30 percent of business successions in Switzerland fail. This means that a good 5,000 companies are liquidated every year instead of being continued. That's 14 SMEs a day that close due to a lack of a succession solution. In terms of jobs, there are more than 400,000 companies affected by a more or less acute succession situation. This is roughly equivalent to the population of the canton of Lucerne (cf. Succession Study SME Switzerland 2017, https://www.bisnode.ch/ueber-bisnode/ueber-uns/presse-und-pr/nachfolge-studie-kmu-schweiz-2017/).

Free talks around the business succession

Carla Kaufmann (pictured), an experienced expert in the field of business succession, has been observing this negative development for eight years. Because watching is known to change nothing, she initiated the project "NachfolgeBus". With 12 experienced experts, the owner of Companymarket AG is touring across German-speaking Switzerland for the first time this year, offering SME entrepreneurs free qualified talks on all aspects of the succession process. "If the Swiss economy continues to focus as pronouncedly as it has for some time on the entrepreneurial startup phase instead of investing to at least the same extent in growth and, above all, succession for existing companies, our economy will suffer a fundamental loss of substance. In other words, Switzerland is driving its substance to the wall. When we took over the Companymarket platform eight years ago, we had 30 percent of companies from the industrial sector on the platform every year. Today, we are well below 10 percent. We have deindustrialized. However, I think this fact is being criminally ignored," states Carla Kaufmann.

Sharpen urgency

This is precisely where their "NachfolgeBus" project comes in. On the one hand, the intention is to raise general awareness of the urgency of company succession. On the other hand, it is about motivating SME owners and potential buyers and sellers to actively address the issue of succession. After all, Swiss SMEs should be preserved. "At some point, people will understand that we should not only invest in the software of robots, but also in the housing," Kaufmann continues. Six stops are on the tour schedule from May 24 to June 28. The route of the "NachfolgeBus" runs from Chur via Zurich to Aarau, Basel and Bern, and finally to the heart of Switzerland, to Schwyz. Short presentations and panel discussions with representatives from regional politics and companies will provide topical supplementary impulses. The concluding aperitif and barbecue will provide an opportunity to continue the exchange with the experts present.

Positive response and support from the regions

Cantonal organizations such as location and business development agencies, chambers of commerce and trade associations welcome the "NachfolgeBus" project and act as additional multipliers in their regions. The large-scale initiative receives both financial and non-material support from various financial institutions as well as renowned SMEs - one of which has a 324-year company history. As part of the tour program, representatives from politics and business will enliven the discussion about the succession market with current aspects and best practice examples. It will be exciting.

Important in a nutshell

Short program - the follow-up bus is on site from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. each day:

• From 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.: Free one-on-one meetings with the experts
• From approx. 4 p.m.: Short presentations and panel discussions with regional representatives from politics and business
• From 18.30 to 20 h: aperitif and barbecue

All tour stops 2018 at a glance:

• May 24: Chur
• May 31: Zurich
• June 5: Aarau
• June 14: Basel
• June 21: Bern
• June 28: Schwyz

The Expert Circle:

• Franziska Müller-Tiberini, Family business.ch AG
• Petra Ducksch, DTK Attorneys at Law
• Carla Kaufmann, Companymarket AG
• Giacomo Garaventa, Successor.ch
• Hans-Peter Ruepp, Ruepp & Partner AG
• Fabian Rudin, Business Transaction AG
• David Dahinden, BDO AG
• Christoph Brunner, OBT AG
• Dr. Jean-Luc Cornaz, Partnerinvest/Citecs AG
• Richard Jauch, SME Diamant Consulting AG
• Daniel Burkhalter, Succession Pool Switzerland GmbH
• Stephan Illi, Consulta AG
• Hans-Jürg Domenig, Approach Company Succession GmbH
• Marco Tunesi, VZ VermögensZentrum AG

More information: www.nachfolgebus.ch

"The recruitment processes of Swiss companies take too long, which means they lose out on the best applicants. This is because top candidates opt for other jobs if the application process drags on too long. As a result, fewer suitable employees are hired, jeopardizing companies' competitiveness in the long run." This is according to Sven Hennige, Senior Managing Director at Robert Half.

Candidates want clarity quickly

Companies with long and complicated application processes have bad cards in the fierce competition for specialists and executives. Candidates want fast and simple recruitment processes and quickly sort out potential employers who are too slow. This is shown by the labor market study of the personnel service provider Robert Half. The best candidates are scared away with these cardinal mistakes: late feedback on the current status in the recruitment process, poor communication and decisions that are delayed too long (see table below). More than half (58 %) of the respondents even lose interest in the job altogether as soon as the application process takes too long.

Source: Robert Half, Labor Market Study 2017, Respondents: 500 employees in Switzerland; multiple answers possible

Long recruitment processes reduce productivity

If candidates decide against the vacant position due to frustration in the application process, this in turn leads to severe stress among the remaining employees. This is followed by higher sickness rates, increasing incapacity to work rates and a loss of turnover. Nevertheless, the labor market study by Robert Half, for which HR managers from 100 companies were surveyed, shows that the time span between advertising a vacant position and hiring the new employee is not decreasing, but rather increasing. For 54 % of the companies, this process has lengthened between 2013 and 2016. 80 % of businesses spend up to three months looking for people to join their teams. For positions with leadership responsibilities, it takes even longer. "In contrast, companies that have optimized their recruiting processes successfully fill positions within six weeks," says Hennige.

"Swiss companies need to rethink their recruiting strategies and processes and make them more efficient. Very often, the application process is too complicated, too many people are involved, decisions and budget approvals take too long," says Hennige. "Lean processes ensure faster recruiting and are also more cost-effective. In the battle for the best talent, companies should make sure to meet applicants' desire for speed and simplicity."

www.roberthalf.ch

A new survey by Roland Berger shows where retail companies are still lacking the most: 80 percent of companies still do not have a clear channel and omnichannel strategy. Seven out of ten respondents rate their competence in this field as insufficient. And a whopping 78 percent of retailers are unable to offer a seamless shopping experience (customer journey) between online and offline channels. Around 100 retail companies from Germany, Switzerland and Austria were surveyed for the study entitled "The Omnichannel Lie".

Omnichannel in Switzerland "a big construction site".

"Omnichannel is a major construction site for many Swiss retail companies, which is often only in an early concept phase," says Matthias Hanke, Roland Berger Partner in Zurich. In addition to the issues mentioned above, Hanke sees the biggest challenge in terms of efficiency, reliability and effectiveness of fulfillment. "Often, there are only limited scalable concepts regarding the strategic design of the last mile and the partnerships required for this," adds Hanke.

Different levels of maturity in channel strategy

For the current study, Roland Berger experts surveyed companies from the food retail, textile retail, consumer electronics retail, mail order and online retail sectors. Based on the responses, four different maturity levels can be categorized with regard to channel integration:

• Champions: Only 4 percent of the participants are among the champions. They are characterized by a large number of possible customer touchpoints, a high share of online business in sales, and a strongly integrated customer journey.
• The pioneers: This group includes 16 percent of the companies surveyed. Although they are advanced in their multichannel approach, they do not yet feel the pressure to activate all sales channels. This is because the online share in their product category is still low.
• The followers: With 48 percent of respondents, this is the largest group. These retail companies still have deficits; they are not yet really fit for a successful omnichannel strategy.
• The laggards: One third of retail companies still completely lack the prerequisites for a sales strategy across all channels; and this despite the fact that competition is increasing strongly - especially in the online sector. Here, the need for action is particularly high.

Important factors for a successful sales strategy

For companies to achieve omnichannel maturity, important prerequisites are indispensable. These include, for example, an appropriate corporate culture: "Companies should break down internal silos, keeping departments and sales channels separate from each other. Only in this way can cross-channel thinking become established and contribute to the company's success," recommends Roland Berger Partner Tobias Göbbel.

In addition, the roles and strategies of the various channels should be clearly defined to avoid overlaps. It is also very important that companies build strong competencies in the areas of data, programming and marketing and ensure an end-to-end digitized value chain. "In this way, retail companies can better understand their customers' wishes and fulfill them with appropriate products, information and sales models," Tobias Göbbel summarizes.

www.rolandberger.ch

This is the everyday work of many managers and project staff. No sooner has a meeting ended than the next "meeting" is on the calendar. And as soon as it's over, another meeting is scheduled. Many managers spend more than half of their working time in meetings. The situation is similar for project managers.

This "meeting-itis" has causes. The more closely a company's employees work together, the greater the need for coordination. And the faster the corporate environment changes, the more frequently the management team has to agree on new solutions to problems. But many meetings could be eliminated without replacement if the remaining ones were made more effective. In addition, their duration could be shortened if they were not sometimes as unstructured as coffee meetings. Therefore, as a reminder: Meetings are work sessions in which specific goals are to be achieved - in as short a time as possible. They should be structured accordingly. Here are a few tips.

Tip 1: Create an agenda and define goals

That seems self-evident. But it is not. Often at meetings, as soon as the invited people are in the room, one participant says, "Let's get started. I still have to ..." And because this is similar with the others, everyone jumps to the first topic that comes up. They wildly debate it without clarifying it in advance:

• What do we need to discuss?
• What are the most important/urgent issues?
• What goals do we want to/can we achieve?
• Which approach makes sense?

The conversation is correspondingly unstructured. Therefore, create an agenda at the beginning of each meeting. And discuss the procedure and draw up a schedule for orientation.

Tip 2: briefly review the "tops" in advance

This is often forgotten - especially when others have already taken place before the meeting. Then the leader of the meeting usually assumes: Everyone is clear about what we are talking about. And he is completely surprised when a participant suddenly says, for example, "I thought we were talking about the topic today ...". Therefore, at the beginning of a meeting, go through the tops, i.e. agenda items, with the participants. Make sure that there is agreement on the content and objectives, and change the agenda if necessary.

Tip 3: clarify the order of topics

This is necessary because the topics are often interrelated. For example, it is unnecessary to debate investments if the financial report shows: Our cash register is empty. But even if the topics are not related, you should clarify with the participants: In what order do we discuss them? Because, based on their position in the company, those present attach different importance to them. That's why, if you don't agree on what should be discussed first and what later, there's a risk that some participants will be angry because "their" topics are discussed at the end. And they are completely annoyed if "their" topics are only dealt with in a fast-forward or even postponed at the end because time is running out. Their motivation to implement decisions after the meeting is correspondingly low.

Tip 4: Use media and fix intermediate results

In many meetings, such presentation media as flipcharts, (moderation) boards and projectors are only used, for example, to inform participants about the results of interim work meetings. However, when it comes to working out proposals and discussing their advantages and disadvantages, the media sit unused in the corner. The result: endless debates in which the same arguments are presented over and over again. Be it because the interim results were not recorded or the participants do not have the connections "in front of their eyes".

Tip 5: Record who does what and by when

Time often runs out at some point in meetings, and participants increasingly look at their watches. As a result, action planning is done in a hurry, because everyone thinks: The others will already know what needs to be done. As a result, much of what everyone thinks will be done at the next meeting is not. This is also because, without an action plan, it was not possible to check in the meantime whether the necessary initiatives had been taken. As a result, the mood at the next meeting is lousy right from the start. Because everyone thinks: Now we have to debate this again.

Tip 6: Give and get feedback

Because time gets out of hand at many meetings, participants scatter at the end like a startled herd of cattle. Neither are they praised for their work, nor are things pointed out to them that did not go optimally. In short, there is neither a summary of what has been achieved nor a "maneuver critique. As a result, everyone returns to work and quickly forgets what was discussed in the hectic pace of everyday life. And at the next meeting, it's "the same procedure as...".

To the author: Dr. Albrecht Müllerschön is the owner of Müllerschön Managementberatung, Starzeln in Baden-Württemberg (Internet: www.muellerschoen-beratung.de).

At some companies, staff do fitness first thing in the morning; at others, apprentices implement projects from A to Z, staff work flexibly part-time or receive special support in the event of difficulties. Other companies have realigned their processes with the help of digitization and are moving faster and more smoothly. Some companies use solar technology in the workshop and mobility, are energy-autonomous or are pursuing an energy project with hydrogen. All of the companies demonstrate exemplary building sense by not only focusing their strengths on technical expertise, but also by continuously developing the company's "all-round package" - and this in a fiercely competitive market in which it is not uncommon for clients to demand ever more services at falling prices. Nevertheless, the award-winning companies with exemplary construction sense succeed in giving equal weight to economic and social aspects.

Building block for the economy and dual vocational training

Christine Davatz, Vice Director of the Swiss Confederation of Skilled Crafts (sgv) responsible for education policy and head of delegation at WorldSkills for the past 20 years, praised the event: "This is a tribute to companies that are usually not in the spotlight, but are committed year in, year out, generating added value, creating and preserving jobs, and working on behalf of their employees and young people in training. As one of the largest industries, construction is not only a very important building block for the economic development of our country, but also for dual vocational training. In Switzerland's "prosperity building", the economy and vocational training occupy entire "floors", which are also connected by many "staircases". As a representative of the umbrella organization of the SME economy, I can only thank everyone warmly and call out: Please keep up the good work, even if it is not always easy - both in the political and in the economic environment."

The people behind the bridges, tunnels, railroad tracks, museums...

Christoph Andenmatten, president of bausinn.ch and director of AM Suisse, emphasized during the welcome: "Companies in construction very often realize themselves through their finished products - the buildings, the apartments, the museum, the multipurpose hall, the hotel... And really, the buildings, the tunnels, the railroad tracks, the bridges, the sports stadiums and the winter gardens tell exciting stories. But the people who built them often disappear from view. We at bausinn.ch would like to change that. That's why bausinn.ch has announced its second competition for companies with an exemplary sense of construction. The search was not for the spectacular event of the century, but for the special commitment, the special project, the innovative company idea."

Roofers, scaffolders, plasterers, painters, bricklayers, metal workers and welding technicians

The 30 companies with exemplary construction sense come from six construction sectors. They train roofers, facade builders, scaffolders, plasterers, painters, bricklayers and metal workers or metal construction engineers. They often use welding technology, without which many things would no longer be possible in today's construction industry. What they have in common is that behind their success and their actions are enthusiastic and passionate people who want to do their job well and do not give up until the time comes. The president of bausinn.ch: "Companies with exemplary building sense take risks, start projects and launch products. They encounter resistance and sometimes they fail. But time and again they learn. They simply don't stop there. They keep going until they succeed. Because that is characteristic of construction. Whether the house is wobbly, the plaster is crumbling, there's a draft in the attic, it's raining in the conservatory, the tower is crooked, the weld seam is cracked, the bridge is too short - there's no hiding it. In construction, facts can be clearly distinguished from fakes! That is why exemplary building sense means constructing a building in such a way that the users and the builders will enjoy it for decades. But exemplary building sense also means showing appreciation for the people who build, and ensuring their safety, health and satisfaction. Exemplary building sense requires looking to the future, being open to new materials, methods and tools, and new opportunities beyond borders - geographical, technical, temporal."

The award-winning companies in German-speaking Switzerland

Bern

• Jakob AG, 3414 Oberburg, plasterandpaint.ch, painter / plasterer
• Pagram Oey AG, 3573 Oey, pagram.ch, painter / plasterer
• Peter Spring AG, 3645 Gwatt, peterspring.ch, painter / plasterer

Wallis

• AS Gerüste AG, 3920 Zermatt, schallergroup.ch, Scaffolding

Solothurn

• Metallbau Werren + Lehmann GmbH, 4552 Derendingen, metal-construction.ch, Metal construction
• Kamber Gerüste GmbH, 4617 Gunzgen, kamber-gerueste.ch, Scaffolding

Aargau

• Vanoli AG Zofingen, 4800 Zofingen, vanoli.ch, Master builder
• Bau Ing AG, 5312 Döttingen, bauing.ch, Welding technology
• Maler Pratter AG, 5634 Merenschwand, painterpratter.ch, painter / plasterer

Zurich

• Meier + Ritter AG, 8105 Regensdorf, meierritter.ch, Scaffolding
• Giovanni Russo AG, 8450 Andelfingen, plaster-russo.ch, painter / plasterer
• Landolt + Co. AG, 8451 Kleinandelfingen landolt-bau.ch, Master builder
• Frei Metallbau AG, 8704 Herrliberg, free-metalconstruction.ch, Metal construction
• R. Bischofberger AG, 8932 Mettmenstetten, yourplaster.ch, painter / plasterer
• Bertani Baugerüste AG, 8953 Dietikon, bertani.ch, Scaffolding

Central Switzerland

• Krieger Produktions AG, 6017 Ruswil, krieger-produktionsag.ch, Welding technology
• Walker Stahlbau, 6474 Amsteg, walkergroup.swiss, Welding technology

Eastern Switzerland

• Müller Gleisbau AG, 8500 Frauenfeld, mueller-track-laying.ch, Welding technology
• Tuchschmid AG, 8502 Frauenfeld, tuchschmid.ch, Metal construction
• Schneider Stahlbau AG, 8645 Jona, steel construction.ch, Welding technology
• Eigenmann AG, 9300 Wittenbach, eigenmann-ag.ch, building envelope

More information

More than 40 years ago, the concept of the paperless office emerged. Vincent Giuliano of the consulting firm Arthur D. Little propagated in a "Businessweek" article that the use of paper for documents or correspondence would decrease massively in the 1980s and that by the 1990s most documents would be digital. Contrary to his expectations, however, annual paper consumption per capita has increased every year since.

Digitization is now giving new impetus to the paperless office. In a introductory article clavis IT points out that the first step towards a paperless office is the efficient management of documents. Digital transformation is not so much about new ERP systems, new store solutions or the restructuring of business models, but about optimizing internal processes.

In a 7-part blog series clavis IT from Herisau will accompany the readers on the way to a paperless office and give them important hints from their own experience. The first part is dedicated to the legal retention periods of documents. It deals with questions such as: Who is required to retain documents? What must be retained? When does the retention obligation begin? Other topics in the series will be:

• What does "audit-proof" mean?
• Which documents arise and where is great potential
• Start with labor-intensive processes
• Risks of electronic storage
• Our success stories
• Let the last point surprise you!

Also www.organisator.ch will continue to accompany this blog series.

www.clavisit.com

The "IFZ FinTech Study 2018" of the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts, published on February 28, 2018, provides a comprehensive overview of the Swiss FinTech sector. The first part of the study describes the FinTech ecosystem: on the one hand, the political and legal, economic, social as well as technological environment is discussed, on the other hand, evaluations of the business models of the 220 Swiss FinTech companies are listed. In the second part of the study, 108 Swiss companies that participated in the study are presented in more detail.

Good framework conditions for the FinTech sector

The current study shows that, as in the previous year, the general conditions for the FinTech industry in Switzerland are very good: In a global comparison of 30 cities surveyed, Zurich and Geneva are again in second and third place, with only Singapore achieving even higher scores. "Switzerland has not yet fully exploited its potential," says study director Thomas Ankenbrand. He sees room for improvement above all in the technological sector. The ranking is based on 72 indicators that reflect the framework conditions of the political, legal, economic, social and technological environment.

"Crypto Valley" in Zug is no coincidence

The excellent framework conditions, together with the accumulation of innovative entrepreneurs, the proactive authorities and leading research institutes, have led to the flourishing of the so-called Crypto Valley. This center allows Switzerland to benefit from the global ICO boom: 271 million Swiss francs were received by local FinTech companies via this alternative form of financing in 2017 (see chart 1). However, investments via the traditional financing form of venture capital also increased significantly in 2017, to a total of around 130 million Swiss francs.

FinTech companies: Growth and maturity

"The FinTech sector has grown steadily over the last three years," says Thomas Ankenbrand. At the end of 2017, 220 companies were operating in this country, representing 16 percent growth compared to the previous year. The average size of the companies, measured by the number of full-time employees, as well as capitalization, has increased compared to the previous year. "The industry has not only matured, it is perceived to have matured: The hype has become reality," Ankenbrand said. Swiss banks no longer perceive FinTech companies as competitors, but seek collaboration.

Customer acquisition as the greatest challenge

Despite the growth, Swiss FinTech companies face challenges according to the survey conducted. The difficulty of finding new customers appears to be the greatest obstacle to further growth in the sector. On the other hand, access to external financing causes few problems (see chart 2). This is also confirmed by the significant increase in venture capital investment volume.

Further growth expected

"2017 was another successful year for the Swiss FinTech market," says Thomas Ankenbrand. "We expect this trend to continue in 2018." This included even higher company values, more jobs in the industry, and the strengthening of certain FinTech products. In addition, the entire financial sector appears to be benefiting from this growth and the associated technological innovations.

www.hslu.ch

The Blockchain Leadership Summit, taking place on March 9, 2018 in Zurich (Dolder Grand), is aimed at business leaders, regulators, decision makers and investors. The Summit is initiated by InnMind, the global business network for innovative community, together with the KICKICO fundraising platform and in collaboration with the Crypto-Valley Ecosystem.

Speakers from all over the world

Over 700 visitors and more than 30 renowned speakers are expected, including: Prince Michael of Liechtenstein, Sony Kapoor, William Mougayar, Johan Gevers, Efi Pylarinou, Kevin van der Veer, Louis de Bruin and other experts. Top representatives of the financial and financial technology trade media will moderate the presentations and lead the discussions. Included are: Tech Crunch, Forbes, and Bitcoin.com.

The Summit will provide a professional platform for those who want to explore the potential of tokenized assets, or for companies considering the adoption of blockchain, or for those who have already successfully raised funds through ICO campaigns. But also anyone who is simply interested in global financial developments and who wants to learn more about the challenges and opportunities ahead.

The motherland of blockchain

Zurich is the obvious location for the summit. "Developers, investors and entrepreneurs no longer travel from Switzerland to Silicon Valley when it comes to blockchain," says Cantonal Councillor Matthias Michel, head of the Department of Economic Affairs in the canton of Zug, the motherland of blockchain and cryptoactivities in Switzerland. "On the contrary, people are now coming from California to us in Crypto Valley to see what's coming forward."

The conference and workshop discussions include following topics:

• The financial and social implications of blockchain
• The integration of blockchain business
• The increase in efficiency through tokenization and the integration of blockchain
• Blockchain-based project investments
• Trends and prospects, risk assessment methods and portfolio management
• ICO Market Analyses
• Scoring procedure
• and last but not least, traditional fundraising methods are contrasted with crowd sales

The Blockchain Leadership Summit will include panel discussions, workshops, face-to-face meetings with experts and market players. Summit attendees will be able to network exclusively with traditional and crypto investors, investment funds, decision makers, crypto banks, tokenized businesses and blockchain developers. Additional highlights include a gala dinner, hosted by Cryptospace, and an art auction with proceeds benefiting Children's Aid.

The complete program and information on ticket sales are available at swissblockchainsummit.com.

The cooperation between Zürcher Kantonalbank (ZKB) and Sage will enable startups and small businesses to better manage their liquidity, settle wages, and automate order processing from quotation to invoice. The focus is on the new Sage Start offer, which ZKB customers will receive at a discount from March 2018. With this cooperation, Sage aims to expand its market position as a leading provider of business management software in the Swiss market. Further collaborations with leading financial institutions are planned.

New solution on the market since November

The new Sage Start solution was launched last November. The product complements the service offering for start-up and SME customers of Zürcher Kantonalbank from March 2018. They will receive a 10 % discount on the Sage Start offering. "We focus on solutions that are both innovative and mature," says Zürcher Kantonalbank. The cooperation with a leading provider of SME software gives the bank the opportunity to decisively expand its range of services for startups and small businesses. Sage sees further growth potential thanks to this cooperation. Tobias Ackermann, Country Manager of Sage in Switzerland, comments: "The partnership is an important step for us to expand our position in the Swiss market. Customer proximity, security and the familiarity of Zürcher Kantonalbank are of central importance to us. In addition, we share the aspiration to free entrepreneurs from administrative tasks so that they can concentrate fully on their core business." Sage says it is looking into cooperations with other financial institutions and insurance companies.

Sage Start for SME customers of Zürcher Kantonalbank

Sage Start (www.sagestart.ch) enables customers of Zürcher Kantonalbank to process orders, quotes, invoices and wages. The integrated financial accounting can be connected directly with the e-banking of Zürcher Kantonalbank - if required, also with any other Swiss bank. In this way, all cash accounts can be reconciled with this software solution. The program assigns the movements in e-banking directly to the appropriate customers and suppliers. This ensures full control over liquidity. In addition to liquidity management, Sage Start automates many double-entry accounting processes in the background.

The research was conducted by Korn Ferry's Hay Group division and is based on employee surveys of 350 companies and 6.8 million workers. "According to estimates, Millennials will make up around 75% of the workforce by 2025 and accordingly represent a real force. They are a highly educated and tech-savvy generation," says Stefan Baldenweg, senior client partner at Korn Ferry Hay Group. Key findings from the study are:

Feedback and opportunities for advancement

• 71% of Millennials believe that their direct reports support their development. Among the total workforce, only around 63% held this opinion.
• Millennials are more likely to report that the feedback they receive from their supervisors helps them improve - 67% compared to 63% of the total workforce.
• The Millennial generation also believes that good performance is appropriately recognized. This was confirmed by 67%. Among the total workforce, the figure was 63%.

Faith and values

• 78% of those born between 1980 and 2000 are positive about their employers' prospects for success in the next two to three years, compared with 72% of the total workforce.
• Millennials care more than the overall workforce that their companies treat employees with respect. This was said by 82% of the Millennial generation compared to 79% of the total workforce.
• 80% of Millennials support that their employers value and promote diversity. 77% of the total workforce felt the same way.

"Members of the Millennial generation want more than lip service. They also want their employers to act socially and ethically. Millennials want proof that the company places great value on doing the right thing," says Stefan Baldenweg.

Millennials demand challenge and recognition

While Millennials demonstrated greater agreement in many areas, the Korn Ferry Hay Group analysis showed that individuals of this generation are eager to demonstrate their abilities and be rewarded for their efforts.

• Compared to the overall workforce, Millennials were less likely to report that their employers make good use of their skills and abilities - 71% compared to 74% of the overall workforce.
• Only 47% of Millennials believe they are paid fairly for their work. At 50%, half of the total workforce believed they were fairly compensated.
• Some may think restless Millennials are leading the job-hopping trend, and to some extent that's true. Korn Ferry's research shows that the Millennial generation is less likely to intend to stay with their current employer for more than five years - 48% of them versus 60% of the total workforce.

"But the greater mobility among Millennials could also be a factor of their young age. Statistics show that Millennials with college degrees stay with their employers longer than people from Generation X did in 2000, when they were the same age as today's Millennials," explains Stefan Baldenweg. "Given the low unemployment rate, it's important to offer all employees challenges and more advanced roles to ensure they are ready to contribute to the company's future success."

Managers have a strong influence on the performance and daily work of their employees. Their behavior usually has a direct impact on the success of a team. That's why most managers see themselves in the role of setting the pace for collaboration: 58 percent of the supervisors surveyed in Germany say that they give their employees clear direction so that no uncertainties arise.

Symbols of success with a clear vision of the future

According to the results of the study, most managers are self-confident about their role. Seven out of ten respondents assume that their employees see them as a symbol of success and performance. Just as many managers believe that they have a vision of the future that spurs employees on. However, this vision does not always seem to have anything to do with the dominant future topic of "digitization" - being involved in the development and implementation of a digitization strategy themselves only applies to just under half of the managers.

Bosses do not want to monitor

When it comes to communicating benefits and positive messages, supervisors tend to be more reticent. 43 percent inform their employees about what they will receive if they meet the employer's requirements. However, managers' trust in their teams seems to be high anyway. This is shown by two results of the study by StepStone and Kienbaum. On the one hand, the majority of bosses assume that their employees can also organize themselves independently (64 percent). On the other hand, only one in ten bosses considers it necessary to guide a team very closely so that tasks are actually completed.

Source: www.stepstone.de

The Höhere Technische Lehranstalten (HTL) and the Höhere Wirtschafts- und Verwaltungsschulen (HWV) became Fachhochschulen (FH) more than 20 years ago. Since then, the HTL and HWV graduates have been able to retroactively the university of applied sciences title acquire. Since 2009, those who hold a UAS title can simultaneously use the bachelor title due to the Bologna reform. Nevertheless, until now, HTL and HWV degrees were assigned to the category of today's higher technical colleges (HF) in the salary structure survey (LSE) of the Federal Statistical Office (FSO). Correctly, however, they should be assigned to UAS degrees (category 2) or reported separately.

HTL and HWV graduates received the wrong salary for years

By no means all HTL and HWV graduates have subsequently acquired the FH title. As a result, a large proportion of them have been assigned to the wrong salary category in the official LSE. The informative value of the HF and FH categories was thus impaired. Both employers and employees received inconsistent wage references. A worse position of HTL and HWV graduates could not be excluded.

After a Coverage of the Aargauer Zeitung from 21.8.2017 The umbrella organization UAS Switzerland intervened over this grievance and sought talks with the FSO and the State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI). The talks had an effect: the SERI submitted a proposal to the FSO to classify the HTL/HWV titles in the category of UAS degrees. The FSO has now given the green light: they want to reflect reality as accurately as possible with the statistical information they produce.

New wage structure survey brings equality

As of the 2018 salary structure survey, HTL and HWV degrees are now assigned to category 2. The classification of salaries is done via the employers and a system available to them. Since it is possible that this has not yet been updated, employers must in some cases manually assign the degrees to category 2. In order to ensure that the degrees are correctly assigned, FH Schweiz therefore still recommends that HTL and HWV graduates submit the subsequent acquisition of the FH title and to notify the employer of this.

More information: www.fhschweiz.ch, www.titelumwandlung.ch