Especially in the COVID 19 pandemic, agility pays off for companies. This is shown by the current Future Organization Report of the Institute of Information Systems at the University of St. Gallen and the management consultancy Campana & Schott. The study examines agility in those companies that say they are already working in an agile manner. According to the report, 21.1 percent of respondents in companies with a very high level of agility rate their corporate environment as easier to predict. As a result, employees at agile companies felt better prepared for the crisis and were able to manage the transition to remote work more quickly.

Agility in companies has increased

"The Future Organization Report 2020 shows once again that rapid changes can be better mastered through high agility," explains Anna Adler, Director Corporate Development at Campana & Schott and publisher of the study. "This is an important step towards a resilient organization that can cope with new situations more easily. More and more companies in German-speaking countries have recognized this." Thus, the perceived agility in companies increases compared to last year from an average value of 4.7 to 5.5 (on a scale of 1 to 7). In this regard, companies no longer see agility as just a trend, but as a foundation for their future development. 40.9 percent of respondents perceive agility in their company as strongly pronounced, compared to 27.5 percent in the previous year.

Agile mindset already broadly anchored

The increasing agility manifests itself in a pronounced agile mindset, which 71.5 percent of the participants already have. The respondents feel that they are predominantly agile. They also dare to tackle new tasks where they do not know all the requirements from the start (85%). They are comfortable with change, new ideas, and new technologies (83%), and they consider themselves flexible to rapid change (74%). In addition, 86.3 percent of respondents say their work means something to them (Purpose). 84.2 percent can organize themselves well, 76.2 percent prioritize their tasks according to benefit, and 70.6 percent feel empowered.

"This year's report again impressively demonstrates the importance of employees and in particular their agile mindset in agile transformations," says Prof. Christoph Peters, Assistant Professor at the University of St. Gallen and co-author of the study. "In this study, we have decoded the agile mindset for the first time and not only provide insights into its dimensions, but additionally show the success-critical correlations of the agile mindset with company agility and customer orientation, among others."

The agile mindset also forms an important basis for moving from the mere introduction of agile methods and tools ("doing agile") to a consistent agile corporate culture and anchoring the principles in the minds of employees ("being agile").

Customer orientation still has a lot of room for improvement

A central factor of agility is a strong customer focus. Around 70 percent of respondents say that their company exists primarily to help customers. Two-thirds of the companies determine customer satisfaction regularly and systematically. But there is still potential, with just half of respondents recognizing a high level of customer orientation within the company.

Although a lot of data on customers is already available and regularly collected, companies make too little of it. Although they take note of the information (sensing), they hardly translate it into new or adapted products and services (responding). However, this feedback is a decisive competitive advantage for companies if they pass on knowledge about customers and their requirements with defined processes or underlying systems.

The customer at the center

"Our study proves that the customer centricity of companies in German-speaking countries still has room for improvement," says Christian Schmid, Co-Lead of the Future Organization business area at Campana & Schott. "True customer centricity includes not only sensing, i.e. collecting customer information, but also responding. This means developing new processes and offers with concrete added value for customers. Currently, this is only carried out systematically in a few cases."

While many companies have so far focused solely on the end customer, pioneers are already looking at entire value networks. All stakeholders in the network, such as business partners, manufacturers or service providers, are orchestrated around the end customer. This increases the overall effectiveness of value creation.

Source and further information: Campana & Schott

The Board of Trustees of the Sursee Campus has elected Andrea Ming as the new Director of the Sursee Campus. She will take up her position on March 1, 2021. Andrea Ming has been Head of the Club Schools and Leisure Facilities Directorate at the Federation of Migros Cooperatives (MGB) since 2012. Previously, she held the position of Head of Leisure and Leisure Facilities there for five years. She graduated as a federally certified sports teacher at the ETH Zurich and holds an Executive MBA from the University of St.Gallen. Ming succeeds Daniel Suter, who retired at the end of July 2020. Since August 2020, Thomas Stocker, Deputy Director and Managing Director of Bildungszentrum Bau, has been leading the Sursee campus ad interim.

Setting the strategic course

Gian-Luca Lardi, President of the Foundation Board, is delighted with the election. "With Andrea Ming, we have an integrative leader with a long-standing track record in education and sports on board. Her winning and communicative personality is an ideal fit for the Sursee campus." Among other things, Ming's task will be to set and implement the strategic course for the coming years in close cooperation with the Board of Trustees. The focus will be on education and training in the construction industry. Of course, the sports arena and the seminar center, which went into operation a year ago, will also play an important role. This will enable the Sursee campus to address a broad, Switzerland-wide clientele.

Succession "from within the company

Andrea Ming had been a member of the Sursee Campus Foundation Board since August 1, 2019; she stepped down from this position at the end of August. Accordingly, there will be a cooling-off period of six months until she takes up her position.

Andrea Ming is 46 years old and lives in Edlibach in the canton of Zug. The Board of Trustees is pleased to have her in its ranks and is convinced that together they will lead the Sursee Campus into a successful future.

Source and further information: Campus Sursee

42 % of Swiss employers are confident that they will return to pre-crisis hiring levels within a year, with the most optimistic (26 %) believing this will be the case by the end of 2020. This is according to the latest ManpowerGroup Labor Market Barometer. The survey behind it was conducted from July 15-28, 2020.

"Despite the uncertainty caused by the health situation in Switzerland and most other countries around the world, Swiss employers are showing us that we can have confidence in the solidity of the domestic market. Although layoffs and restructurings have already occurred, the results of our survey give us hope that these might not be as massive as some scenarios led us to fear. The survey results suggest that the labor market is regaining momentum. We have also developed solutions for those companies that need to rethink their HR strategy," says Gianni Valeri, Managing Director of Manpower Switzerland.

The consequences of the health crisis for the world of work

In addition to the usual questions about employment trends, this survey asked employers specifically about the longer-term impact of the healthcare crisis. According to the survey, just over a quarter (26 %) expect their companies to return to hiring dynamics similar to those in the years leading up to the crisis by the end of 2020. More than a third (39 %) of respondents expect to never return to pre-Covid-19 employment levels. Regarding employees who are on reduced hours because of the crisis, just under one-third (32 %) of employers intend to return them to their original employment levels within three to six months, while 3 % expect to have to lay off some of their workforce. When asked about the impact on work practices, more than half (57 %) plan to offer their employees more opportunities to do some of their work from home, compared to 39 % globally. Just under a fifth (17 %) of Swiss employers are even considering allowing their employees to spend all of their time working from home. Likewise, one-fifth (20 %) of employers surveyed are considering increasing the number of part-time positions available to retain employees.

Encouraging forecasts in Espace Mittelland and Zurich

Four of the seven regions report positive hiring prospects for fall 2020, with employers in the Espace Mittelland (+6 %) and the Zurich region (+6 %) the most optimistic. These two regions also report a strong increase compared to the previous quarter (+11 and +17 percentage points). In Ticino (-2 %), the negative figure is offset by a significant increase (+12 percentage points) compared with the previous quarter. The Lake Geneva region (-1 %) also reports an improvement on the previous quarter (+10 percentage points). Quarter-on-quarter, there is no decline in any region, while year-on-year, no region shows an increase. Compared with the same period in 2019, the figures remain low, with declines in six of the seven regions. Northwestern Switzerland (-5 %) shows the largest decrease (-11 percentage points), and its outlook for this quarter is also the weakest.

Significant recovery in new hires in the hospitality industry

The most confident employers are those in Other Services (+7 %) and Financial and Business Services (+3 %). In contrast, employers in the five other sectors expect to cut jobs. This is especially the case in manufacturing (-5 %): while its numbers improve from the previous quarter (+5 percentage points), it reports the sharpest year-over-year decline (-14 percentage points). Employers in the three sectors of trade, construction, and hospitality (-3 %) are cautious about hiring in the fall. The hospitality sector shows the most impressive performance, both quarter-over-quarter (+33 percentage points) and year-over-year (+17 percentage points).

Employment prospects vary depending on company category

Of the four company categories surveyed***, two are pointing to growth and two to decline. Medium-sized employers (+6 %) are the most optimistic and also show the strongest increase (+23 percentage points) from the previous quarter, followed by those in large companies (+4 %). Small businesses present the most pessimistic outlook (-6 %) and the strongest quarter-on-quarter and year-on-year decreases (-1 and -12 percentage points, respectively). The forecast of microenterprises amounts to -3 %.

Similar forecasts in neighboring countries

In neighboring countries, employers are slowly regaining confidence. In France (+3 %), the recovery is based primarily on positive prospects in the construction and financial and business services sectors. In Germany (+2 %), five of the seven sectors report positive hiring figures, especially the financial and business services sector and construction. By contrast, manufacturing is not doing well. In Italy (+1 %), the trade sector is the most dynamic.

Source: ManpowerGroup

Both on site in Zurich and online via livestream, company sellers and buyers will receive first-hand practical knowledge on company succession from A to Z from experienced succession experts. The organizer is the initiative Successor bus.ch. The suitable framework offers EXPERTsuisse as a cooperation partner for this event. A full day dedicated to the entire succession process with free personal expert talks and workshops. Program and registration via: https://nachfolgetag.online/

Follow-up day as a hybrid event

The event will take place on September 17, 2020 from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. hybrid. Interested entrepreneurs can participate both on-site at EXPERTsuisse at Stauffacherstrasse 1, 8004 Zurich, and online via livestream. Dr. Marius Klauser, Director of EXPERTsuisse: "Business succession is a groundbreaking topic for our members and the Swiss economy, and Succession Day is THE event for this.

Two-part program

In the morning from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., the 15 experienced succession experts of Nachfolgebus.ch will be available to participants for free personal one-on-one meetings. The afternoon is dedicated to continuing education from 1:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. with a workshop series each for company sellers and buyers. The topics range from situation analysis, possible solution scenarios and company evaluation, to search and negotiations, to contract drafting and implementation.

How does a succession work? What do I have to prepare? What is the value of my company? How do I find a successor for my company? Am I a suitable successor? Experts from the "Initiative Nachfolgebus" will be on hand to answer these and other "burning" questions for SME owners at the Succession Day in Zurich.

Register now

For the respective workshop package, a cost recovery fee of CHF 200 p.p. will be charged for on-site participation and CHF 150 p.p. for online participation.
Registration via: https://nachfolgetag.online/

Used in a targeted manner, digitization increases market presence and reach, automates prospect and customer processes, relieves sales of administrative tasks, and supports them with machine learning components so that companies can focus on the most promising customers and projects. However, a haphazard stringing together of digital measures will not lead to success. In order to take advantage of the opportunities of digitalization in marketing and sales, companies should develop a target-oriented strategy. strike2 GmbH provides companies with ten success parameters to master the digital transformation.

Ten success parameters for digitization in marketing and sales

1. Note the Environmental parametersthat can influence your digital strategy. Hardly any company was prepared for Corona, although many studies have long warned of a possible pandemic. Digitalization is producing many toxic business models and endangering classic job profiles.
2. Digitalization in marketing and sales is Not a pure IT project. IT is needed in sub-areas, but the strategy and the concept play a much more important role. Only after the strategy process can you make a meaningful selection of systems and tools.
3. Develop Empathy for your customers and for your employees. The former have already changed. Understand how they move along their customer journey differently than before and what they expect from you, otherwise you won't reach them and your measures will come to nothing. Put your customers truly and sustainably at the center of your business strategy. In addition, the digital transformation also changes the strategy, measures and methods for your employees. This is a change process for many of your employees. Accompany this change. Empathy and Communication are indispensable for this.
4. Define Targets for digital transformation. Driving digitization is not a goal. It entails a bundle of measures that help you achieve your goals.
5. Don't think in terms of individual measures ("We'll do something quick from the Internet"), channels ("We're on Facebook now, too, because it's modern and everyone's doing it."), or formats ("We really need to do a video."). Orchestrate Your measures and content and give each element a Task and a Destination.
6. Think you and all your employees in Customer processes and not in silos. Your customers don't care whether they're in marketing or sales support. They want your full attention and the best possible support.
7. Start with a pilot project, but keep the Scaling in view. In the start-up phase, you can make many unnoticed mistakes that produce unnecessary effort and cost efficiency in the roll-out. In the pilot project, focus not only on initial results, but also on the "framework" that you can use for scaling.
8. Stop thinking in terms of system monoliths and think in terms of Data, Functions and Processes. This is the only way to integrate and automate data across all systems.
9. Allow yourself and your team to make mistakes. No company can implement digital transformation optimally in the first step. Tolerate them, but be sure to learn from them. Because you learn from mistakes for the future. But only if you live and promote this. A Error culture is part of the Digital strategy.
10. Start now. Build a purposeful strategy first, but then start your transformation in your marketing and sales immediately. Digitalization will not go away. So you'd better be a pioneer and actively shape your digital transformation - it's worth it.

Book by Norbert Schuster "Digitalization in marketing and sales"

The list of these success parameters is an extract from the new book "Digitalization in Marketing and Sales - Developing Strategies and Potentials of Digitalization for More Sales", published by Haufe-Verlag. Norbert Schuster, the founder and owner of strike2 GmbH, has presented his sixth book on topics of digitalization in marketing and sales. After five books that predominantly addressed those responsible for marketing and sales, he now addresses the management level in his new work. In an entertaining and practical way, he introduces the potential of digital transformation in marketing and sales to the executive suite - and in a completely different way than is usually the case with other specialist books.

Automate processes in marketing and sales

The focus of the book shows the possibilities to automate processes in marketing and sales along the customer journey. It describes the hallmarks of digitization, challenges, and the changes that automation brings. In particular, Schuster highlights the trends that companies should keep in mind and explains how changing customer behavior has changed the tasks and roles in marketing and sales. As a concrete aid for the new digital sales process, Schuster presents a strategy canvas model that supports companies in mastering these challenges and optimally activating the potential of digitalization. He explains why people often make the same mistakes when looking for a new life partner and new orders. Once the reader has learned about the so-called "ego-posting" and "granny syndrome" in the book, he will immediately recognize and avoid these mistakes in his sales practice. And he will understand how important it is in the digital marketing process to build empathy for customers and to use "deep buyer persona" profiles with behavioral preferences for this purpose.

More information: strike2 GmbH

The average job stress index of the Swiss workforce has again deteriorated. At 50.83, the difference to 2018 is only slight, but there is an extraordinary deterioration compared to the values of the 2014 and 2016 surveys. Three out of ten employees report stress - more than half of them are emotionally exhausted. This consequence of stress is one of the main characteristics of burnout. This figure has risen since the first measurement in 2014 from around a quarter to almost a third by now.

Job Stress Index 2020: Benefits worth around CHF 7.6 billion destroyed

A projection for the year 2020 shows that an economic potential of around 7.6 billion Swiss francs could be exploited by reducing work-related stress - and this is already the case with a balanced relationship between resources and burdens. On the one hand, due to absent employees and, on the other hand, due to present employees who are able to cope with less than normal due to reduced performance. So it's clear that far-sighted employers are investing in employee balance now. Only those who know what is good for their body and know how to use their resources optimally can withstand higher stresses.

More balance and productivity thanks to heart rate variability measurement

Systematic occupational health management can reduce work-related stress and increase productivity. It should therefore be logical and also in the interest of managers in companies to create health-promoting conditions for their employees. This is exactly where, for example, the program "Resource Management HRV by DI MIND", a measurement method of heart rate variability, comes in. It enables the visualization of employees' daily use of resources and shows how they can make better use of them.

Successful operation with the police

The program has already enabled many police officers to better recognize and interpret their body's individual signals and develop appropriate measures to master the challenges of the police profession. Using the scientific method of the Finnish company Firstbeat Technologies Oy, heart rate variability (HRV) is recorded, concrete data on stress, sleep, work, leisure time as well as physical activities are documented, analyzed by DI MIND specialists and discussed personally. This creates awareness and enables preventive solutions to be taken, thus taking an important step towards a better quality of life. This applies not only to police officers, but to everyone.

The program "Resource Management HRV by DI MIND" is a useful tool for responsible employers and enables employees to better recognize and interpret the individual signals of their own body and to develop suitable measures to master the challenges in everyday life. This gives them an impressive insight into their lifestyle that either confirms or shakes them up! Either way, an important step towards more quality of life and also productivity.

Source and information: Di Mind

After all, 19% or 1,453 of the companies surveyed have gender diversity in the range of 30% - 70% and thus already voluntarily comply with the soon-to-be applicable gender benchmarks for boards of directors of listed companies. This is a ray of light on the horizon. Significantly above this target and thus particularly positive are 274 Swiss companies with a 50/50 distribution both on the board of directors and among the authorized signatories. They are referred to as "diversity champions" in this report.

The downside: 67% or 4,961 of the companies evaluated do not have a single woman on their board of directors, 132 no men. The picture is similarly bleak in terms of gender mix among all those responsible under commercial law (BoD & authorized signatories): 2,965 operate without women, 67 without men. This means 40% of the analyzed companies work without gender mix among their officers.

14 percent share of women with little effect

In view of these figures, it is clear that the majority of the companies analyzed are giving away decisive competitive advantages. The fact that mixed teams are more successful and have a higher profile thanks to their diversity in terms of, for example, problem-solving skills, innovative strength and risk assessment, has been sufficiently proven and is well known. Behavioral research shows that the full effect of diversity is felt when the proportion of women is at least 30%. With an average share of women of 14 % on the boards of directors and 19 % among the authorized signatories, diversity is not yet sufficiently effective at the companies studied. The potential to structurally improve the chances of entrepreneurial success is accordingly high.

The Swiss "Diversity Champions

There is another way. At least 274 of the companies evaluated have long since recognized this and prove it with a gender representation of 50 % women and 50 % men on the board of directors and among the authorized signatories, which is why the Diversity Report Switzerland 2020 designates them as "Diversity Champions".

These companies include, for example

• as the largest company, over 500 employees: YX Magnetic SA, Sierre
• as the oldest company, registered in the HR in 1883: Hotel Europe Davos AG, Davos
• as companies with over 100 employees, the largest board of directors and the highest number of authorized signatories:
• Groupe Médical de Versoix SA, Versoix
• Valmont Group Holding SA, Geneva
• EF Education First AG, Zurich
• Montanstahl SA, Stabio
• AG für Liegenschaftswerte, Basel
• Société anonyme de la Colline Champel, Geneva

What is surprising in this context is that the canton of Appenzell Innerrhoden, which was the last in Switzerland to introduce women's suffrage at the cantonal level in 1991, has the highest proportion of "diversity champions" at 13%.

Fix the system - not the women

"If we want more Swiss companies to become 'diversity champions' in the future, or at least exceed the 30% mark, a cultural change in these companies is inevitable," states Esther-Mirjam de Boer, co-owner and managing director of GetDiversity GmbH.

Companies that lose women on their way to the top management level are said to have a "leaking pipeline." In oil companies, it's clear that a leaking pipeline is fixed at the pipe, not the oil. Some executives still believe that a "leaking pipeline" in their talent pool is to be fixed at the women, rather than at the company. "More and more companies, however, are coming to the realization that company culture, interactions, structures, processes and habits are part of the problem and are changing the system because of it. The motto is: fix the system - not the women," the expert for diversity and inclusive culture concludes.

Source: GetDiversity
Note: A hit list of the "most female companies" was recently published by the consulting firm DOIT-smart. We reported about it.

The Corona crisis quickly revealed how companies are positioned in "matters" of Working World 4.0 and where new challenges lie. Against this background, the Future Work Group launched the Future Work Barometer for the first time in July 2020. In cooperation with the leading Swiss SME magazine "Organisator" and the FHNW Hochschule für Wirtschaft (FHNW), the short survey collects assessments, experiences and needs regarding the working world 4.0 from Swiss employers and employees on a quarterly basis. This is done with the intention of using the insights gained through active exchange with companies to shape a working world 4.0 that is beneficial to all participants.

The Future Work Barometer is based on the major Swiss study "Arbeitswelt 4.0" (Working World 4.0) published jointly by the Future Work Group and the FHNW in fall 2019. The study shows that the mutual interaction of the dimensions People (employees), Place (working environment) and Technology (technologies) is one of the key success factors of Working World 4.0.

Desire and reality in digitization

Asked about the importance they attach to a modern, digitized working environment, 96% of the 235 participants said it was important to very important for them. At the same time, there is a significant gap between desire and reality with regard to the degree of digitization. Only 38% of the respondents attested to their company having a high to very high level of digitization.

Investments in technology and place of work rank far ahead

When asked in which areas investments were made within the past six months, according to the participants, this was primarily in the areas of work location (66%), IT/data security (49%) and IT infrastructure (47%). Given the previous pandemic-related "home office boost," this is not surprising. The least investment was made in the areas of the traditional office workplace (25%) and leadership style (29%).

Overall, at 51%, just over half of the participants are satisfied to very satisfied with the investments their company has made with regard to Working World 4.0. At the same time, it is clear that the factual investments (technology, work location) are clearly in the foreground.

Clear need to catch up at management level

In contrast, according to the participants, the crucial areas at the corporate management level show massive deficits. For example, they rate the development potential of culture/values/collaboration (78%), work processes (77%), strategy (76%), personal competencies (74%) and leadership style (72%) as high. It is therefore urgent to make up for lost time here or to carry out intensive development work for the successful realization of the working world 4.0. Because this new working world is based on new thinking - and that lies with the people in the company.

Future Work Barometer: The most important key figures

The Future Work Barometer reveals the following findings in its first edition, 2020-1:

• Degree of digitization of the working environment in own company: 38% rate this as high/very high
• Satisfaction with own company's investments: 51% consider them as high/very high
• Investments in the People dimension in the last six months: 30% rate these in their company as much/very
• Investment in Dimension Place in the last six months: 46% say their company invested a lot/very much
• Investments in Dimension Technology in the last six months: 48% rate these at the level a lot/very much

Possible solution approaches for a holistic transformation to the working world 4.0

"Referring to the results of this first Future Work Barometer, it seems that the potential of the field of action Working World 4.0 is far from being fully tapped. Far too few organizations have so far developed the necessary strategy together with their employees, one of their most valuable success factors," sums up Prof. Dr. Marc K. Peter, Head of the Competence Center Digital Transformation at the FHNW and publisher of the Working World 4.0 study. One possible solution approach for the sustainable joint design of the Working World 4.0 can be offered by easy-to-use practical aids such as a workshop canvas in combination with a methodical project process that integrates the three dimensions of People, Place and Technology.

More information: www.future-work-barometer.ch

It was noticeable to both organizer Armin Baumann of KMU SWISS AG and many of the guests: People enjoyed meeting face to face once again and having conversations away from home offices and video conferences. The organizers made every effort to ensure hygiene regulations, distance rules and contact tracing, but the associated "sacrifices" in spontaneity were manageable. Proof was provided that larger live events can again be held more or less without any problems - and that attending them should actually pose no risk.

The fact that events like the KMU Swiss Podium 2020 meet a need was evident from the attendance of around 250 guests. "People want to get together," said Armin Baumann in his opening remarks. The digital world is not everything, but it has nevertheless "somewhat" asserted itself, Baumann continued. But it can never replace personal contact. In this respect, the conference motto "Cult and Culture" was fitting, because personal conversations are part of our culture.

Innovation - also a question of culture

The first presentation, however, focused on a different facet: "Innovation management as cultural change" was the topic of Dr. Harald Brodbeck (Fernfachhochschule Schweiz FFHS) and Sabrina Ernst (Neosight AG). They emphasized that culture cannot simply be imparted to a company via project work. Especially not if a culture of innovation is to emerge from it. Ideally, however, culture enables innovation, and innovation in turn shapes culture. This cycle must be activated in a different way. The speakers demonstrated this with the help of four levers: innovation strategy (clarity of goals is needed), innovation structures, innovation processes and innovation tools. The latter also requires the existence of a culture of error - something that, in the experience of the two speakers, many companies still struggle with.

Thomas Matter, SVP National Councilor and founding partner of Helvetic Bank, then gave his thoughts on the topic of "corporate versus SME culture. He emphasized that by creating jobs and thus enabling many people to make a living, the economy was performing an enormous cultural feat. He drew a clear line between entrepreneurs who fulfill their social responsibility and create jobs and managers who "lavishly help themselves to money that does not belong to them." And he made no secret of his opinion on our country's relationship with the EU and the free movement of persons, although he did not manage to win over the entire audience.

Also a topic at the KMU Swiss Podium 2020: Artificial Intelligence

No event without the topic of "artificial intelligence": This was no different at the KMU Swiss Podium 2020. Nino Weingart from BSI Business Systems Integration AG explained how and where SMEs can use artificial intelligence. Four prerequisites have to be met: First, there has to be a suitable business case, which a company has to know perfectly. "Never do an AI project if you could do it without," was the expert's tip. Secondly, it's about data or its availability and quality, thirdly, the right team and fourthly, the budget. However, very few SMEs have the corresponding resources, which is why "AI as a service" is a good approach.

Many SMEs operate internationally and are therefore successful. Simone Wyss Fedele, CEO of Switzerland Global Enterprise (S-GE), showed that the road to success abroad can also be rocky. She pointed out that cultural differences between countries are often underestimated, especially at the beginning. Using examples from the USA, China, South Korea and the Middle East, she showed what to look out for if you want to do business successfully in these countries.

And finally a star guest

The last part of the afternoon was introduced by Urs Hoffmann, member of the Aargau government, with his remarks on "Innovative women and men in Aargau". Afterwards, the panel discussion led by moderator Michael Sokoll with him and the actual "star guest", actress, presenter ("RTL Samstagnacht") and director Esther Schweins, formed the final highlight. The duo "inmot!on" also provided spectacular entertainment between the individual presentation blocks with their show interludes with yoyos, glow sticks and other "toys".

www.kmuswiss.ch

These are the most female companies in Switzerland in 2020: Adval Tech (sector: industry), IKEA (sector: consumer goods & retail), Biogen Switzerland (sector: life sciences), Sympany (sector: insurance) and Eidg. Personalamt (sector: federal companies) Zuger Kantonalbank (sector: banking) Ringier (sector: ICT) Der Touristik Suisse (sector: transport/logistics/tourism) are the frontrunners in their sector and currently have the highest proportion of women on the management board (GL). Biogen with a female quota in the management of 70%, Pfizer with 57%, as well as dsm, Eidg. Personalamt, Der Touristik Suisse with 50% lead the overall ranking of the 270 companies surveyed.

The most female companies 2020: The list

The analysis is based on publicly available data from the companies and was conducted between January and August 2020.

Boards of directors are more female than management boards

The proportion of women has increased slightly compared to the first survey (2018) and now stands at 10%. This is a pleasing trend, which is also confirmed by the current Schilling Report. Nevertheless, in more than half of the companies researched, one searches in vain for women on the management board (GL). The situation is better on the boards of directors, with at least 85% of the companies surveyed having at least one woman on their board.

In a comparison of industries, the federally related companies are the best positioned, with an average share of women in the GL of 22%. The life sciences sector follows with 18% and insurance with 13%. In the consumer goods & retail sector, as well as in banks, the ratio is 10%. ICT and the transport & logistics & tourism sector have an average share of 9% women. The industry sector brings up the rear with just 5%.

In most cases, there is no direct intention to deliberately keep the proportion of women in management low. However, many companies have little appetite to remedy this situation. Stereotypes and biases are often strongly pronounced and these unconscious thought patterns can hardly be overcome with conventional methods.

An overview of the companies (incl. ranking) is available on the DOIT-smart Homepage http://www.doit-smart.org/frauenanteil-uebersicht/ published.

What is the basic attitude of employees to the topic of home office? What emotions did they feel when they had to work from home? And what about their productivity in the home office? These topics were investigated during five weeks from mid-April to mid-May 2020, during which many employees worked from home for the first time due to the COVID-19 lockdown.

Study confirms: Positive attitude promotes productivity in the home office

In terms of mindset, the individuals studied were differentiated according to whether they believe that the skills for working at home are innate (fixed mindset) or whether they believe that this new skill can be learned (growth mindset). Those individuals who assume innate ability in this regard (Fixed Mindset) viewed home office like a new challenge that they are not up to. They experienced more negative emotions such as frustration, guilt, or anxiety and few positive emotions, which directly affected their perceived productivity: individuals with strong negative emotions accomplished 31% fewer goals in the same week and 19% fewer goals in the following week than individuals with weak negative emotions. On the other hand, individuals with a Growth Mindset were significantly more motivated and productive in the home office, according to the study. Employees with the strongest positive feelings had achieved an average of 43% more goals in the same week than those with no positive feelings.

Companies can improve competitiveness

"If home office is going to last in the long term, companies need to be aware of what makes their employees happy and productive when they do so. Our study suggests that a certain personal attitude toward working from home is a crucial factor," says the study's lead author Dr. Lauren Howe of the University of Zurich. "If employees are happy, then their productivity measurably increases. So companies have a big incentive to support their employees as much as possible in the new work environment," says Marco Meister, Co-Founder & CEO of atwork. "In the future, the companies that will be successful will be those that know best about the difficulties and challenges their employees face and respond with targeted measures. This will enable them to increase productivity within the company and improve their competitiveness."

The study was conducted by Lauren Howe and Jochen Menges from the University of Zurich and co-developed by ZHAW and atwork. In the process, 113 home office employees were surveyed with four surveys each.

Source: atwork