EasyGov.swiss has been offering even more digital services for new and existing companies since November 6, 2018. For a year now, entrepreneurs have been able to register their new company directly online with the relevant authorities for the commercial register, AHV, VAT or accident insurance. Now, commercial register mutations with cross-cantonal seat transfers and public certifications can also be made online. In total, the following ten innovations are involved:

1. Company change (company name)
2. Change of purpose
3. Seat change
4. Adding, deleting and mutating shareholders in a limited liability company
5. Change in the composition of the board of directors of a joint stock company
6. Change in the composition of the management of a limited liability company
7. General amendments to the Articles of Association
8. Order certified or uncertified excerpts from the commercial register
9. Deletion of companies from the Commercial Register
10. Change of auditors

EasyGov.swiss Version 1.2

EasyGov.swiss started a year ago with the services needed to set up a company. With today's expansion step, the offer is also becoming more attractive for existing companies. In version 1.2, the ten most popular changes to the commercial register can now be processed online. For example, cross-cantonal relocations of registered offices with public certifications, personnel mutations or changes to the articles of incorporation can be created.

Other electronic government services from the federal government, cantons and municipalities will be integrated step by step and the portal will be optimized on an ongoing basis. SECO is in charge of the project. By the end of 2019, the most frequently requested official procedures for companies should be available on EasyGov.swiss.

Less bureaucracy, more time for core business

EasyGov.swiss is part of the eGovernment Strategy Switzerland. The federal government, cantons and municipalities are working together to reduce the administrative burden on businesses. The EasyGov.swiss online counter uses the possibilities of digitization and simplifies the exchange between companies and authorities. With EasyGov.swiss, companies can handle various official procedures efficiently and securely on a single online platform. This saves time and money for companies and simplifies data exchange within the administration.

www.easygov.swiss

A You can find explanatory video here.

Economic sentiment among Swiss CFOs is clouding over for the first time in more than three years. This is one of the key findings of the CFO survey conducted by Deloitte every six months since 2009. A total of 109 CFOs from both listed companies and privately held companies took part in the current survey, which was conducted between August 29 and September 24, 2018.

The big boom is over

Still 77% of the more than 100 CFOs surveyed in this country are positive about the economic outlook. This represents a decline of 8 percentage points compared with the first half of 2018. Caution is called for. After the last three similar shifts in sentiment, things went steeply downhill twice, the study shows. The fact that the growth peak seems to have passed can also be seen in the fact that CFOs' optimism about their own company's financial prospects has shrunk significantly over the past three months. The net balance (optimistic minus pessimistic mentions) has fallen from 24% to a low but still positive 9%. "The Swiss economy is still robust, but the big boom is over. The ongoing international trade disputes are also rubbing off on Switzerland for the first time. The protectionist posturing emanating in particular from the two major powers, the USA and China, is fueling uncertainty among our export-oriented companies," comments Michael Grampp, Chief Economist at Deloitte Switzerland, on the results of the CFO survey.

Trading partners increasingly signal unreliability

Overall, only 40% of CFOs assess the level of economic and financial uncertainties in this country as high. This result may be regarded as optimistic. However, developments abroad are responsible for the CFOs' uncertainty. Just under half of export-oriented Swiss companies (48%) see major uncertainties ahead. The economic outlook is clouded above all by increasing political uncertainties among traditional trading partners. Compared to the first half of the year, risk perceptions against established partners the US (up 26% to 77%), Italy (up 20% to 64%) and China (up 15% to 30%) are rising dramatically in the current half-year. Unsurprisingly, the Brexit-plagued UK is also rated as a risky trading partner by a high 64% of CFOs. Relations with the two traditionally most important partners, Germany (11%) and France (7%), are viewed more positively. For both, the level of uncertainty has decreased compared with the first half of the year. However: Many Swiss companies currently have other priorities. "Geopolitical uncertainties and protectionism are very relevant in the risk perception of Swiss CFOs, but top of the list are internal company processes. Potential homegrown problems are the top risk for the first time. Many companies are currently very preoccupied with themselves and are not focusing with full vigor on external challenges. This is exactly what is needed," says Alessandro Miolo, Partner CFO Program Manager at Deloitte, analyzing the field of tension in which CFOs are currently operating.

EUR/CHF exchange rate: 1.07 as pain threshold

In view of the challenging international business, the CHF/EUR exchange rate is a particular focus for Swiss companies. For just under 60 percent of the CFOs surveyed, a stronger franc would have a direct negative impact on their company. As an average, the CFOs surveyed cite a EUR/CHF exchange rate of 1.07 as the pain threshold.
Alessandro Miolo classifies this result as follows: "After the abolition of the minimum exchange rate in January 2015 and the initial shock, companies have come to terms with the exchange rate situation. But the CHF/EUR exchange rate now hangs over companies like a sword of Damocles. It is surprising that only slightly more than half of Swiss CFOs limit the exchange rate risk by means of risk assessments or financial hedging. There is no room for inaction on this issue."

Skills shortage keeps companies on their toes

Despite declining trends in the positive outlook, companies across Europe remain eager to spend, both in terms of investments and hiring. 39% of Swiss CFOs still expect investment to increase in the 12-month outlook. This is broadly in line with the impression also given by the ORGANISATOR survey "SME Monitor has shown. In terms of investment propensity, Switzerland is on a par with the European average, according to Deloitte.

42% of Swiss CFOs are confident that they will increase the number of employees in the next 12 months. However, they see access to qualified personnel as a growing risk. Almost without exception, they share these concerns with CFOs in other European countries. Among our neighbors Germany and Austria, the shortage of skilled staff is even the most frequently cited risk. Even against the backdrop of Switzerland's priority for Swiss nationals, it is quite possible that the "war for talent" will continue to increase within the German-speaking countries. People with appropriate technical knowledge and professional experience are particularly sought after.

Switzerland relies more heavily than the European average on foreign recruitment (33%) and not quite as frequently on the activation of alternative groups of workers (e.g. reentrants or older workers, 20%). The national priority, which has been in force since July 2018, therefore does not seem to show any effect in this study, especially since the occupational profiles subject to reporting for the national priority are for the most part not highly qualified professionals.

Source and further information: Deloitte

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More than 1,500 CEOs of the world's largest companies were surveyed for Korn Ferry's "The Talent Shift" study. The vast majority are aware that there will be a shortage of talented professionals in the future. Despite this, companies are confident: 95 % are confident that their company can meet the skills shortage in the future. Nearly 75 % also believe that technology will replace many skilled workers.

A structural change with consequences

According to experts, this mindset can cost companies dearly. The skills shortage is not a temporary phenomenon, but a structural shift that could cost companies nearly $8.5 trillion in lost revenue by 2030. "Skilled workers needed to execute business strategy, who will be in short supply in the future, could become the defining issue of the age, threatening nations' GDP and companies' profitability," says Stefan Steger, chairman of Korn Ferry Switzerland and Austria.

Personnel planning must become a priority

The expected shortages are not limited to a specific region. China, for example, could face a shortfall of 6.7 million highly qualified workers by 2030, as could the USA with 6.6 million or Germany with a gap of 2.5 million skilled workers. With the majority of executives surveyed not locating these shortages within their own companies, experts fear they will underinvest in internal talent development programs or overall talent strategy in the future. "It is necessary for companies to make future workforce planning their priority if they want to avoid being limited in their work in the future by a lack of necessary skills," says Stefan Steger. The skills shortage will have an impact on salaries, he adds. Korn Ferry estimates that the global skills shortage could drive up salaries by $2.5 trillion.

More information: Grain Ferry

The Export Award recognizes internationally active companies whose internationalization strategy is convincing. The award will be presented on March 26, 2019 by Ruth Metzler-Arnold, President of the Board of Directors of Switzerland Global Enterprise, at the Foreign Trade Forum in Zurich.

Opportunity for SMEs

"We are looking for Swiss companies that create sustainable value through a convincing link to the international value chain. We evaluate the quality, originality and persuasiveness of the internationalization strategy," explains jury president Ralph Siegl. The jury selects three finalists from all the applications. "The Export Award offers SMEs the chance to get the public recognition they and their employees deserve. The award also creates prestige among customers and partners."

The three finalists and the winner are selected by an independent jury. The jury is made up of personalities from the Swiss business, science and media worlds, and since 2018 has been chaired by Ralph Siegl, Managing Partner of Experts for Leaders AG.

Application until January 15, 2019

All Swiss and Liechtenstein companies that sell products or services internationally can now apply for the Export Award 2019. The application is simple and the fastest way is via Website From S-GE. Closing date is January 15, 2019

The three finalists can expect increased media attention and features in business, trade and regional press.

Since the "franc shock" at the latest, it has become clear to many export-oriented SMEs that it is time to put out feelers for new international markets. And the same applies to all other SMEs: Due to digitalization, it is now more necessary than ever to also consider an internationalization strategy. Because today, around 2.5 billion people worldwide are online. "In the next three years, that number will be 4 billion - half the world's population," said Elisabete Ramalho, Industry Leader-Luxury, Finance, CPG at Google Inc. at the launch event on November 7, 2018 in Zurich. This means that digital channels offer new opportunities for exports - especially for SMEs.

"Trial and Error" as a risky game

But how do you open up new markets abroad? Market analyses are usually the first step in any export strategy. SMEs often have too few resources for extensive clarifications. This can have costly consequences - trial and error is a risky game and can ultimately nip any export effort in the bud. It is therefore easier to drive an export project forward via digital channels - starting with the analysis of demand for the company's own products in potential target markets, the recording of customer potential, through to online marketing and sales via e-commerce - increasingly also via mobile devices. Thus, the use of digital channels is now essential for Swiss companies if they want to address consumers abroad and win new ones, regardless of whether they are in the B2B or B2C sector.

Market Finder: Data and know-how in cooperation

Against this background, Google and Switzerland Global Enterprise (S-GE) decided as partners to launch the "Market Finder", a tool that can access extensive data material and provides practical know-how based on it. "Our goal is to bring more SMEs closer to international value chains and to make this path easier for them with digital tools," says Daniel Küng, CEO of S-GE. Digital channels are now indispensable components of a market entry strategy in many countries, Küng adds.

Based on daily searches for products and services, Google can now draw on an impressive database and thus aggregate extensive knowledge about regional markets and consumer behavior. Beyond digital channels, however, the target market also needs a good partner network and other marketing and sales channels. Cultural and regulatory differences should also not be underestimated. A kitchen manufacturer in the high-price segment, for example, had to learn that this is not entirely trivial when, based on analyses of global real estate investments, it came to the conclusion that the Gulf region could be a lucrative sales market. However, since kitchens do not enjoy the same status there as in Europe, for example, the export efforts were ultimately not crowned with success. "Opening up new markets remains a challenge. But digital tools can make market entry much easier. They must therefore be seen as part of an overall export strategy," says Daniel Küng.

Low-threshold support for export strategies

In summary: Market Finder is able to provide SMEs with a sufficient basis for starting an export strategy with comparatively little effort - initially, it is sufficient to enter one's own company URL for initial information. The tool is also free of charge; all that is required for registration is a Gmail account. The Market Finder is divided into three categories: "Find new sales markets", "Plan operations" and "Market the company". After entering the company URL, the category of products or services offered by the company is determined. On this basis, Market Finder then selects the recommended markets. It takes into account factors such as the average number of monthly Google searches per product or service, the cost-per-click that advertisers pay for keywords, and GDP growth per year per economy. Other data is collected to give an idea of the business outlook in each country. As soon as users want to implement their export strategy in concrete terms on the basis of the data, consultants from Google and S-GE are available to provide further support.

"Get started immediately by entering the company URL".

Questions for Tobias Wittmann, Director at Google for International Growth Strategy & Sales:

SMEs should benefit from digital channels and drive internationalization. What is Google's approach to supporting SMEs in this?

We want to make it as easy as possible for SMEs to exploit international growth potential. That's good for Google and good for the SMEs - basically a win-win situation. Market Finder is a core part of the infrastructure we have created for this purpose. The journey usually begins with the question: Where do we want to export?

To put it casually: At the beginning of every SME's internationalization strategy is a Google search?

Yes. On the digital side, it's much easier to try out new markets. For one thing, we have data. This allows us to make data-based decisions that are not possible offline and involve much more trial and error. Second, it's easier to test in a digital way. So I can start in a market with a small test budget.

What are your digital tips and no-go's for "digital internationalization"?

There are essentially three steps involved. First, I need to identify the opportunities: Where is the journey going? Where do I want to grow as a company? I need to understand the customers and get smart about them first: How do I need to approach them? What is the competitive situation? That can all be done in a data-driven way. Second, I need to be as smart as possible about implementation. Here, I can use Market Finder to find out what assistance is available and what support Google, for example, can provide in cooperation with Switzerland Global Enterprise. In this way, I can avoid using an unnecessary amount of resources. Thirdly, there is the digital advertising strategy, and here we at Google can draw on a wealth of resources. That is our core business. In summary, I look at what data and information I can use from Google to make a real strategic decision instead of trial and error. Operationally, it's about whether I need to translate my website - for some markets that makes more sense than for others. If I have an English-language website, I can get started very quickly for some products. But I still need to know which payment channels I need and what the customer care should look like. Google offers a lot of help for such questions with the Market Finder.

How does the partnership between Google and S-GE work?

S-GE is a partner that takes a holistic approach. They work with similar organizations around the world and take companies by the hand to discuss issues such as customs or taxes with them. They bring in the right partners to do that. At Google, we strongly support S-GE from the data side, meaning we provide the data.

The Market Finder is explicitly targeted at Swiss SMEs?

The version we are going live with today is designed for Swiss users. We have developed Market Finder as a global platform and are active in other markets with it. We recently launched it in Italy as well.

How easy and intuitive is the Market Finder to use? For SMEs, a lot of things have to be as unbureaucratic as possible.

The operation is really very simple. In principle, I can get started as soon as I have entered my URL. The platform reads out which business areas I'm in and makes suggestions on how the query can be readjusted. The analysis is then based on this. For example, it determines in which countries the product is searched for the most, and also takes into account the competitive situation. Once a company has decided on a market, we can then also provide support from the operational side. For example, the platform contains explanations on how to deal with payment or customer care in this target market.

 

The link to the platform: g.co/marketfinder

Consider it an iron law in any business transaction with a foreign customer: The place of jurisdiction is Switzerland. This also applies without restriction to online trading, which is gaining in importance at a rapid pace. In the United States, for example, it is already common practice to provide for a place of jurisdiction in the USA, regardless of where the customer is domiciled. In addition, provision should also be made for subordination to local law, and finally, the application of the so-called Vienna Sales Convention should be excluded. This international treaty, to which most industrialized countries, including Switzerland, are parties, defines the rules for international purchases of goods and deviates in part from national law. Clauses that exclude its applicability are permissible. In individual cases, it would have to be examined whether the Vienna Sales Convention might offer advantages to the seller. If so, an exclusion clause should be dispensed with.

General terms and conditions: Always keep a copy

The General Terms and Conditions are only valid if they are accepted by both parties. In online commerce, it is common for a check box to be displayed in the web store before the order is executed, stating "I have read and accepted the General Terms and Conditions". These must of course also be made available for reading on this occasion. The following rule applies: the more explicit the customer's declaration of intent, the greater the likelihood that a court will affirm acceptance of the terms and conditions in the event of a dispute. As a rule, the GTC are updated time and again. It is therefore advisable to keep a copy of each version.

What belongs in every GTC

The wording of the GTC is complicated and usually a matter for specialized lawyers, so that an interpretation to the detriment of the issuer can be excluded. Every GTC must include:

• Warranty
• Warranty
• Privacy
• Orders
• Invoice and payment terms
• Value added tax
• Delivery and delivery times
• Shipping areas
• Liability
• Applicable law and place of jurisdiction

Unfair statements such as "The shipping risk shall be borne by the purchaser" are inadmissible. Clauses that imply an increased risk for the purchaser are to be clearly emphasized.

 

Author: Raoul Egeli has been President of the Swiss Creditreform Association since 2008 and President of Creditreform International since 2014, as well as a member of the Chamber of Commerce of the SGV. He is also Managing Director of the Creditreform Egeli companies in Basel, St. Gallen and Zurich. From 2009 to 2013, he was the central president of TREUHAND|SUISSE. Raoul Egeli is the author of several specialist books on the subject of credit and receivables management. www.creditreform.ch

Under the motto "Innovation, Communication and Transformation", valuable impulses, experiences and advice from the world of business, communication and sport were presented at the 17th edition of the "ErfolgsSignale" business forum on October 25 at the Hotel Schützen in Rheinfelden.

Mental attitude and digital transformation

The former ski acrobat and Olympic champion Evelyne Leu, for example, underlined the importance of mental attitude for success in her presentation. Matthias Baumann, CEO of Möbel Pfister AG, gave an exciting insight into the digitalization of the furniture trade. "Digitalization will change the furniture trade even more in the future and call into question many things that were once true," said Matthias Baumann.

"Soulful women entrepreneurs"

Management consultant and book author Christel Maurer spoke about "soulful entrepreneurs" who put their heart and soul into their business. Other speakers included communications coach Marcus Knill and energy entrepreneur Alexandr Medici from Laufenburg, winner of the Axpo Energy Award 2014. (fm)

www.erfolgssignale.ch

On Friday, November 2, the communications company GGA Maur, together with ewz and Studerus AG, hosted an educational and networking event at the Kraftwerk in Zurich. Experts from business and science presented facts, trends and best practices on the topics of communication of the future and cybersecurity to over 90 participants.

Technological change offers more opportunities than problems

Jürg Leuthold made the start. With impressive facts and figures, the professor of photonics and communications at ETH Zurich showed how information technologies will develop in the future. "In 2000, we were satisfied with a transmission rate of 128 kbit/second. Today we need 1 Gbit/second, and by 2030 more than ten times that will be the standard." The use cases for new technologies are almost limitless - from customized clothing from 3D printers and numerous medical applications using machine learning to autonomous driving and cyborgs. "Information technologies will sustainably improve our standard of living. However, this requires the continuous expansion of the existing infrastructure," Leuthold said.

Physics is not a problem, that much is certain. According to the ETH professor, speeds of up to 1.01 petabytes per second can already be achieved in a single optical fiber in the laboratory today. Even with mobile data, the potential in terms of capacity is far from exhausted. Challenges in energy consumption, processor performance and optical components can be solved, Leuthold is certain. More difficult are the societal challenges arising from technological change - such as possible health hazards due to radiation, safety aspects and changes in the labor market and education system. "Technological change holds more opportunities than problems for us. But we must be prepared to adapt to the circumstances and realities. We won't contest the future with old ideas."

How much security is possible?

Marc Henauer from the Federal Reporting and Analysis Center for Information Assurance - MELANI for short - addressed cyber risks and challenges in his presentation. "Cyber risks arise from the use of IT to support processes and increase efficiency. They threaten every company regardless of industry or size." As information technologies become more important to businesses, the interconnectedness and value of access to information increases, according to Henauer. At the same time, this also increases the opportunity for fraud, espionage, extortion, sabotage and other cyber attacks. Henauer illustrated this with various examples, such as the WannaCry attack that crippled numerous computer systems worldwide in 2017. "Cybercriminals work in organized decentralized groups, continuously developing their methods and targeting their victims both virtually and physically. Complete protection is therefore impossible."

Henauer sees the solution for companies on another level. Cyber risks are only one part of a company's information security, because physical and personnel risks can also lead to corresponding attacks. "A technological solution makes sense as a security measure for IT. But for holistic information protection, companies need an overarching security approach that should be integrated into risk management at the executive level."

From the point of view of the opponent

Ivan Bütler, CEO of Compass Security AG, then offered a change of perspective. In December 2017, Bütler was able to successfully hack into the network of the energy supply company EBL in the canton of Baselland on behalf of SRF, despite the announcement, and switch off part of the Christmas lighting. "The Achilles' heel of the Internet is the people who fall for the hackers' stories and thus grant them access." This usually happens, for example, via a fake application on a USB stick or via a mail attachment. In the case of EBL, however, these approaches did not work, so Bütler relied on another trick.

A simple diversion at the EBL reception desk was enough to sneak a foreign technician into the company, who was able to install a malware program on the system undisturbed. "You shouldn't give out gifts - careless handling of email attachments, links or passwords is an invitation for hackers. A healthy measure of skepticism is appropriate," Bütler concludes.

Tips against cyber attacks

The topic of cybersecurity was rounded off by Hugo Bossard, CIO of Studerus AG. He explained how SMEs can deal with malware and presented specific firewall services from Studerus AG such as GeoIP or Content Filter for protection. According to Bossard, anti-virus and anti-spam services on the firewall are less effective.

In a second part, Bossard gave attendees five tips for ransomware prevention:

1. As a solid first defense, SMBs should install a firewall.
2. SMEs should make regular backups that are stored off-site and off-network and can be restored in an emergency.
3. The operating system used should always be up to date on all computers used. Security updates reduce the opportunities for cybercriminals.
4. Email attachments and unknown links should be handled with care and, if in doubt, should not be opened.
5. An up-to-date anti-virus program belongs on every computer in the company.

More information: GGA Maur

 

Four out of 10 business travelers admit to using corporate credit cards for personal purchases - 46 percent of European and U.S. travelers and 38 percent of Asia Pacific travelers. That's the finding of a study by global business travel provider Carlson Wagonlit Travel (CWT). "Travel managers need to address corporate credit card misuse and also find out why travelers are not following the rules," says Christophe Renard, vice president of CWT Solutions Group, the consulting arm of Carlson Wagonlit Travel.

Clear rules for the use of the business credit card

The practice is widespread, although 58 percent of Europeans and 63 percent of Americans say their company's policies prohibit the use of corporate credit cards for personal purchases - with an 85 percent implementation rate in both regions. Among Asia-Pacific travelers, 69 percent say their company prohibits personal use, with an 87 percent implementation rate. Overall, six in 10 global business travelers receive a corporate credit card from their employers - most likely in Asia Pacific (67 percent), followed by the Americas (61 percent) and Europe (56 percent).

Private credit card is also used for business

However, the results of the CWT study also show the opposite result: travelers often handle business travel expenses via their personal credit cards. Globally, 49 percent of business travelers always use their personal credit cards. Travelers from Asia-Pacific are significantly more likely to do so (55 percent) than travelers from the Americas (48 percent) or Europe (44 percent). "Using personal credit cards for business expenses means it becomes complicated for companies to track spending - and that makes it a lot harder to enforce policies," says Christophe Renard of CWT Solutions Group. "If companies don't want to issue credit cards to all employees - which is understandable - virtual credit cards are a good compromise. Travelers don't have to use their personal credit cards for business expenses, and companies know exactly what their money is being used for."

Source: Carlson Wagonlit Travel

 

In the mid-1940s and in the peak year of 1963, when 109,993 babies saw the light of day, Switzerland recorded historically unparalleled highs in the birth rate. In the meantime, the baby boomers have clearly passed the age of 50 - with massive demographic change in tow. The average age in companies is rising; starting in 2020, many people will leave the workforce each year "due to age," and if things go on like this, very many (58%) will even do so before reaching the regular retirement age. At the same time, HR managers complain about the lack of younger professionals, recruiting and also maintaining long-term relationships are becoming increasingly difficult. But even for companies that still have plenty to draw on (thanks in part to immigration), it might be worth asking older employees: "Do you still have to or do you already want to (work) - and if so, for how long? "Perhaps in order to then devote more attention to the motivation and commitment of those who have been working for a long time. In our experience, it is not done with the conclusion: "There are enough old people, too few young talents, then I just have to change my attitude, upgrade a few competencies with the older ones and bang, opportunity seized." Especially not in companies where it has been considered "best for everyone" for years to retire at 60 and, at worst, to retire even earlier. I don't think that a company automatically becomes better if it relies more on older people - but inspiring those who are already there anew, if necessary, is certainly worthwhile.

Self-fulfilling prophecy

The negative images from the world of work create a negative reality; the self-fulfilling prophecy is reflected in behavior. If we think of ourselves as old and moderately useful, we act that way. A consistent downward spiral, as many older workers will attest. Instead of personal development, stagnation is often felt. This often happens in combination with experienced, constantly increasing pressure and a growing workload that can no longer be put away as easily as in younger years. There is no age-specific adaptation of performance management. So what to do? Find out which of your older employees are struggling through the daily routine for fear of unemployment, for example, and who still has the feeling of being needed and of being able to shape things. Ask early retirees under what circumstances they would have stayed longer, and many answer: "If they had needed me."

Speaking of mixed-age teams

A recent study by the Zurich University of Applied Sciences in cooperation with the Zürcher Kantonalbank and us (Neustarter-Stiftung, see box) deals with the integration of older people in the labor market and the question of the cultural change that is due. Among human resources staff, the statements regarding mixed-age teams range from "Age doesn't play a role for us" to "Conflicts are always generational conflicts for us." Fabiola Gerpott (University of Amsterdam) found in a field study, "The more diversity, the more it takes Psychological Safety to leverage team intelligence." That means individual team members need a good feeling about expressing their ideas and thoughts, in addition to the safety of being needed. By nature, this good feeling is more likely to be felt toward people of similar backgrounds (age, gender, origin, education level, etc.). Increasing age diversity thus requires even more sophisticated leadership that promotes security in various dimensions.

Working conditions in Switzerland

Surveys by the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs SECO on working conditions in Switzerland in 2005 and 2015 show that there is a general need for action in terms of job satisfaction: In 2005, around one-fifth of employees complained about "monotonous tasks"; ten years later, this figure had already risen to more than one-third. According to the responses, the opportunities to "learn new things" and "implement one's own ideas" declined by around 15 percent in each case from 2005 to 2015. These signals are clearly going in the wrong direction, insofar as the economy is threatening to decouple itself from the nature of the human being. But economic and human interests need not be contradictory. Among the clearest intersections are curiosity, the search for innovation and the joy of experimentation. Therefore: companies, allow and encourage experimentation! Develop different models of how to work in your companies and make them transparent - for all age groups.

Old and agile

Many older employees say, "Yes, I would like to work without a rigid age limit, but not as before." This fits well with new organizational forms and increasingly agile work environments. As an example, a credo of the agile development method Scrum is always to change things, even those that are supposedly going well, to discover new and better ways of working. Costs (leadership) time at first, brings self-responsibility, fun, motivation and in the end more innovation and outcome - right? "You sometimes have to teach an old elephant new tricks," Olmar Albers also says. He was desperately looking for a job at 55 when an internship among digital natives brought him back into the game.

More transparency

In addition, other entrenched factors play an important role in demographicsensitive HR work, such as pay. Is the pay structure, which in some places is still strongly geared to (service) age, really still appropriate and fair? If younger employees are fundamentally more favorable to a company than older ones, this further exacerbates the perceived gap between performance and recognition. In contrast, models such as an "arc career" (congratulations, whoever finds a better word!) with decreasing (often personnel) responsibility or part-time work with correspondingly decreasing pay are conceivable. Many older employees are open to discussions about this or explicitly seek them out and are willing to accept an average of about 10% in salary reductions. In general, greater transparency and fewer inequalities with regard to salaries appear to be desirable. This in turn fits with the logical development of thinking less in terms of job titles and more in terms of roles within different projects.

Older employees: Learning by doing works at any age

Much research has been done on the elderly, but the jungle of prejudices has not been cleared much. Research on the relationship between age and performance at least allows the rough conclusion that 55-year-olds do not lift less per se than 30-year-olds. Most deficits, such as longer reaction times, are compensated for - for example through practice and experience. Ultimately, it is not age but working conditions, living conditions, education and motivation that are decisive for performance. So it's more a matter of whether the task area suits the person or personality. The topic of digitization remains exciting. Which age group uses it and how? - Tools, information, communication and consumption will soon be available to 100% of the workforce in the relevant professions. But who is really networking in a meaningful way, designing, producing content and software? Generation-friendly talent management would say: Found startups in the companies. Learning by doing works at any age.

Talk is gold

The majority of older employees are often unaware of their skills and assets. And conversely, their superiors are not aware of their potential, or at best are very vague about it. It is therefore important to talk to people, to question activities, and to break down rigid structures. For example, in the form of honest employee appraisals in which deficits are openly addressed, by both sides. If it's not put on the table, we're left with vague hopes and fears. And then follow up the discussions with measures - from further training to a completely new area of responsibility, which the employees ideally help to shape themselves. Taking active responsibility, creatively exploiting one's own possibilities instead of being a cog in the wheel - that's motivating. However, this also requires a shared will to shape things, beyond internal company hierarchies. Ideally, generation-friendly talent management is defined in such a way that all those involved, i.e. employees, supervisors and the HR department, are joint designers of a transparent process. It would be great if, in the future, all age groups had the skills and motivation to help shape the world of work 4.0 and wanted to work without rigid age limits, perhaps in combination with family and volunteer work - depending on the phase of life.

About the author:

Since September 2016, Bernadette Höller (36), a qualified gerontologist (gerontology), has been the managing director of the Neustarter Foundation, bringing with her extensive entrepreneurial experience in addition to her specialist knowledge.

The non-profit Neustarter Foundation was established in 1999 as the Tertianum Foundation. Since 2017, it has pursued the goal of inspiring and encouraging people aged 49 and older to make a new start in their careers. Neustarter also supports companies facing demographic change and increasing digitalization at the same time, in order to inspire long-serving and older employees with suitable models and methods, e.g. design thinking, for future working worlds.

www.neustarter.com

"Back to the Future - Utopia or Reality?" was the theme of this year's series of events organized by sieber & partners. With this, the CNO Panel 2018 challenged the approximately 400 participants to ask themselves partly delicate but highly interesting questions, such as: "How will we move from Zurich to Ostermundigen?", "Will we be cared for by robots?", "Is it still necessary to learn languages?", "Who will do my job?", "What would happen if there were self-driving cars?" In workshops, presentations and meeting points, experts and participants jointly approached such acute future questions - and solutions.

Too much "organized" in place of open platforms

Pascal Sieber, founder and organizer of the CNO Panel, draws a rather mixed conclusion when asked how "future-proof" Switzerland is: "The state and state-related companies are lagging behind current developments. ten to twenty years behind. In the private sector, we are about average." In other words, "Back to the Future" seems to apply almost programmatically to our country. However, Pascal Sieber names a few Swiss companies that offer very advanced solutions for digitalization. "One example is Landis + Gyr, for example: the company is a leader in solutions for Energy-as-a-Service. But this is precisely what is currently not feasible in Switzerland, as many state-affiliated energy suppliers want to secure their sinecures," Sieber laments. Overall, he sees Switzerland as still too dominated by state-affiliated companies - in telecommunications, for example - and monopolies. Where open platforms are emerging in other countries, Switzerland is still too "organized" in many respects and prefers to rely on sluggish proprietary solutions.

Not just talking about digital business models, but acting on them

In his keynote address that evening, Jörg Eugster talked about what the digital future might actually look like. The successful internet entrepreneur and future missionary brought the digital megatrends closer in an informative and entertaining way at the CNO Panel 2018 by telling directly from his digital life. The subsequent roundtable discussion "Three Swiss in the Global Market" showed that there are many Swiss entrepreneurs who compete with their software in the international and even global market - even though the Swiss software scene is often referred to as the research and development scene. Three entrepreneurs gave insight into their experience: Dorian Selz, CEO and founder of Squirro, Jens Thuesen, VR president of BSI Software and Cristian Grossmann, CEO and co-founder of Beekeeper. This company has developed an employee app that allows blue-collar workers without their own PC workstation, for example, to better connect. This simplifies the exchange of information - software or IT "only" serves as a means to an end here. With solutions like these, digitization will increasingly permeate the working world of the future. Pascal Sieber hopes that events like the CNO Panel can become a kind of "melting point" where people not only talk about the possibilities of digital business models, but also actively act on them.

More information and impressions

3D printing, or additive manufacturing, is an expensive process. It is mainly used to create prototypes, special components in aerospace or medical technology. New processes now promise significantly lower costs and thus the advance into mass production. In the study "Advancements in Metal 3D Printing," the consulting firm Roland Berger explains the innovation potential in the area of metal 3D printing. "Additive manufacturing is currently still not competitive compared to conventional manufacturing methods in mass production," explains Bernhard Langefeld, Partner at Roland Berger. "We can't expect major advances from established 3D printing technologies: the market is waiting for the next, big leap in innovation."

3D printing: Where does Switzerland stand?

"In Switzerland, some established and new players are sitting in the starting blocks to benefit from the additive manufacturing trend. But patience is still the order of the day, which is not always the case, especially for listed companies," says Sven Siepen, Senior Partner and industry expert at Roland Berger in Zurich.

The most widely used process at present is "Powder Bed Fusion by Laser" (PBF-L). For this, a 3D part is generated layer by layer using a fine powder as the printing medium. PBF-L is used, for example, for complex parts in the aerospace industry or prototypes. Prices for this technology have fallen in recent years and further efficiency increases in the double-digit percentage range are expected by 2020. Nevertheless, the costs are still 15 to 60 times higher compared to the classic construction of identical parts.

Many new technologies are in the starting blocks

In their study, the experts at Roland Berger focus primarily on new additive manufacturing methods such as direct energy deposition (DED), material jetting, material extrusion and binder jetting. With DED, three-dimensional components are created by buildup welding using wire or powder. DED is a common process for repairs, for example. "Material Jetting" creates metallic objects similar to an inkjet printer by applying liquid metal droplets. In the "Material Extrusion" process, metal powder is incorporated into binder material to create a rod or type of wire. This is heated in a nozzle and then deposited layer by layer. In the "binder jetting" process, binder is added to the top layer of the powder bed in each case, so that a component is formed via the layer structure. In the last two processes, a so-called "green compact" is produced in each case, which must be further processed.

Many of these new processes are still in the development phase, but will gradually become more relevant in the coming years and ensure market growth for additive manufacturing solutions, as they enable production with larger volumes, among other things. The resulting cost advantages over PBF-L can be a factor of ten, depending on the process. "At present, such innovative processes complement established 3D printing techniques, but in the long term they may also replace them," predicts Langefeld. "However, we do not assume that one technology will completely prevail and displace all other solutions. As we describe in the study, the future belongs to a mix of different processes, each addressing specific requirement profiles in terms of material properties, production volumes and costs."

The right strategies for the right technologies

The wide variety of innovative solutions provides manufacturing companies with new options, but also presents them with challenges. In order to analyze the full spectrum of possibilities and then make targeted use of them, the following project approach has proven successful:

1. Develop understanding of solutions: Given the complex environment, companies should first build a detailed understanding of the technology landscape.
2. Identify application areas: With this knowledge, companies can analyze their own product portfolio and see if they can benefit from 3D printing processes.
3. Grouping individual fields of application: To obtain a systematic overview, the individual applications can be assigned to different groups. For each of these clusters, companies should subsequently develop specific scenarios.
4. Institutionalize the process: The analysis described must not be a one-off exercise, but is designed as a cycle. Only in this way is it possible to incorporate technical improvements and innovations.

"The media hype surrounding the topic of 3D printing seems to have faded somewhat, but research and development are advancing rapidly. The new technologies in particular are further fuelling innovation competition among the various processes. Therefore, machine and plant manufacturers should put additive manufacturing at the top of their agenda," Bernhard Langefeld summarizes.

Source: www.rolandberger.com