An end to the traditional 8-hour day? You have to ask yourself that after reading a recently published global study. People are working less and less in the office and more and more from somewhere else. According to IWG, the parent company of leading workspace providers such as Regus and Spaces, the emergence of this "mobile workforce" has been triggered by technological change, globalization and changing employee expectations. IWG published the aforementioned study on the subject, based on insights from more than 18,000 business professionals in 96 countries. According to this study, 70 % of employees work at least one day per week away from the office. More than one in two (53 %) work remotely at least half the week, and more than one in ten (11 %) work outside their company's main office five times a week.

Has the 8-hour day had its day?

The survey also highlights how companies view the benefits of flexible working strategies on a global scale:

• Business growth (89% - 2016: 67%)
• Competitiveness (87% - 2014: only 59%)
• Productivity (82% - 2013: 75%)
• Attracting and retaining top talent (80% - 2016: 64%).
• Increase profitability (83%)

For generations, office work around the world has been based on a fixed location and an 8-hour day. But more and more companies are now adopting a very different work model that benefits both them and their employees.

Happier and more productive workers

More than half of the Swiss (56%) agreed that flexible working increases job satisfaction, showing that companies need to provide work environments that suit today's worker if they want to retain top-notch employees. The study also showed that it's no longer just startup companies that are embracing flexible working and shared workspaces. The world's most successful companies - including the likes of Etihad Airways, Diesel, GSK, Mastercard, Microsoft, Oracle and Uber - are already using flexible workplaces.

Cost efficiency as the most important reason for using flexible workplaces

The shift to flexible workplaces reflects the changing demands and expectations of the workforce. At 84%, the majority of the Swiss find that fast and reliable Wi-Fi is the main feature of a productive work environment. Similarly, 69% of Swiss respondents appreciate that you only pay for the space you effectively use. Savings can also be made on real estate (49%) and office staff (59%). The advantages are obvious: an overwhelming 93% Swiss said that flexible workplaces lead to greater productivity.

Source: IWG

Free? Occupied? By whom? For how long? These questions come to mind when standing in front of a lecture hall or meeting room. Paper signs or displays that rely on radio infrastructure or cabling were out of the question in the landmarked ETH building in the heart of Zurich. The historic building allows no drilling, no cables and no installations for the signage of the premises. However, there was no attractive solution available on the market that met ETH's requirements in terms of scalability, design and price.

Dynamic e-paper instead of static doorplates

That's when ROOMZ hit the "tablet," recalls Armin Brunner, Head of Multimedia Services at ETH, who is responsible for the project: "The problem of mixed use of the course rooms had existed for some time. However, a wired system was never an option for us due to the protection of historical monuments and the structural conditions." The idea of the startup ROOMZ SA from Fribourg with its CEO Roger Meier for a battery-powered reservation and management tool, which can be easily integrated into Exchange, Office 365, Google Calendar and other reservation systems and gets by 100% without cables, arrived: Armin Brunner took on the role of pilot customer. Together, the parameters for the ePaper-based reservation system were defined. After only six months, the first prototypes were installed in the rector's office and at the Institute of Mathematics. "It became apparent very quickly that ROOMZ was exactly what we were looking for. That's why we decided to equip all reservable rooms with ROOMZ. That's 600 rooms that we can use better and more efficiently thanks to ROOMZ," explains Armin Brunner.

Space utilization digitized

Distributing paper printouts throughout the building and exchanging them several times a day is a thing of the past with ROOMZ displays. "With ROOMZ, we not only better utilize our rooms, but also optimize the offer for our students and the comfort for our guests," reports the rectorate of ETH Zurich.

The digital doorplates, which dynamically display the room reservations, can be managed centrally or used by students, staff and professors for a spontaneous booking. The ROOMZ server connects to ETH's 10 different reservation tools, demonstrating ROOMZ's high degree of flexibility and openness. The result: "The rooms are better utilized, the students are satisfied, and room planning is many times more efficient," summarizes Armin Brunner. ROOMZ was able to solve a major problem for ETH: The battery-operated door sign now serves as a shining example of modern spatial planning for other universities, companies and public institutions. "The fact that we were able to win ETH as our first customer is an extraordinary pleasure and honor for us. ETH is the birthplace of many world-changing innovations - and also the birthplace of ROOMZ. The interest on the part of ETH and the realization that the need for modern spatial planning has not yet been met on the market encouraged us to take off with ROOMZ. The collaboration with Armin Brunner and the ETH team was very constructive for us and trend-setting for our company," explains Roger Meier.

Spatial planning of the future

For the future, Armin Brunner can imagine using presence sensors to further optimize room occupancy at ETH. "Student workstations are popular, but rare. There is a great need to manage them optimally. A presence sensor can help to release the room if someone does not show up for their reservation. It also allows reliable information on effective utilization in conjunction with ROOMZ."

More information about the product: https://roomz.io/

Half a year ago, Peter Keil placed a job ad in the weekend edition of the local daily newspaper, in which he also gave his e-mail address - "unfortunately". Because when the owner of an engineering firm came into his office at 10 o'clock on a Saturday morning, there were already a dozen applications in his mail account - even though the weekend edition of the newspaper had been distributed to households just three or four hours earlier.

A lot of junk in online applications

The quality of the applications was correspondingly high. "All junk," Keil sums it up. "You could see it in the applications right away: They just quickly changed the address in the standard cover letter and then sent the application just before the weekend shopping."

It was a similar story with most of the applications that landed "en masse" in Keil's mail account over the next few days. Not only that almost all occupational groups - from pedicurists to warehouse workers - applied for the advertised position of "office specialist (m/f)". Keil also clearly registered a lower quality in the online applications than in the written applications that arrived a few days later.

"Maybe I'm lucky"

Keil's impression: "With written applications, people think twice before applying." After all, printing out application documents and sending them costs time - and money. It's different with online applications. Many job seekers quickly sit down at their PC and change the address data in their standard application. Then they press the "send" button on their e-mail program and the application is gone. True to the maxim: Maybe I'll get lucky.

Many company representatives confirm this impression. Time and again, they discover "real stylistic blossoms" in online applications. Keil was amused, for example, by the following sentence in the cover letter of a hotel manageress: "I look forward to lively contact with your guests. With this, the applicant immediately catapulted herself out of the running. Because according to Keil: "We have a customer drop by every two weeks. And with him I immediately disappear into the meeting room." After reading the aforementioned sentence, it was clear to Keil that the woman had only added a new form of address to an application she had written for a hotel.

When he included his e-mail address in the ad, Keil also underestimated the extra work he was saddling himself with. In the days following the publication of the ad, he repeatedly received e-mails with the following tenor: "Before I apply, can you give me more information about the position?" With the first two or three e-mails, Keil thought: Great, someone is seriously interested in the job. So he took a lot of time answering them. But at some point he got fed up - because he had other things to do.

File salad produces extra work

In other respects, too, the online applications made Keil more work than the written ones. Printing out the applications that did not immediately fall through the cracks proved to be time-consuming. This was because most of the applications had the cover letter, resume and (work) references attached as individual documents - often in different file formats. Only two or three applicants had packed the documents into a pdf file, so Keil only had to open one file and had a sorted application folder in front of him. At some point, Keil decided, "I'm not going to look at the applications with "exotic file attachments. "Because it's not my job to first convert the stuff and then sort through the printed pages."

Personnel consultant Alexander Walz, Stuttgart, confirms that applicants often put little effort into creating online applications. "Many send their applications in 'scatter mail' without asking themselves in advance: do I have a realistic chance at the job?" Many applicants also don't ask themselves enough: What effect does it have on the recipient if the attached data has any cryptic names, so that you can't see what's hidden inside until you open it?

08/15 applications provoke standard rejections

That's why Walz understands that some companies only respond to 08/15 online applications with standard rejections, if at all. "If you don't put much effort into your application, you shouldn't complain if the recipient behaves the same way." Because small and medium-sized companies in particular would otherwise no longer be able to cope with the flood of applications that pours in after some job ads.

What experiences have you had with online applications? Write it to us in the comment field!

To the author: Bernhard Kuntz is a business and PR editor and owner of the agency Die PRofilBerater GmbH in Darmstadt.

With the roadshow "succession bus", the company placement portal companymarket draws attention to the topic of "succession planning". "On board" the succession bus are in each case different experts, who make themselves available at six stations as interlocutors and advisors. On May 31, the succession bus was a guest in Zurich.

Rather start a company than take one over?

The regulation of company succession is "an important topic," said Zurich Cantonal Councilor Carmen Walker Späh in her opening address. Succession planning is of enormous economic importance. After all, it is always about preserving know-how and jobs. The regulation of a company succession deserves more attention. "It's just cooler to say you founded a startup than: I have taken over a company," said Carmen Walker Späh. She pointed to interesting statistical facts: After five years, 50 percent of newly founded companies no longer exist, while the failure rate for company takeovers is only 5 percent...

Fewer and fewer family-internal company successions

Natalie Spross Döbeli shared her experience of succession within the family (see our Interview with her in ORGANISATOR 9/2017). Today, she is CEO of Spross Holding AG and has taken on a not easy legacy, but always voluntarily and out of a sense of duty to the family. Today, she is already thinking about her own succession. This is also right, as Franziska Müller Tiberini, owner of Familienunternehmen.ch AG, confirms. Because people often wait too long before thinking about their own succession. In addition, succession within the family is on the decline. Müller Tiberini sees the reason for this in today's much broader educational palette, which offers children many more options. Taking over the parental company tends to stand in the way of flexible life plans.

De-industrialization due to unresolved company successions?

The topic of company succession is complex. It is about the valuation of a company when it has to be sold, about the financing of the company purchase and also about the role change from buyer to successor or from seller to "retiree". This sometimes requires a lot of psychology, as an expert in company sales confirmed. In any case, the role of a company successor should not be underestimated, also from a macroeconomic point of view. This was pointed out in the two presentations by Reto Rüttimann (Head of SME Corporate Succession at the ZKB) and Hans-Ulrich Bigler, President of the Swiss Trade Association and Member of the National Council. They warned against the de-industrialization of Switzerland due to unresolved successions.

The next follow-up bus event will be held in Basel on June 14. Information: www.nachfolgebus.ch

The figures presented by Data Migration Services AG at a recent media conference are impressive: the company has repeatedly been able to increase its sales by double-digit percentages in recent years. In 2017 alone, growth amounted to around 40 percent. JiVS software generated sales of 25 million Swiss francs last year, both directly and via partners. In 2017, for example, one of the largest energy materials groups and Lafarge Holcim opted for JiVS. The building materials giant will use it to historicize dozens of legacy systems. But one of the world's 20 largest corporations from the USA is also a prominent customer of the Kreuzlingen-based software manufacturer. The conglomerate has been using JiVS for all business lines since 2017. However, Data Migration Services still has the big growth spurt ahead of it. By 2030, founder and owner Thomas Failer expects a potential of at least two billion Swiss francs. With the goal of becoming the global market leader for historization of legacy systems and complementary solutions, Failer returned to the company on May 1, 2018. In order to tap into this potential as much as possible, the existing global partner network is to be expanded at full speed. Failer: "Customers see up to 80 percent savings potential for IT operations in the future in the historization of legacy systems. That's why the discipline must also be an integral part of migration strategies and the means of choice to provide the resources that are often lacking for urgently needed investments in innovative business models."

Challenges data protection

The reasons that market researchers see such great potential for companies in JiVS' core business are extremely pragmatic: Capgemini, for example, says that half of the largest companies could take 50 percent of their software systems out of operation. However, since the requirements of data protection laws, for example, cannot be met without historization functionalities such as those provided by JiVS, the topic has been treated rather stepmotherly in the past. Now, against the background of the new European General Data Protection Regulation, attention to this topic is likely to increase. This is because companies must be able to provide information about personal data on request, even if this data is stored in old databases that have not been migrated to new applications. The JiVS software solution ensures that access to "ancient" data is still possible; the origin of data and its further processing along the value chain can still be traced. This is also relevant in the project business and plant engineering, for example, where long runtimes often prevail. When modernizing a power plant, for example, it is of utmost importance to know exactly which parts or materials were originally installed in order to avoid errors and delays in planning and, above all, execution. The various views can be placed next to each other in the JiVS interface so that, for example, a specialist user can understand the material flow from ordering to delivery and assembly at a glance.

Migration to SAP S/4 Hana

In addition, there are the consequences that companies will face as a result of migration to the new SAP world if they do not consistently retire legacy systems. By 2025 at the latest, many companies will be confronted with the inevitable migration to S4/Hana and a proprietary database policy whose costs can no longer be justified. In the meantime, a change in thinking has therefore also set in, says Failer: "Customers, partners and market researchers assess the need for consolidation and historization of software systems as more urgent than ever." In addition to data protection compliance and SAP S/4 Hana, however, megatrends such as cloud computing or new digital business models are also the drivers, he says. "Processes and systems are changing, but data must remain available. We will use these challenges faced by companies to expand our market leadership for historization of legacy systems with JiVS."

Gartner sees JiVS as "ideal" for decommissioning software systems

Data Migration Services' growth is also astonishing in light of its organization. The company with its 20 employees has a very lean structure. Even for large international groups, sales were handled by correspondence, as it were, as Thomas Failer recounts. While other companies have an extensive sales network for global activities, Data Migration Systems can rely on well-known partners, first and foremost the system integrators from SAP. This also explains the enormous potential. But users of other ERP solutions that are reaching the end of their life cycle can also use JiVS to archive their old data stocks with reasonable effort and make them available for the new solution. Market researcher Gartner recognizes the Swiss software JiVS in its SDAAR Magic Quadrant (Structured Data Archiving and Application Retirement), saying, "If you are looking for a legacy retirement solution, we belive JiVS is ideal." and "The JiVS Approach to switch to SAP S/4HANA is game-changing." If that doesn't equate to a knighthood....

www.dms-ag.ch

The European Union's new General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) has been in force since May 25, 2018. It not only includes organizational requirements for the processing of personal data, but also strengthens the rights of private individuals in particular. Companies and institutions based in Switzerland must also comply with the GDPR if they process personal data of individuals from the EU area. Regardless of whether they employ two employees or 5000 - to ensure compliance with the GDPR and to protect data from these individuals, companies and institutions are forced to take technical and organizational measures. From now on, transmitting confidential information unprotected is not only negligent, but punishable by law, with heavy fines of up to 20 million euros. Add to this the fact that parliament is currently drafting a Swiss equivalent to the GDPR. Companies and institutions that have already adapted to the GDPR should have less trouble implementing the new Federal Data Protection Act (DPA).

Protect sensitive data verifiably

The new EU regulation covers any type of information that could, at least theoretically, allow conclusions to be drawn about a specific person. Not only the name, address, date of birth, telephone number, e-mail address or, for example, individual travel plans of customers are protected. Tax identification numbers, account numbers and employee references may also no longer be sent unprotected by e-mail. In addition, data subjects now have a right to information about the personal data collected, processed and transferred by companies and organizations.

Easy-to-implement email solution for businesses and institutions

A user-friendly and cost-effective solution for sending e-mails in accordance with the new guidelines is offered by the RMail complete package from Frama Communications AG, Lauperswil (BE). The system is easy to install via download. Software installations at the recipient or a registration on web platforms are not necessary. The solution is therefore specifically suitable for people with no previous knowledge of IT and companies without internal IT specialists. Users send their e-mails in encrypted form and, thanks to a delivery and receipt receipt, have legally valid proof at all times that their e-mails and attachments have reached the recipient securely. Frama RMail^TM has proven itself internationally over many years and is continuously adapted to legal and technical developments as well as the general conditions of the market, the company further states.

More information: www.frama-rmail.com

In the meantime, there are many awards for startups in Switzerland. The oldest and the most highly endowed is the W.A. de Vigier Promotion Prize: every year, it distributes CHF 500,000 in prize money (5 times CHF 100,000) to young entrepreneurs in Switzerland. Since its 29-year existence, the W.A. de Vigier Foundation has distributed a total of over CHF 11 million in start-up capital. To date, this has resulted in around 84 successful startups, several IPOs, profitable company sales and, above all, numerous new jobs. The foundation is the legacy of William A. de Vigier, a Solothurn native who died in 2003 and whose private initiative laid the foundation for this form of startup promotion.

Promotional award also gives strong weighting to personality of CEO

From over 220 projects submitted, the jury selected its top 16 in February. These went through an assessment and presented their ideas to the Foundation Board, which then selected the top 10. In addition to groundbreaking products, the personality of the CEO played a major role in choosing the winners. "We don't just want to support groundbreaking products, we also want to invest in outstanding people who will play a decisive role in shaping a new generation of Swiss entrepreneurs," explains Regula Buob, Managing Director of the W.A. de Vigier Foundation. The Top 16 undergo an assessment and put their own leadership style under the microscope in a confidential validation interview. With this approach, the W.A. de Vigier Foundation is one of the few sponsors that systematically consider the human factor.

The five award winners (alphabetical order)

• AUDATIC GmbH from Zurich (ZH) - Better performance of hearing aids in noisy environments: Hearing aids often let their wearers down in noisy situations. AUDATIC uses the latest artificial intelligence methods to filter out distracting background noise and significantly improve the listening experience. Whether in a restaurant, on the road or at a business meeting: Hearing aid users can once again take part in conversations with more pleasure and confidence thanks to AUDATIC's technology.
• inVoli from Renens (VD) - Safe integration of drones into air traffic: Collisions between drones and aircraft are increasingly becoming a hazard. inVoli provides the infrastructure for safely integrating unmanned aerial objects into existing air traffic. The Vaud-based startup's technology aims to make air traffic situation data accessible and equip stakeholders as well as the flying objects themselves with the necessary tools to use the skies more safely and efficiently.
• Myoswiss AG from Zurich (ZH) - Wearable muscles for people with movement restrictions: Myoswiss develops the Myosuit: A layer of clothing made of wearable muscles that supports everyday activities. The solution combines robotics and functional textiles in a comfortable product that weighs less than five kilograms. Novel algorithms coupled with sensors and actuators control the supporting forces during the user's movements.
• nanoleq GmbH from Zurich (ZH) - A new generation of cables: Cables are vulnerable. This is a problem with medical devices or factory robots, for example. nanoleq developed a fundamentally new type of cable technology. Under mechanical stress, the Zurich-based startup's FlexOne cable has a service life up to a hundred times longer than a standard cable and retains its high flexibility. nanoleq's target markets are in medical technology, high-end audio applications and robotics.
• SUN bioscience from Lausanne (VD) - 3D cell cultures for more effective treatment decisions: SUN bioscience launches a platform for standardized organoid 3D cell cultures that allow patient-specific testing for direct efficacy of treatments. Current methods based on biomarkers are often insufficiently reliable. SUN bioscience's solution optimizes medication decisions and avoids ineffective therapies. This enables billions of dollars in healthcare savings.

Other startups in the top 10

Five more startups made it into the top 10 in the "final selection" for the funding award. These are (alphabetically):

• ACUBE Technology AG from Nidau (BE) - access via smartphone instead of tickets and badges: The handling of tickets, badges and garage door hand-held transmitters is tedious and time-consuming for both the user and the technical service. ACUBE uses the smartphone for easier access and automatic payment. Thanks to the combination of a patented location system with an app, misplaced tickets and embarrassing arm-extension maneuvers in front of the parking garage barrier will soon be a thing of the past.
• AgroSustain GmbH (VD) - Organic fungicides for sustainable agriculture: Producers of agricultural products are under pressure. To avoid harvest and storage losses, chemical fungicides are used, which have a negative impact on biodiversity as well as our health. AgroSustain develops ecological prevention and treatment products against a wide range of fungal pathogens. These are interesting for storage, for the timber industry, gardeners and farmers.
• hemotune AG from Zurich (ZH) - Revolutionary blood purification process for sepsis: hemotune's process can remove hard-to-reach toxins from the blood. Specially developed magnetic nanoparticles bind to the toxins and can then be magnetically separated. In an add-on device to the dialysis machine, these nanoparticles are mixed with the blood and removed along with the toxins. The first application is being developed for the removal of endotoxins in acute blood poisoning.
• Sensoryx AG from Zurich (ZH) - Sensory immersion in the virtual world: Until now, users have had to hold distracting controls in their hands instead of being able to interact directly with the virtual world. VRfree is a mobile 3D tracking system that fully maps hands and fingers in cyberspace and enables a literally tangible immersion in the virtual world. This solution combines different sensor types and provides reality-identical mobile motion capture without delay.
• Touchless Automation GmbH from Biel (BE) - Contactless handling of micro components: Touchless Automation offers innovative solutions for any industry that processes microcomponents. As soon as the sensitive microcomponents are touched, there is a risk of scratching, contamination or other damage. The Biel-based startup's solution can move components of all materials - completely contact-free.

Vibrant entrepreneurial spirit in Switzerland

There is no lack of entrepreneurial spirit in Switzerland - and the W.A. de Vigier Foundation is suitably pleased about it. "Last year, 43,000 new companies were founded in Switzerland. As the W.A. Foundation, we are allowed to take a closer look at a fraction of the best companies. It is a real privilege and at the same time almost impossible to select the top 10 or five winners, because there are simply more than ten of them on Mount Olympus," says Alain Nicod, member of the Board of Trustees of the W.A. de Vigier Foundation.

Source and further information

The Swiss Ethics Award, organized by the School of Engineering and Business Vaud Canton (HEIG-VD) and launched for the first time in 2005, is an independent prize to promote ethics, sustainable development and social responsibility strategies of companies or public organizations. The aim is that such measures become natural and obvious to everyone. For this purpose, concrete projects are awarded, which encourage others to further develop or imitate them. This year, the following organizations were awarded:

PX Précinox - PX Impact

The gold value chain is a very sensitive topic. Many cases of lack of environmental protection, lack of compliance with working conditions and corruption are regularly reported by the press. To respond to this problem, PX Précinox SA, active in gold mining and trading, has implemented the PX Impact project. Its goal to provide responsibly mined gold by offering total transparency to its customers through traceability and the supply chain of its products. It also guarantees the extraction of mercury-free ore. Price increases charged to customers are used as a bonus system to fund local projects. The aim is to make a tangible contribution to the welfare and development of local communities.

ETHZ - Sustainability Report

ETH Zurich is the first university in Switzerland to publish a sustainability report. This report not only promotes a broad internal dialogue about the university's contribution to sustainable development, but also addresses staff and students with an interest in sustainability issues and gives them the appropriate visibility for their commitment. Fully transparent and self-critical, it provides insight into project developments, successes and challenges. This report helps to strengthen the mutual appreciation of academic service providers, non-academic staff and students and to promote ethical cooperation.

Association Ecoparc - Ecoparc

The Ecoparc association aims to promote sustainable development in the built environment. As an information hub, it organizes tools, methods and best practices for the public, private actors and public authorities. One of the association's great strengths is the quality and richness of its information, which is made available directly on the Internet. The Swiss National Library has also selected its website for web archives. The association acts as a mediator between the different actors of a project and is always ready to intervene to promote and facilitate the definition of standards for sustainable development.

Source: www.heig-vd.ch

Exactly one hundred years ago, a group of committed teachers joined forces with interested circles in Zurich to found a private day grammar school for young people and adults as the Juventus Teachers' Cooperative. Just two years after its founding, the Juventus schools were the first in Switzerland to offer an evening high school. Thus, for the first time, the Matura could also be obtained by adults on a part-time basis. Early on, the Juventus Schools took on a pioneering role in the educational landscape and paved the way for second-chance education for young people and adults. Today, this is an important part of the Swiss educational landscape.

Digitization as an opportunity

Juventus Schools is also setting new standards in terms of digitization in education: Since August 2017, classes have been held at the new education campus on Europaallee, right next to the tracks of Zurich's main train station. Therefore, not only the 100th birthday of the foundation is celebrated, but also the opening of the new school building. The "JuveCampus" has state-of-the-art equipment with the highest Minergie label and connects students around the clock from anywhere in the world directly to the electronic teaching materials, exercise modules and learning platform.

Politmatinée - Political Awareness and Engagement

"Of course, we demand a pronounced degree of personal responsibility from our learners," explains Matthias Rüegg, Director of Juventus Schools. In general education classes, the students have been working intensively with dedicated teachers on issues of democracy and political participation. In the second Politmatinée, they had the unique opportunity to put Swiss politicians on the spot with the claim, "Are politics letting our young people down?" For just under two hours, the politicians faced critical questions. In the arena were Paul Rechsteiner (SP), Claudio Zanetti (SVP), Hans-Peter Portmann (FDP), Barbara Schmid-Federer (CVP), Sibel Arslan (GPS), Markus Bischoff (AL) and Heinz Pantli as the original liberal voice of the New Helvetic Society. "Political debate is important to us because it strengthens the democratic coexistence of the generations," as Matthias Rüegg clarifies. "Young people should learn that they are a part of our political landscape, in which they should become active themselves after the training period." Indeed, the school on Europaallee accompanies around 2,000 learners each year in their education and training. Since its foundation, Juventus Schools has already trained tens of thousands of learners, and that is indeed a good reason to celebrate.

More information

Falling debtor risks and no fear of Brexit: this is how positively Swiss SMEs view the near future. Swiss companies are also well ahead of the rest of Europe in terms of risk mitigation: more than half of all Swiss companies surveyed (55 percent) say they use some form of credit assessment - compared with only one in four companies in the rest of Europe that resort to this hedging tool. These are - in brief - the key findings of Intrum's European Payment Report, which describes the impact of late payments on the development and growth of European companies.

Financial shortages, carelessness and intent - as reasons for late payment.

The Swiss companies surveyed still see financial difficulties as the main reason for late payment by their customers (81%, -4%), but carelessness or general administrative challenges have again increased as a risk factor since last year: by 4 to 74%. Companies also continue to see deliberate delay as one of the main reasons for unpunctual payment (68%, +/-0%). When it comes to payment, Swiss companies have tended to catch up with the European average - after an upswing in the previous year. Last year, Switzerland had paid even faster than the EU average with comparatively long average payment periods. However, both values have now risen again compared with the previous year - in other words, Swiss companies are granting longer payment periods and are actually also being paid more slowly again.

Liquidity, losses and high interest costs - as risks after late payment

One in three companies is facing liquidity bottlenecks due to late payment of receivables, and a quarter of the companies surveyed in Switzerland say they will have to accept a drop in sales. And while the fear of higher interest costs has almost doubled, one in five companies continues to fear weaker growth as well.

Swiss SMEs are more optimistic about the coming year

One in five SMEs in this country expects their customers to pay with better payment behavior in the next twelve months than at the time of the survey. This is an optimistic view shared by only one in ten companies in our neighboring European countries - half as many as in Switzerland. 7 out of 10 of the Swiss companies surveyed have already accepted payment terms that were longer than they would have liked. The public sector in particular seems to have increasingly asked for longer payment periods over the past year (27%, +8%) and, according to the study, received them (29%, +9%). "Late payment and non-payment lead to a negative spiral - sales losses, liquidity bottlenecks and thus growth blockades can be the result. Especially for SMEs - the backbone of our economy - which are hit hardest. This is where Intrum comes in and supports the willingness of consumers to pay SMEs," says Thomas Hutter, Managing Director Intrum AG. Companies still try to protect themselves from these increasing risks of late payments and defaults mainly through credit checks and debt collection measures.

And the European GDPR?

The EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) represents the most important change in data protection regulations in the past 20 years and aims to harmonize data protection laws in Europe. In Switzerland, the responsible committee of the National Council has split the total revision of Swiss data protection rules in two. Against this background, it is understandable that only 8% of the companies surveyed in this country see any impact at all on payment processes. Companies in this country also see both the impact on their business as very low - both the rather positive impact (4%) and the rather negative impact (6%).

The Weakening EU and Brexit - Impact on Swiss SMEs

Most Swiss companies are relaxed about the challenges in the EU. However, almost one in eight companies (13%) still sees a weakening EU as an opportunity rather than a threat - and is thus right at the front of the pack in a European comparison (5%), directly behind the UK (25%).

Source: Intrum AG

As a part-time employee, do I have to arrange my own occupational benefits?

As a part-time employee, it is important to always keep an eye on your overall pension provision in general. Because depending on how much you work and where, large gaps can arise.
This is especially true for occupational pension plans. Because if someone has several jobs, then a distinction is made between main and sideline employment. And the sideline does not have to be insured in the pension fund. This is a disadvantage for the employee.

What is my main job, what is my secondary job?

The difference between main and secondary employment is not always clear. A higher workload does not automatically mean that this is the main occupation. The decision here is made by the AHV based on various factors. One thing is clear: Secondary employment is not subject to BVG, which means that income from secondary employment does not have to be insured in the pension fund.

Those who are employed by several employers on a small scale must be careful. It is possible that the individual salary is below the BVG entry threshold of around CHF 21,000 and is not insured. This person then has no occupational pension at all.

Why does it make a difference for my occupational pension plan whether I work part-time or full-time?

The main issue here is the so-called coordination deduction in accordance with the BVG compulsory scheme. This is a fixed amount that the pension fund deducts from your salary, what remains is insured. This amount remains the same whether you work 40% or 100%. If you have two or more part-time jobs and therefore two or more pension funds, the coordination deduction is subtracted from your salary each time. This means that you have a smaller insured salary overall, and you and your employer pay fewer contributions. For many part-time employees, this means that they suffer large losses in their pensions.

How can I respond to these disadvantages in the 2nd pillar if I work part-time?

There are options, but you have to take them yourself:

1. Ask your employer to adjust the coordination deduction at the pension fund to your degree of employment.
   In principle, many pension funds offer the option of adjusting the coordination deduction to the degree of employment - also the pension fund pro. The adjustment must apply in each case to all part-time employees in the same line of business (e.g., all in the office or all in production). Some employers do not make the adjustment automatically because they have to pay fewer contributions that way: If the insured wage is lower, this also costs the employer less in contributions. Others, however, take their social responsibility seriously when they are made aware of it. There are also employees who explicitly do not want the coordination deduction to be adjusted because they depend on having a few francs more on their salary account at the end of the month.
2. If you have several part-time jobs: Try to insure your salary cumulatively with a single pension fund.
   Ask your pension fund whether it is possible for you to have your entire salary insured. This will prevent a double or triple coordination deduction on your insured salary.
3. Insure your salary yourself with the Stiftung Auffangeinrichtung.
   Many people are not aware of this possibility: If you have a second job and your earnings are not insured with any pension fund (e.g. because they are also below the entry threshold), you can apply to the Foundation reception facility be insured. Your employer must also contribute at least 50% to the cost of contributions.

Do you have any further questions about your occupational pension plan? Our pension specialists gladly advise you.

In many people's minds, an old myth persists, namely that selling is something that (a) we have no talent for, (b) is somewhat disreputable, or (c) we don't need. Some also believe all of these at the same time. I had discussed the topic of (a) talent in the last impulse for success refuted (as one of the five most obstructive beliefs for success). The point (c) usually testifies to arrogance and point (b) often to a lack of self-confidence.

I'll give you the key reason here why the ability to sell is so critical to your success: Only those who have to sell learn to convince. Because you can only sell something (ethically correct) if you offer added value to others, objectively and subjectively.

Convince - the most difficult thing in life

I can tell you this from my own experience: after almost 20 years as an "employee" in large companies, as the owner of my own company I had to learn to convince customers of the value of my services. And I tell you: this is the most difficult thing in professional life! Not because there is no clear benefit, but because potential customers do not see it if it is not explained to them in an emotionally convincing way.

Imagine that EVERYONE in your company would have to sell something starting tomorrow. Everyone would have to have an online store where he or she offers his or her services. In doing so, they would then have to explain why someone else should "buy" their idea, plan or work.

Three tips to learn to sell

Let's get "real"! Here are three concrete ideas to get your team producing real value for others (instead of just processing tasks):

1. Knowledge. Train every member of your organization to understand that a service only makes sense if there are recipients for it. These alone judge the benefit and "price" of the service. A great many processes and projects would be discontinued immediately if this principle were applied consistently.
2. Lead. As a manager, you make it a habit to ask your people about the value of their work to internal and external customers. What price would they pay for it? This question is unusual for most people, but it encourages them to think about the added value of their own work.
3. Learning. Set up learning platforms with the best books, audio courses, and video trainings on selling and persuading. This will incidentally boost your team's self-confidence (an extremely important issue for most companies).

These are just three of many ideas on how to make your team and your company more "salesy" in a positive sense, namely to focus on persuasiveness and customer value. And I'll let you in on another secret: When you start to see selling in this light, it becomes really fun, especially for those who supposedly have no "talent" for selling.

To the author:
Volkmar Völzke is a success maximizer. Book author. Consultant. Coach. Speaker. www.volkmarvoelzke.ch