted.
• It takes longer to complete everyday tasks.
• The employee makes more mistakes.
• He withdraws socially.

How to respond to the "alarm signals"? If you as a manager register such changes in an employee, it is not your job as a layperson to make a medical or psychological diagnosis. However, you should not ignore the situation, but address it. The concern that this will make the situation worse is usually unfounded - as long as there is a genuine personal interest in the person's well-being behind your approach. Then the person concerned will experience your becoming active as an expression of personal appreciation and an offer of support - if needed.

The earlier mental overload and developing illnesses are recognized and counteracted, the better it is for your team. After all, your team also suffers when a colleague suffers.

How you should proceed? 4 steps!

 Step 1: Perceiving the change

• Regular contact with employees is needed to identify changes.
• Don't talk about an employee's ongoing (behavioral) changes with colleagues behind their backs.

Step 2: Addressing the observations

• Seek one-on-one discussion with the employee.
• Address your observations in specific situations.
• Avoid your own interpretations and judgments of the situation.
• If the employee does not share your observations, do not coerce him or her to do so.
• Offer him support.

Step 3: Take the initiative for change

• Ask the employee whether and, if so, what support they would like from you, their colleagues, the company.
• Assure him of your support. Agree on concrete measures with him, if necessary.
• If your observations do not change after the interview, have another conversation with the employee to address his or her behavior.
• Illuminate with him or her operational and, if possible, private resources for positive change.

Step 4: Performing a leadership function

• If several discussions with the employee do not lead to an improvement, you should move on to formulating your expectations (for example, taking advantage of supportive measures).
• Involve (extra-)operational helpers.

Recognizing employees under psychological stress at an early stage: Communication helps

Open and early communication about how to restore an employee's well-being and ability to work increases the likelihood that a good solution will be found for everyone involved. So as a manager, you should take action. Because at the end of the day, what matters is that a proven employee remains with your company.

About the author:
Sabine Machwürth is a member of the management board of the internationally operating management consultancy Machwürth Team International (MTI Consultancy) in Visselhövede (Germany). www.mticonsultancy.com

"I didn't do it!", "That's what the other department said!" or: "That's what the customer wanted." Shifting responsibility is a common mechanism. This reflex is particularly effective in the case of failed attempts or dissatisfaction. In the short term, it makes (work) life easier, but in the long term, this behavior harms companies and dampens motivation and the enjoyment of the job. "For employees to be able to work independently, the appropriate conditions must be created. A new, modern understanding of leadership is needed for this. The boss does not automatically wear the hat in all matters," explains Claudia Frahm, systemic coach and trainer at flowedoo GmbH (www.flowedoo.de). This Cologne-based company specializes in agile management consulting - especially for medium-sized businesses. The question is often at the center: how can responsibility be distributed sensibly and what do employees need to be able to work truly independently?

From command recipient to co-thinker

What does the working world of the future need? In the future, it will no longer be enough to fulfill the proverbial 40-hour attendance requirement. "It's less about how much and where and when, and more about results-oriented work. In return, the role of employees is shifting from being purely recipients of orders to being part of a company that thinks for itself and shapes the company," explains Frahm. "But this also means that managers can no longer rely on the usual mechanisms of command and control." A classic, controlling leadership style deprives employees of the opportunity to grow and nips innovative ideas in the bud. The leadership of the future is characterized by mentorship as well as coaching and empowers employees to work independently. Frahm goes even further: "To be allowed to make one's own decisions and, in doing so, to have the trust of the team members and the
Enjoying the company's employees' feedback from their superiors makes them enjoy their work more and gives them the feeling that they are really making a difference. And that's also an enormous incentive for employees to develop their own ideas, which ideally help the entire company move forward.

Responsibility as a happiness factor

Working on one's own responsibility even leads to the fact that employees basically are happier and can train new skills. They not only do a better job, but also get more involved - they question the status quo and thus provide impetus for the entire company. In addition, changes or unplanned events do not throw them off track so quickly. Against this backdrop, it seems even more astonishing, That less than half of employees feel they can influence important decisions. "We see a lot of catching up to do in this area. In many places, employees are given responsibility, but mutual trust is very weak," Frahm analyzes. This situation leads to a pseudo-transfer of responsibility that ultimately leaves everyone involved unhappy. Typical of this development in companies: Managers or colleagues subliminally let the supposed 'decision-maker' know beforehand what decision they expect him or her to make. "It's a vicious circle that some teams or companies can only break out of with external help," says Frahm.

Several hats in circulation

How can personal responsibility be strengthened in the company in the long term? "Simply proclaiming personal responsibility does not work. Such steps require good preparation and the will to change," Frahm knows. In any case, a few basic points make the distribution of responsibility easier: Employees need a framework in which they can live out their creativity, and concrete targets. "Sounds simple at first, but different members of a team often perform the same task very differently," adds the trainer. In addition, there is a positive culture of mistakes, feedback and trust, which forms the basis for independent work. But the best conditions don't have much effect if employees aren't willing to take responsibility, Frahm also believes: "Agile leadership on the one hand and the active assumption of responsibility by employees on the other - these are two sides of the same coin." Managers and employees must therefore absolutely pull together, because both handing over and taking responsibility can be learned. "That's why it can make sense to get support from coaches or trainers. In the future, it will no longer be a question of who wears the hat - and that's a good thing," Frahm is convinced. "Successful companies have several symbolic hats in circulation at once."

We have long been professionals at keeping our distance, washing our hands and wearing masks. Ventilation, on the other hand, is something many of us don't think about. Not yet. But numerous studies show that the coronavirus can also be transmitted via aerosols. Germany was the first country to declare ventilation as one of the five main measures to contain the coronavirus. After the lockdown in the spring, it is clear to many that we want to be able to continue visiting our parents and grandparents in nursing homes, send our children to school, and share the office with our colleagues as a change from the home office.

With fresh air against Corona

Particularly in rooms with many people, such as classrooms, meeting rooms, open-plan offices, co-working spaces, restaurants, hospitals and retirement and care centers, a lack of fresh air can quickly lead to an increased risk of infection with the coronavirus. Even when distance is maintained and hands are diligently washed. This is because we spread aerosols through the air we breathe out. Coronaviruses also enter the air through these. By ventilating, we can reduce the amount of aerosols in the air. And thus also the risk of infection with the coronavirus. Proper ventilation in offices is therefore the motto for the coming fall and winter months. As simple as it may seem, proper and effective ventilation is not that easy.

Know when it's time to ventilate offices

The CO2 concentration is a reliable indicator of when and how much fresh air supply is needed. And this is exactly where CARU air comes in. "With CARU air, we don't just want to measure the CO2 concentration in the air," says Susanne Dröscher, co-CEO of CARU AG. "We want to incorporate ventilation into everyday life in a playful way and make it a team sport - for young and old." The CARU air CO2 measuring device works like a traffic light: it's time to ventilate at yellow (1000 - 1399 ppm CO2) at the earliest and red (> 1400 ppm CO2) at the latest. CARU air is more or less a "side kick" to CARU AG's core product, a voice-controlled emergency call for seniors with chat function. "The step from a voice-controlled emergency call to a CO2 measuring device may seem big from the outside. In fact, by turning our vision into the core product, everything needed for a cool CO2 meter was already there: an award-winning design and a high-quality CO2 sensor from Sensirion," says Thomas Helbling, co-CEO of CARU AG. The high-quality sensor from the world's leading manufacturer of digital microsensors, headquartered in Switzerland, ensures that CARU air determines the CO2 concentration accurately and reliably.

First units already successfully in operation

For a few weeks now, the first CARU airs have been installed in selected schools, retirement homes, offices and doctors' surgeries. The feedback: positive across the board. Jan Hollenstein, Managing Director of
Tertianum Residenz Segeten says: "Since the spring, the demands relating to the pandemic have steadily increased for the employees. They have to pay attention to many things at the same time. CARU air makes it easy for us in terms of ventilation and therefore ideally complements our protection concept." The first pre-orders from large companies such as units at ETH Zurich have already arrived. CARU air can be conveniently ordered online: www.caruair.com.

Barco, a leading provider of visualization and collaboration solutions, has published a new large-scale study. It reveals some surprising results about what employees around the world expect from the workplace in the wake of the COVID 19 pandemic. The study - which surveyed 1,750 employees worldwide (250 each from the United States, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Australia, India and the United Arab Emirates) through global research panel provider Dynata - found that only 15% of employees plan to continue working full-time from home after COVID-19 restrictions are lifted. Nearly half of respondents said they are less likely to want to work from home today than they were when the pandemic began. They cited challenges collaborating with colleagues, difficulty collaborating in meetings, and a lack of the social component of office life as the main reasons for their desire to return to the office. Instead, employees want hybrid work models. In these models, most time is spent in the office, but employees also have the flexibility and freedom to work from home when it works best for them. The survey found that the ideal balance is a global average of 3 days in the office, with a maximum of 2 days per week working remotely.

The home office has lost its luster

The survey results suggest that many employees have been negatively impacted by being away from their colleagues - both emotionally and in their work. Globally, 49% said they have found working from home less enjoyable over time. 37% said they found it harder to collaborate when working remotely. 29% said it is difficult for them to contribute at meetings when they are virtually connected. 28% said they are more easily distracted at home.

Not surprisingly, collaboration and social contact were the main reasons people wanted to return to the office: 45 % said they found it easier to work with colleagues in the office. The same proportion said they liked the social aspect of office life. Thus, 44% emphasized the importance of spontaneous encounters.

Hybrid work models will entail office transformation

According to the study, most employees believe that the world of work will return to some sort of normalcy after COVID-19. However, hybrid meetings, where one part of the workforce is connected virtually and the other part participates from the office, will become the norm. After a huge trend in recent years toward environments for impromptu meetings, known as huddle spaces, the results suggest that these areas may be on the way out. 50% of respondents said they preferred formal meeting spaces. 75% prefer scheduled meetings to impromptu meetings.

Surprisingly, employees seemed very strongly opposed to the idea of spending more time in satellite offices or collaboration spaces - a trend many had predicted as a result of the pandemic. Most employees still prefer to spend most of their time in a large corporate headquarters. However, with more flexibility than before to work from home some of the time.

Video conferencing is the heartbeat of business collaboration

The respondents to the study would most like to see new investments in video conferencing equipment for meeting rooms. The results may seem surprising at first glance, but the use of video conferencing technology is now widespread. The technology plays a fundamental role in the collaboration, communication and productivity of a digital and modern workforce.

After traditional meeting rooms, video conferencing rooms are the most frequently used rooms in the office. 77% of respondents said they use video conferencing rooms at least once a week, with an average of 28% using them daily.

The laptop becomes more important for employee communication and participation

The "Bring Your Own Meeting" trend that was growing prior to COVID-19 - where employees use not only their own devices, but also their own preferred conferencing solutions - has continued to grow during the pandemic. Indeed, the results of the study show that the laptop is now the most important device for most employees at work: 77% said they could not work without a laptop while at work.

Despite the increase in the use of room cameras (traditional in-room conferencing systems and USB-based SWAPs) from 30% to 40% in one year, laptop cameras are still the most commonly used for virtual meetings. 54% use their laptop camera, compared to 40% who use room cameras and 24% who use their smartphone camera. At the same time, more than 60% of respondents complain about interference with their cameras during meetings.

Technological change will lead to further improvements in meetings

Nearly half of the employees surveyed felt that the frequency of meetings had increased over the past year. Although much frustration was expressed around virtual meetings during the lockdown, overall, respondents felt that the quality of meetings has improved over the past 12 months. Nearly twice as many people expect meetings to have improved, rather than worsened.

Employees have high expectations for technology improvements in future meetings. The biggest priorities are given to technologies that increase efficiency and ease of use and simplify workflows. 56% said apps for participating in a one-click video conference should be available within the next year if they are not already. In addition, most people expect voice recognition technology, collaboration software and Instagram-like filters for video conferencing within two years.

Hybrid work models require more technology

This underscores the need for meeting technologies to enable more connectivity between physical and virtual participants in the future. For example, six in ten cite a lack of face-to-face interaction with colleagues as one of the top reasons for being less connected to their co-workers. 49% said that remote collaboration with colleagues, customers and others is not a given. If technology can help foster better connectedness through hybrid and virtual meetings, for example, we will continue to see an increase in the quality of meetings.

Source: Barco

The covid pandemic has given a boost to new forms of work. In April 2020, 52% of the Swiss working population worked from home. That's 1.2 million employees who could be potential "work tourists" working from another destination instead of from home. An interesting potential for the tourism industry.

Work where others go on vacation

Due to climate change, volatile occupancy rates and last but not least Covid-19, the tourism sector is facing major challenges. The start-up Workplayz, based in Trin (GR), captures the current zeitgeist of remote working while addressing the difficulties in Swiss tourism. Reto Gurtner, tourism visionary and member of the start-up's advisory board, says: "Work tourists - i.e. guests who work in the mountains during off-peak times and relax in nature at the same time - are an opportunity for the transformation to all-year-round businesses in mountain regions. Workations fit perfectly into Laax's strategic direction."

Workplayz offers packages for a 3-, 4- or 5-day stay in around 15 different Swiss destinations, both for teams and individual employees. The packages include accommodation incl. breakfast, a comprehensively equipped workspace and various leisure activities.

Merging work with leisure

Not only tourism, but also employers are facing increasing challenges. Alexandra Kühn, Managing Director of the Work Smart Initiative and also a member of the start-up's Advisory Board: "Companies are competing for the best talent. For them, self-determined working is a growing need. Often, the supporting corporate culture is missing. With Workations, companies can anchor mobile working in their corporate culture in an innovative way."

Workplayz takes up the trend, according to which work increasingly merges with leisure, and makes working an experience. The workstations remain in the memory for a long time. Employees talk about them in their private networks and on social media. This has a positive impact on the employer's image and benefits it in terms of staff recruitment and retention. What's more, the actual experience is also productive working time.

Wincasa focuses on result-oriented and interdisciplinary work

Wincasa - a leading real estate service provider in Switzerland - is one of Workplayz's first customers. Marco Kissling, Head of Business & Digital Excellence, is working from Laax in mid-October together with an interdisciplinary team: "We understand mobile working as more than just home office. The Workplayz offer therefore fits well with our #weworksmart initiative. During the stay in Laax, we are working on an innovation project for the future of Wincasa and have set ourselves clear goals for the three days. The inspiring location and the varied social program with yoga, a bike tour or hike in the Grisons mountains should help us to look at projects from a new angle and grow even closer together as a team."

More information: www.workplayz.com

As a replacement for the old indoor swimming pool, great things are being created in Sursee: a multifunctional pavilion for congresses, trade fairs and corporate events, as well as a spacious and modern entrance area with hotel reception. The new hall is versatile, equipped with state-of-the-art technology and meets the highest ecological requirements.

Campus Sursee invests quasi "anti-cyclically

Now that all major events have been canceled, such a new building? Deputy Director Thomas Stocker is optimistic: "The demand for large rooms has increased at the Sursee campus over the years. We see great potential for the future in this - despite current difficult Corona times." The total cost of 13 million Swiss francs is being borne by the Sursee Campus Foundation of the Swiss Master Builders' Association. The new replacement building is divided into two sections. On the one hand, there is the lower reception area with adjacent foyer, and on the other, the higher multifunctional pavilion. The multifunctional pavilion is intended to symbolize the center of the Sursee campus and be recognizable from afar. The floor area is 800 m2 and can be divided into two equally sized rooms. The multifunctional pavilion can be used for exhibitions, general meetings, conventions, conferences, banquets, aperitifs, exams, seminars, car presentations and much more.

Opening for the 50th Campus Birthday

With this new building, too, the Sursee campus, as a certified 2,000-watt site, is fulfilling its role model function in the construction industry. The pavilion is oriented to the existing heights of the adjacent grill restaurant Baulüüt. The new hall is integrated into the site ensemble, thus achieving an internal densification in a natural way. On the outside, the façade of curtain-type profiled glass reflects the surrounding hilly landscape. The photovoltaic system on the roof is 600 m2 in size; a total of 370 photovoltaic modules will be installed. Rainwater is used for toilet and garden irrigation. Pascal Ziegler, Head of Infrastructure, emphasizes: "The 2000-watt site specifications are being met and the CO2-neutral path is being successfully continued with this new building." A time capsule will be bricked in at the laying of the foundation stone on September 13, 2020. It will contain a daily newspaper of that date, a coin set with the current Swiss circulation coins, and this media release. If everything goes according to plan, the building will be inaugurated in time for the 50th anniversary of the Sursee campus in spring 2022.

More information

Cross-generational expertise and experience in teams are increasingly system-relevant factors for companies in globalized competition. The looming loss of competence and knowledge due to demographic change and the associated wave of retirements pose major challenges for companies in Western industrialized nations.

Knowledge and experience assurance 50+

For companies with a tendency toward an older workforce, the global pressure to innovate and retirements, which often destroy valuable practical experience, are major challenges. Here, timely and intergenerational knowledge transfer creates competitive advantages. In his work, Tinner clearly demonstrates the economic and business advantages for companies of actively integrating the expertise and practical professional and life experience of employees over 50.

"Better integrating the aging workforce into work processes

Generations that have been socialized differently by technological change often bring values and expectations to the work process that could not be more different. Andreas Tinner contrasts the perspective of the "Aging Workforce", for whom meaningfulness is more important than financial incentives, with the perspective of companies, which must meet the needs for flexibility, health and knowledge management. He provides clear and easy-to-implement recommendations on how Swiss companies can increasingly integrate the "aging workforce" into appropriate HR processes.

Promotion measures shown

SMEs need to act now, to actively safeguard knowledge in order to guarantee their social and economic sustainability. According to the jury of the UBS Sustainability Award, Tinner has made an important contribution to this with his study, because he showed both the urgency of the task and viable support measures.

Source: www.fh-hwz.ch

Led by digital leadership experts Sunnie J. Groeneveld, Manuel P. Nappo and Urs Bucher, executives, lifelong learners and transformational leaders take the first online TEDxHWZ event to the digital level. Lecturers and program directors inspire and motivate the participants of the Executive MBA Digital Leadership to develop their own perspective on leadership skills in a digital future.

Networking as part of a study program

With twelve contributions on the topic "The Future World" on November 21, 2020, between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m., accomplished speakers will inspire and uplift their audiences with exciting stories, groundbreaking ideas and achievements via live internet stream. At this online event, the audience will benefit from the numerous and innovative discussion topics as well as from the opportunity to interact live with participants as well as speakers in digital discussion forums. This promotes personal networking with a view to future cooperation opportunities. The HWZ is the first Swiss university to incorporate this challenge as a fixed component in the curriculum of a degree program.

What are the goals the first TEDxHWZ event?

The speakers will present their "idea worth spreading" in a maximum of 18 minutes each. Both speakers and organizers have set out to create a unique online experience for the audience. The digital framework will demonstrate how enormously important the role of people is today and will be in the future. TEDxHWZ takes a sustainable approach: for a ticket price of CHF 20, 50% of the proceeds go to the aid organization Vision Himalaya. This organization supports people suffering from cataract in developing countries to regain their eyesight. Today, CHF 50 is enough to give a person back their eyesight by means of the most modern laser procedures: With five tickets sold by TEDxHWZ, a blind person is thus given a perspective for the future.

What is TEDx?

TED is a non-profit organization dedicated to spreading innovative ideas. At TED conferences, leading thinkers and doers such as Elon Musk, Bill Gates or Jane Goodall are invited as speakers to present their "idea worth spreading" in 18 minutes or less. TEDx is an initiative of TED and enables individuals and groups to hold local, self-organized, independent events in the TED format worldwide.

The speakers of TEDxHWZ

• Claire Murigande, PhD, Medical Affairs Expert
• Emi Lorincz, Sales & Business Development Director at Ledger
• Bernhard Wolff, Creativity Speaker and Online Moderator
• Stefan Klöckl, Business Trainer, Owner & Meaning Creator at the Sinnfabrik
• Thomas Bosshard, Entrepreneur
• Florence Schelling, General Manager
• Evelyn Eisenhauer, Media Expert
• Schoscho Rufener, Entrepreneur & Coach
• Kantarama Gahigiri, Filmmaker Writer & Director
• Barbara Bisko, Digital Enthusiast
• Flavio Stragiotti, Marketing Director and Inventor
• Frank & Patrik Riklin, concept artists and artrepreneurs

80 percent of Swiss companies accept longer payment terms because they do not want to jeopardize customer relationships and because payment defaults have a massive impact on companies. This is one of the findings of the Switzerland country report as part of the European Payment Report 2020, a statistical survey of payment behavior in Europe and Switzerland by the debt collection service provider Intrum AG.

Longer payment periods and their consequences

8 out of 10 Swiss companies say they accept longer payment periods in order not to jeopardize their customer relationships. That is 11 percent more than the European average. At the same time, three quarters of companies consider punctual payments to be a decisive factor in building and maintaining the trust of partners and suppliers. But what are the consequences of longer payment periods? More than half of the companies surveyed (SMEs: 54%, large companies: 51%) fear liquidity bottlenecks, which threaten the existence of just under half of SMEs (45%). As a result, 44 percent of SMEs and 49 percent of large companies are hiring fewer staff.

Higher investment in prevention

What if this were not the case? If companies' bills were paid more quickly? 67 percent of the Swiss companies surveyed said that this would give them scope to expand their range of products and services, and that they would drive innovation by means of a digital strategy (66%). 59 percent would hire more employees as well as expand their market area geographically (64%). Compared to the European average, Switzerland is higher in all values: Swiss companies therefore also invest more heavily in preventive measures than their European counterparts, so that payment defaults do not occur in the first place.

Prevention is carried out by means of credit checks: 40 percent of the Swiss companies surveyed rely on this measure. About one-third (36%) use debt collection or credit insurance (30%). In Europe, one-third (31%) said they use advance payments for prevention; in Switzerland, this seems to be less popular: only 22 percent use this instrument in our country.

Possible consequences of a recession

Are we currently already in a recession? Of the Swiss companies surveyed, 92 percent stated that our country is already in a recession or that one is expected within the next two years. This is a pessimistic outlook that calls for caution. As a result, 34 percent of SMEs and 30 percent of large companies want to identify particularly risky business areas and take on less debt (34%). In addition, large companies in particular are reducing their costs: 39 percent said they were planning cost-cutting measures.

Cashless society: Soon, but also with risks

Covid-19 is a driver for a cashless society: 69 percent of the Swiss companies surveyed expect Switzerland to be cashless within five years. This is 20 percent more than in the previous year and shows that the current crisis is driving many changes at record speed. What are the possible consequences of this development? 64 percent fear operational risks or higher transaction costs (61%), and the risk of cyber attacks is also rated as relatively high at 61%.

Source and further information: Intrum AG