Lee Hecht Harrison, an Adecco Group company and a leader in outplacement and career reorientation, finds a wide gap between desire and reality in a global survey of managers' sense of responsibility. Some 2000 decision-makers and HR managers on all continents were surveyed online and at client events. For almost three quarters of them, the sense of responsibility of superiors is an important issue in the free economy. But only just 31 percent of those surveyed are satisfied with the level of responsibility shown by managers in their company. And only slightly less than half (48 percent) of managers are said to act in a truly responsible manner. There are hardly any differences in these findings worldwide.

Focus on own results targets and technical issues

The main reason for the gap between desire and reality in managers' sense of responsibility: In day-to-day management work, the company's own results targets and the technical aspects take priority. All too often, however, the targeted development of employees, the sensitive addressing of performance weaknesses or the creation of a motivating working environment are neglected. Only just over a quarter (27 percent) of respondents said their company had a strong leadership culture.

Sense of responsibility boosts corporate performance

The analysis of the survey results highlights that a high sense of responsibility on the part of superiors is associated with better company performance. Caroline Pfeiffer Marinho, Country Manager Switzerland Lee Hecht Harrison, says: "Responsible leadership is a prerequisite for building and growing a permanently successful and flexible company. This is more true than ever in this time of challenging change due to digitalization, the increase of older people in developed economies, and political and economic uncertainties."

Lack of responsible managers

The lack of responsible managers is one of the most urgent problems in the field of human resources today. The survey shows that companies are rather hesitant to tackle this problem. Just under half of the respondents do believe that strict expectations are clearly expressed to managers in their company. But only one-fifth of the companies have the courage to reprimand mediocre and irresponsible managers with a view to changing their behavior.

"Awakening the sense of responsibility"

Andreas Rudolph, Regional Director German-speaking Switzerland Lee Hecht Harrison, emphasizes: "We did this global survey specifically to reveal crystal-clearly the great extent of the gap between desire and reality in managers' sense of responsibility. We experience the urgency of the problem every day as we work with our clients, which in the U.S., for example, include half of the Fortune 500 companies. Because many companies do not consistently address the problem and thus continually promote mediocre leaders, the company's potential is not fully realized. The survey report is intended to raise awareness among companies to instill a strong sense of responsibility in their leaders and create a leadership culture to match."

Behavior of a responsible manager

A responsible manager

• Continually develops his leadership skills
• Consciously builds team members' motivation and leadership skills
• Limits harmful behaviors to a minimum
• Demonstrates a high level of responsibility towards the environment
• Always acts in the interest of the entire company
• Works with leaders at the same level to look beyond his or her traditional area and align ways of working
• Shows optimism about the company and its future
• Communicates the business strategy in a well understood manner within his/her area of responsibility
• Takes on demanding challenges and makes difficult decisions
• Demands a high level of performance from himself and the employees

Source: Lee Hecht Harrison

Companies convince their customers with innovations. But only if the time factor is right. Rapid innovation is therefore a trump card in the globalized market: developing products as quickly as possible, bringing them to market, collecting feedback and implementing them. Rapid iteration steps based on automated processes produce continuously improved products and - success. At the 10th Eastern Switzerland Innovation Conference, organized by the Institute for Innovation, Design and Engineering (IDEE-FHS) of the University of Applied Sciences St.Gallen, everything revolved around Rapid Automation and Rapid Innovation.

Transport, reload, sort

In the Rapid Automation workshop, the participants experienced the advantages of iteratively developed prototypes in a practical way. After a brief introduction, they were given the task of building prototypes for transporting, sorting, reloading and charging used glass from various robot kits such as littleBits, Lego Mindstorms EV3 or Arduino. And to do this in a specific sequence. Lukas Schmid, head of IDEE-FHS, is pleased with the results. "Not only do all the prototypes work, but also the production line." The goal of the workshop, he says, was to give the participants a feel for all the things that can be done with simple robot kits in a very short time. And they were to get to know different kits with their advantages and disadvantages.

Quickly built, simply programmed

Following the practical part of the conference, the participants learned how national and international market leaders drive innovations with Rapid Innovation and thus successfully position themselves in their markets. Optrel AG, for example. The Wattwil-based company specializes in anti-glare products that are used primarily in welding and medical applications. In his presentation, Ramon Hofer Kraner, head of research and development, showed where his company uses prototypes similar to those created earlier in the workshop. For example, a cutting robot that cuts adhesive tape to the required width. All it took was a small setup on an existing robot and they were able to cut 10,000 to 20,000 adhesive strips, Hofer said. With the help of relatively inexpensive robotic arm systems, such as those from EVA Robotics, Dobot or Franka, this will become faster and easier in the future, he added. "Perfect for pick-and-place processes, they can be set up in no time and programmed with a tablet."

Neural network paints paintings

An insight into the world of data was provided by Romeo Kienzler, Chief Data Scientist at IBM Watson IoT (Internet of Things). In the production process, many small computers and sensors provide a large amount of data. Data that is uploaded to a cloud can already be analyzed there and then used accordingly, for example to detect and predict anomalies. Artificial neural networks, which function similarly to our nerve cells in the brain, play an important role here. The idea is to build ever larger and more powerful networks, deep learning systems. They can learn not only all mathematical formulas, but also functions. "For example, a neural network learns the style of an artist and then paints a new painting itself," says Romeo Kienzler. Neural networks can therefore be used to create predictive models for industry. "Big Data and physical production are the heart and head of Rapid Automation," said Romeo Kienzler.

Robots with feelings

Finally, Michael Schüpbach, Sales Engineer at Fanuc, showed that robots are now not only increasingly intelligent, but also have sentient sensors. Founded in Japan, Fanuc is the world market leader in industrial robotics and produces 120 different robot models with handling weights ranging from 500 grams to 2.3 tons. One important division is collaborative robots with embedded sensors. This allows them to be operated safely without a safety fence. The robot arm, for example, stops as soon as it is touched. In addition, it can be pushed away quite easily. "Because a protective fence is no longer necessary, the robots can take on various tasks. This opens up new possibilities for designing production and the workplace. This can be provided for both the robot and the human and can be flexibly retooled." If 2D and 3D vision systems, force-torque sensors and feeling sensors are combined in robotics, rapid automation emerges, he said. "If you build a whole system out of that, then you get rapid innovation."

The 11th Eastern Switzerland Innovation Conference will take place next year on Wednesday, May 2, 2018.

More information: IDEE-FHS

As of July 2017, the customer service operations of business travel services provider Carlson Wagonlit Travel (CWT) in Switzerland will be reorganized. Katharina Turlo, a Swiss national, will take over as Senior Director Program Management Central Europe. Mirco Biasi will act as the direct contact in Switzerland as Head of Program Management Switzerland. He thus succeeds Ralf Stephan, who will leave the company in June at his own request. "We would like to thank Ralf Stephan for his consistently excellent work over the past years and wish him only the best for his future," says Walter Ruggli, Vice President Switzerland & Eastern Europe at CWT. "At the same time, we are pleased to have found a successor with a lot of client experience and Swiss market expertise in Mirco and Katharina. Another advantage for our clients is that both contact persons speak fluent German, English and French."

Mirco Biasi has been with CWT for almost 20 years in the operational area of Traveler Services, including as Manager Traveler & Transaction Services Support and as Manager Products & Optimization. In his new position, he will be a member of the Swiss leadership team and report directly to Katharina Turlo, who is still familiar with the Swiss market from her 19 years with CWT in Switzerland. There, she worked in operations as well as in customer service and sales. At the beginning of the year, Carlson Wagonlit Travel bundled its customer service activities for Germany and Austria. The expansion to the Swiss market is intended to promote closer cooperation and a more intensive exchange between the regions.

Source: www.carlsonwagonlit.ch

This year, 507 pension funds (previous year: 467) took part in the "Swiss Pension Fund Survey 2017", conducted by Swisscanto Pension Ltd. From the feedback, an overall picture emerges that can be described as "mixed". On the one hand, the Swiss pension funds reacted to the demographic development and the challenging markets by adjusting their investment strategy as well as the conversion rates and future pension obligations in 2016 as well. In order to secure their long-term stability, the pension funds are exhausting their room for maneuver. On the other hand, on the income side, the risk appetite has increased slightly, and investments in equities and alternative investments have been increased proportionately. On the risk side, the pension funds have further adjusted the relevant parameters to demographic and capital market requirements. "The focus of the pension funds continues to be on the technical interest rate and the conversion rate. The pension funds continue to refrain from mandatory lump-sum withdrawals from the extra-mandatory part," comments René Raths, member of the Board of Directors of Swisscanto Vorsorge AG, on the adjustments made by the pension funds.

Satisfactory investment return, but need for action indicated

Following the weak previous year (1.1%), returns on investment in the 2016 investment year were satisfactory, averaging 3.6%. The risk appetite of Swiss pension funds in the investment area increased slightly. While the share of fixed-income investments and liquid assets declined, investments in equities and real estate increased. Large pension funds also invested increasingly in alternative investments. They achieved an above-average performance of 4.0%. This contrasts with small pension funds with a performance of 3.3%. In the long term, the better return can be attributed to the broader diversification.

In contrast to the small pension funds, the large pension funds were more frequently affected by negative interest rates. Thus, 67% of the funds with more than 500 million assets reported having paid negative interest. Among the small pension funds, the proportion was 52%. Overall, this corresponds to an increase of around 3% compared with the previous year (58% compared with 55% in the previous year).

Too rigid BVV2 guidelines in asset allocation

Swiss pension funds further optimized their asset allocation last year. In this context, a high 44% of the pension funds stated that they had used the possibilities to exceed the limits of the BVV2 guidelines. Large pension funds, in particular, have invested proportionately more pension assets in alternative investments than required by the BVV2 ordinance. In contrast, small pension funds mainly use the extension article to increase their real estate quota.

Iwan Deplazes, Head of Asset Management Swisscanto Invest, comments: "There is no alternative to tapping into additional, illiquid asset classes if you want to continue tapping into the full return potential in the interest of insured persons in the future. After all, pension funds basically have the necessary long-term investment horizon to do so." According to the study, two-thirds of the pension funds would also welcome it if the upper limits for the categories were lifted.

Coverage ratios remain stable, technical interest rates decline

The average funding ratio of the pension funds remained stable in 2016, according to feedback from the Swiss pension funds. In the case of private-law funds, the funding ratio fell slightly to 109.7% (previous year 110.4%) despite good investment performance. In contrast, the funding ratio of the public law funds recorded a slight increase to 94.6% (previous year 92.0%). The development must be seen against the backdrop of a renewed drop in technical interest rates, with less progress being made in adjusting technical interest rates in the public sector.

The downward trend in technical interest rates has continued for 10 years in succession. As a valuation interest rate, the technical interest rate indicates how much interest can be expected to be paid on the accrued pension capital. For private funds, the technical interest rate now averages 2.19%, for public funds 2.55%. By comparison, in 2007 the values were still 3.51% for private-law pension funds and 3.69% for public-law funds.

Conversion rate already today at 6.0%

The conversion rate is falling in step with the technical interest rate. Since 2005, the mean value of the conversion rate has fallen from 6.9% to 6.0% in 2017 for men at retirement age 65. This means that the conversion rates of most pension funds are significantly lower than the BVG mandatory rate. The reason for this is that most pension funds are enveloping and have adjusted their conversion rates downward in the extra-mandatory area. The enveloping conversion rate applies to 85% of the insured. This has already fallen to the 6.0% mark. This corresponds to the minimum conversion rate provided for in "Altersvorsorge 2020". In addition, around 70% of the pension funds provide for conversion rates in the order of magnitude between 5% and 6% in some years.

Othmar Simeon, Managing Director of Swisscanto Pension Ltd., adds: "In order to maintain financial stability in the long term, technical interest rates and future pension obligations will continue to fall in the current low-interest environment. In 2016, however, it was still possible to earn good interest on pension assets thanks to the friendly capital markets. For example, the average interest rate on savings capital across all funds was 1.72%, while the minimum interest rate is set significantly lower at 1.25%."

Source: Swisscanto Pension Ltd.

In recent years, customer service has become an increasingly important element of the product life cycle and thus a critical globalization competence. In particular, the large machinery and plant manufacturers from Germany, Austria and Switzerland want to further expand their customer service business internationally in the future: Over the next five years, they plan to grow their service branches outside their home regions by 15 percent. South America (+37 percent) and East Asia (+31 percent) will benefit particularly strongly, followed by the Middle East (+28 percent) and North America (+24 percent). This is the result of a recent study by the management and technology consultancy BearingPoint in cooperation with the trade magazine LOGISTIK HEUTE. Experts from 61 companies from the mechanical and plant engineering sector in the DACH region were surveyed. The focus was on the status quo and development prospects in the international business with customer service.

Maturity and internationalization level of service organizations

The analysis shows that many companies still have significant potential for improvement in their service organization: In just under half of them, the share of sales generated by customer service is still less than 20 percent. Three quarters of the companies therefore want to use internationalization as an opportunity, systematically expand their profitable service business and expand into new markets. However, there are some significant differences in terms of service strategies. The categories of service product management, service marketing, standardized processes, resource management, spare parts management and the degree of coverage by digitization or IT solutions) formed the basis for assessing the service maturity of the individual companies. It is striking here that companies often fall short of their own expectations: On average, the relevance of the categories is assessed as being much higher than their own maturity level demonstrates. The combination of globalization and maturity level then results in the classification of companies into "champions" (25 percent of the companies surveyed), "potentials" (22.5 percent), "beginners" (22.5 percent) and "underachievers" (30 percent).

"Although the service business does not yet account for a significant share of sales at most companies in the German-speaking plant and mechanical engineering sector, the dynamics of globalization are increasingly spreading to the service sector after production, purchasing and sales. We expect a strong increase in international service branches and activities in the coming years and consequently a consistent expansion of this business area. In terms of digitization, many companies still have a lot of catching up to do. The digitization of service in particular is increasingly becoming a minimum requirement for competitiveness in the market. If companies do not catch up here, they will not be able to survive in the long term," comments Donald Wachs, Partner at BearingPoint.

Digital service concepts as success factors

According to the study, many machine and plant manufacturers have identified their service weaknesses and are planning to increase their level of maturity through targeted improvement measures. In the context of digitization, the introduction of digital service concepts is the main way to score points. These include, for example, digital inspection, digital customer portals, networked products (IoT), remote monitoring and predictive maintenance. In the course of the many initiatives, digitization is finally advancing to become the industry standard. If the restructuring of the service organization to expand internationalization succeeds as planned, for the majority of companies (77 percent) the contribution of the service business to total sales will be over 20 percent in the future. In some cases, up to 40 percent will be earned with services.

Frank Duscheck, Partner at BearingPoint, concludes: "The GEXSO study makes clear that the companies surveyed are very differently prepared for internationalization and also deal with it strategically in different ways. This is reflected, among other things, in the fact that the number of service and sales force employees varies greatly compared to the total number of employees. However, this will change quickly, as 93 percent of the companies surveyed plan to develop a global service strategy, standardize processes and promote global knowledge exchange in the future. This means that the difference between so-called 'high- and low-performers' will narrow significantly over the next five years."

Source: www.bearingpoint.com

The global attack with the WannaCry malware is still making headlines and once again demonstrates the impact of extortion software. Even though the focus of WannaCry is strongly on automatic spreading by exploiting a vulnerability in Windows, many infections with WannaCry - as is usual with ransomware - take place via email. Switzerland currently appears to be relatively unaffected by the attacks. But what would happen if Switzerland became the focus? How would employees behave here? Between May 8, 2017 and May 12, 2017, the IT service provider advact sent a ransomware email to a total of 21,662 employees from 42 different Swiss companies in agreement with the participating companies and evaluated their reaction. In 41 companies, at least one employee opened the email attachment contaminated with potential ransomware. A total of 1,803 people executed the malware in the attachment, according to the company. This means that these people could also have been infected with WannaCry, for example. This corresponds to 8.3% of all email recipients. The following - anonymized - list shows the opening behavior of the tested companies:

Of course, all employees were informed about the test after the evaluation. Through the experience and the education, participants were able to learn to see through attack mechanisms more quickly and to react correctly in an emergency. The attachment benchmark described above thus offered much more than just a company comparison. Security exercises of this kind are also a fixed component of advact's awareness-raising offering.

Further information can be found at: http://www.advact.ch

Surveys by Swissmechanic/FHS St.Gallen and Ernst & Young confirm the lack of capital as the biggest hurdle to SME digitization. Nevertheless, Swiss SMEs show above-average commitment and willingness to implement when it comes to digitization and Industry 4.0, according to a recently published statement. More than 70 % of Swiss industrial companies have already implemented process optimization and automation, and more than 63 % are pushing further innovations, the survey says. The motivation for many SMEs is the sheer will to survive and the fight for margins in a very well positioned environment "Extra Helvetia": The euro is becoming increasingly favorable due to an expansive monetary policy, neighboring countries are actively promoting their own industry, where exports, sales and - in the wake of the profits generated - reinvestments are rising. The international market power structure is shifting to the disadvantage of the Swiss electrical, metal and watch industries as well as Swiss mechanical engineering. "Here, on the international battlefield of digitalization, the Swiss SME is fighting with a pocket knife, so to speak, against a well-armed superior force," writes Swissmechanic.

Limited investment opportunities due to lack of capital

The current survey results of Swissmechanic/FHS St.Gallen and those of Ernst &Young all show the same situation of industrial SMEs in Switzerland: The entrepreneurs are in themselves willing and technically able to implement digitized processes. However, their investment options are so limited that they are still pessimistic about their digitization potential. After two weak years for exports and earnings due to the strong franc, reserves have been depleted and budgets for new investments have been exhausted. In the survey, which Swissmechanic conducted together with the FHS St.Gallen and in which 200 Swissmechanic member companies participated, 51 % describe their earnings situation as "not satisfactory". 40 % have difficulties with new business models and strategies, another 42 % with digitalization and automation of production. It is precisely here, in the core elements of digitization, that SMEs face the greatest obstacles. This is because further optimization is very cost-intensive here, or the manufacturing sector has intrinsically high investment costs in the digitization and automation of production.

This finding finds support in the Ernst & Young Company Barometer 2017. When asked whether industrial companies would like to invest more, 31 % answered in the affirmative. Furthermore, 17 % of all industrial companies - SMEs and large companies alike - stated that they were unable to invest (more) in digitization due to a lack of capital.

Digitization brought to the ground

Thus, for many SMEs, further tackling digitization fails due to the availability of investment capital. The expensive purchase of new machinery and the upgrading of existing machinery and equipment are long overdue. Robust measures are needed for this, otherwise the opportunity of digitization for Swiss SMEs will be missed.

Swissmechanic is therefore holding the Business Day at the Lucerne Exhibition Center on 14.09.2017. Well-known representatives from politics, business, finance, fintech and Industry 4.0 will be there to discuss the topic of "Bringing digitalization to the ground". The focus will be on innovation, financing and the concrete implementation of digitalization for SMEs. Speakers and debaters on the panel will discuss the approaches to solutions: Gerhard Pfister (President CVP Switzerland), Ruedi Noser (Council of States FDP), Prof. Dr. Peter Jaeschke (FHS St.Gallen), Otto Hofstetter (Hofstetter AG), Dr. Niklas Kramer (Sandvick AG) and Roland Goethe (Goethe AG, President Swissmechanic Switzerland), Patrick Berhalter (Berhalter AG), Prof. Dr. Christian Thiel (FHS St.Gallen), Christian Frei (InspiredView Ltd), Andreas Rauch (GF), Alwin Meyer (Swisspeers) and many more.

More information about the Business Day: www.swissmechanic-businessday.ch.

A youngster, a communications punk, a hacker and several other speakers from business, politics and society: they were responsible for an exciting mix of topics at this year's Digital Economic Forum. The massive impact of unstoppable digitization on society and cyber security were the focus of the conference, which was sold out with around 250 guests. Philipp Riederle - just the "youngster" and digital native - presented the demands of Millennials on jobs and life. Author, blogger and strategy consultant Sascha Lobo said, among other things, that it is not technology that is changing our world, but the way we deal with it. And all illusions of a secure cyber world were destroyed by the "gentleman hacker" FIL from Team Red: He made it clear that private individuals, organizations and companies who become the target of a hacker attack have no chance to defend themselves. What is important, he said, is personal behavior and awareness that this insecurity is permanent. As the DDPS officer responsible for risk analysis in all matters of information and cyber security, Ferdinand Kobelt knew about the massive relevance, the enormous opportunities, but also the unprecedented risks of the Internet of Things, which can no longer be stopped. Business philosopher Anders Indset concluded with a forceful call for yesterday's philosophy to be paired with tomorrow's science and technology. In various business tracks, the Digital Economic Forum also presented successful visions, concepts and ideas for overcoming digital challenges.

However, the announcement of the realization of the digital canton of Glarus caused a sensation at the Digital Economic Forum. Within just 12 weeks, Glarner Kantonalbank, together with the cantonal technical operations and HIAG Data AG, created the basis for the "fastest and cheapest data highway in the Alps" has been created, according to the statement. This project is intended to form a new basis for doing business in a peripheral region so that the "digital divide" can be overcome. "The interaction of the various stakeholders to create good framework conditions for investments is obviously easier in rural areas than in urban anonymity," Landolt explained at a media roundtable and panel discussion at DEF. Politicians, he said, do not need to regulate either regionally or nationally, but rather allow such projects and enjoy them. For Glarus, he said, this digital infrastructure is of eminent importance, also to break commuter flows in both directions and to realize an optimal basis for doing business. Hanspeter Tinner, COO of HIAG Data AG, made it clear that the company, as a technical enabler, is fundamentally interested in digitally opening up industrial sectors and offering companies the infrastructure they need for the new world of work. Accordingly, Tinner explained that there was great interest in working with Glarner Kantonalbank as the initiator to realize an innovative, fast and, above all, secure network for the entire region. "With 9.6 terrabits, we are providing the largest bandwidth for an independent, fast and affordable fiber optic network to which business-critical applications and data can be connected. Digitalization and business are now being brought together, Ralf Luchsinger, CIO of Glarner Kantonalbank and Vice President of the NüGlarus initiative, which was also newly founded, continued. This initiative is intended to help ensure that new startup services and co-working opportunities are realized in all larger towns via the fastest and cheapest data highway in the Alps. It also aims to support joint innovation structures and the administration in the introduction of e-government. The digital canton now offers a huge toolbox and NüGlarus has the task of communicating this potential, added Hanspeter Tinner.

More information on the Website of the meeting

How do customers prefer to communicate with companies? What role do chatbots play in customer service? Which brands create enthusiasm? In cooperation with the internationally active service company PIDAS, ZHAW researchers conducted the most comprehensive study to date on the topic of customer service in German-speaking Europe. More than 3,500 consumers and 100 representatives of various companies and industries took part in the survey, according to the study's authors.

Telephone most common - e-mail most popular

The most common channels for contacting a company or public body are still telephone (50%), e-mail (21%) or face-to-face at the point of sale (17%). This is despite the fact that customers surveyed say they prefer email of all possible contact channels. "If this contact channel were placed more prominently, it could definitely add value for customers and help improve the service experience," says study leader Kurt Ackermann of the Institute of Marketing Management at the ZHAW School of Management and Law. "From the companies' point of view, digital media such as live chats, video telephony or messaging services will clearly gain in importance as contact channels in the future." For companies, it is important to communicate the added value of these new channels in a comprehensible way and to deliver on this promise with a pleasant service experience.

Acceptance of digital communication partners

However, many customers are still very skeptical about non-human communication partners. Only 40 percent of respondents can imagine interacting with digital partners such as chatbots or voice robots (of which 7.6 % yes and 31.8 % maybe). Acceptance of this is particularly high when contact is also made via a digital channel and it is about a concern that can be easily resolved. "In terms of robotics in customer service, channels such as email, chat and messenger should be automated first, before offering complex and costly voice portals and voice robots," says Frédéric Monard, CEO of PIDAS. "Robots are not accepted for the most part because they are not yet able to take into account more complex emotional needs."

Fan quota is overestimated

However, it is precisely the emotional component that plays a central role in customer loyalty. Only 21 percent of respondents are enthusiastic about a company or can particularly identify with it. Customers who describe themselves as fans of a company do so primarily because of the customer service (61%), ahead of the products and services (56%). Price, on the other hand, plays a subordinate role (23%). Companies massively overestimate their fan quota in some cases. "Both the companies surveyed and people who do not yet call themselves a fan of a company believe that it is primarily great products and services that turn customers into fans," says study director Kurt Ackermann. "In fact, however, good customer service seems to be the decisive reason why customers become fans."

In Switzerland, Swisscom, Migros and Sunrise have the most fans among those surveyed. In contrast to Germany and Austria, only national companies occupy the top three places in this country. Another indication of the fan rate is the Net Promoter Score (NPS), an index for recommending companies to others. In Switzerland, the banking sector achieves the highest NPS (+43), followed by insurance companies (+34). The energy services industry brings up the rear (+2), probably due to the slow pace of market opening.

Digitization is a matter for the boss

PIDAS CEO Frédéric Monard is convinced that consistent digitization in customer service opens up great opportunities: "Companies that adapt their service model with the right customer focus and make intelligent use of the latest technologies will deliver excellent customer experiences and at the same time create significant efficiency advantages for themselves". For Frédéric Monard, however, this transformation does not come for free: "Sustainable digitization in customer service is demanding, requires leadership, and demands clear priorities that are geared to customer benefits and also address large cost blocks".

For just under 40 percent of the company representatives surveyed, senior management is responsible for driving forward the digital transformation. Nevertheless, responsibility is not clearly defined in one in five of the companies surveyed. Companies see the greatest challenges in reconciling automation and personal customer service, in the compatibility of different technical systems, in the development of corresponding expertise on the part of employees, and in the increasing speed and complexity of developments in this area.

Interested parties can download the study at the PIDAS website order

More dynamic markets with completely new business models are putting pressure on CEOs: They have to make decisions faster, more globally and more data-driven. No CEO can handle this task alone any more - he will involve the CFO even more from now on. Advances in technology are making purely administrative accounting obsolete anyway - creative and strategic thinking is now also required in the finance department. The CFO is becoming the finance CEO. Along the way, the CFO cannot avoid developing four essential skills and abilities. Now it's a matter of continuing education and using technology to one's own advantage. Then not only will the future be open to the CFO, but also the CEO position itself: Just under half (47%) of the CEOs surveyed cited in a KPMG study (1) the CFO as a pretender to the throne.

1. Navigation

Companies today sail in a sea of data - with the CFO as navigator (2): In the future, CFOs and their teams will need to understand data about customers, markets and the competition and be able to put it into a meaningful context with the company's finances. Analytical techniques and predictive modeling will become standard to make better predictions. The CFO must be able to provide real-time insights into company figures as well as strategic proposals - for example in the M&A area - which he develops on the basis of his overview of the figures.

2. Communication

The CFO of the future will be more extroverted. He or she will be more interested in the challenges of other departments and seek exchanges, for example in the form of work experience in marketing or sales. This is not only beneficial for his Career (3) but above all also strengthens its ability, Contexts (4) to recognize. In the future, it will be crucial for him to be able to explain correlations even to "non-financial experts": Instead of showing how a quarter went, the CFO should rather be able to present financial and corporate performance in a meaningful and generally understandable way and present it to internal and external stakeholders.

3. Strategy

Those who gain experience and navigate the sea of data with ease can think critically and globally. Armed in this way, the CFO can more easily understand how fundamental upheavals and changes in the market affect his own business model. He assesses risks and possible effects on the company's finances in order to invest in the right innovations. To do this, he has to take risks - and even if they are calculated, this is traditionally not one of the CFO's favorite challenges. It is therefore all the more important that he can rely on his global overview of all the figures in the company to carry out the risk calculation in a well-founded manner and weigh them up correctly.

4. Leadership

Being open to taking risks is a key to the leadership role - the basis for this is knowledge and experience. So, in addition to their own expertise and the aforementioned data overview, the CFO should acquire extensive knowledge of operational processes, market dynamics, innovation and transformation in the company as a basis for making risky decisions. With this broad foundation, the CFO can sharpen his business acumen and, in a sense, think "with the CEO cap on." He thus finds ways to tap new capital, plans expansions and has the best cards to succeed the CEO when the time comes.

Author

Christoph Kull is Business Manager Sales and Marketing DACH of Workday, a provider of cloud-based solutions in the field of Human Capital Management and Financial Management. He has more than 17 years of experience in the software industry. Prior to his current position at Workday, he spent eight years at SAP as Vice President Database & Technology DACH and in various other sales leadership roles. Prior to that, Mr. Kull founded and led a management consulting firm (alsus).

Sources

(1) KPMG: The view from the top. CEOs see a powerful future for the CFO. Are CFOs ready for the challenge? Online at: https://assets.kpmg.com/content/dam/kpmg/pdf/2015/11/view-from-the-top.pdf

(2) Association of Chartered Certified Accountants: The changing role of the CFO. Online at: http://www.accaglobal.com/content/dam/acca/global/PDF-technical/finance-transformation/pol-afb-croc.pdf

(3) Odgers Berndtson: Developing the CFO of the Future The Changing Role of Finance Executives in Leading Canadian Companies. Online at: http://www.odgersberndtson.com/media/2498/cfo_of_the_future.pdf

(4) Association of Chartered Certified Accountants: Future pathways to finance leadership. Online at: http://www.accaglobal.com/content/dam/acca/global/PDF-technical/other-PDFs/Future-pathways-five-minute-summary.pdf

Permanently on the road, one appointment after the next, operating successfully under time constraints, permanently delivering top performance - salespeople are under a lot of pressure to acquire and sell. How they deal with it more calmly, reveals Oliver Schumacher in his latest book "The anti-stress trainer for distributors". The current edition of the anti-stress series not only deals comprehensively with the topic of "stress in salespeople" in theory, but also provides anti-stress tips that can be applied in everyday life. Concrete examples also make the book very practice-oriented. Stress is part of everyday life in our professional and private lives. However, the situations that trigger stress differ depending on the occupational group. For this reason, in the anti-stress series initiated by Peter Buchenau, leading experts address these specific stress situations. Like Oliver Schumacher, who as an expert on the subject of "Honesty sells" helps salespeople to correctly classify the stressful situations of everyday working life - in short, the pressure of selling - to deal with them better and ultimately to resolve them. Humorous instant tips for more composure in sales.

Oliver Schumacher
The anti-stress trainer for salespeople
71 pages, € 12,99
ISBN 978-3658124762
Springer Gabler Publishing House

Based on feedback from over 15,000 employees surveyed, this year's winners were determined. They are ranked by company size: small companies (20-49 employees), medium companies (50-249 employees) and large companies (250+ employees). On average, 84% of employees at the award-winning employers think "All in all, I can say this is a very good place to work." At the same time, however, employees in Switzerland have decidedly high expectations of their employers.

Employees as a decisive success factor

The best employers in Switzerland are characterized by a trusting and motivating workplace culture. If 84% of employees rate their employer positively and are then also prepared to make a special commitment to it, this is a crucial prerequisite for being successful as a company. According to the study results, respect, cooperation, co-determination and development opportunities within the company are particularly important to Swiss employees. Above all, however, trust in management and colleagues at work is the central factor for a successful workplace culture.

Dr. Athanasios Zikopoulos, General Manager at Mundipharma Medical Company, 1st place in the medium-sized company category, describes this as follows: "The good relationships we have with our employees are just as important to the overall picture as our products and customer relationships. Of course, this also gives us a special perception in the job market as a good employer, which is not only important for our reputation, but also has a positive impact on retention and recruitment. Employees are proud to work for one of the best employers and that their own perception is confirmed externally thanks to the award."

Significant differences between the "best" employers and those not placed

The results show major differences between the best employers and the others. This is particularly true for factors such as recognition, appreciation and employee involvement. 77% of all employees at the best employers feel well informed by their manager, in contrast to only 55% at unranked companies. This difference is even more pronounced with regard to the recognition they receive for their work. Whereas 73% of the employees at the best employers rate this positively, less than half (47%) at the unranked companies do.

Another point is reflected in the perception of fairness with regard to salary and social benefits. Just half of the employees of the unranked companies feel that their employer offers special social benefits. In contrast, 8 out of 10 employees of the best performers rate their companies' benefits as motivating. Among the award-winning employers, 83% consider their job to be relatively secure, compared to just 51% among the others.

"Gender Gap" - Women complain about lack of flexibility and salary fairness

The so-called "gender gap" is evident even among some of the best. Overall, women and men rate their employers similarly, but there are nevertheless striking differences in some areas. Whether women actually earn less than men cannot be assessed via the survey in the Best Employers study. However, employee feedback clearly shows that women are much more critical of their salary prospects than men. On average, even at the best companies, men (71%) are more likely than women (52%) to perceive compensation as fair. In addition, fewer women (75%) than men (85%) find that they have the flexibility to take time off when they feel it is necessary.

The best employers by category

Small companies (20-49 employees)

1st place: Rackspace International GmbH, Zurich
2nd place: CSP AG Schweiz AG, St. Gallen
3rd place: SAS Institute AG, Wallisellen

Medium-sized companies (50-249 employees)

1st place: Mundipharma Medical Company, Basel
2nd place: AbbVie AG, Baar
3rd place: Hotel Schweizerhof Bern AG, Bern

Large companies (250+ employees)

1st place: Google Switzerland GmbH, Zurich
2nd place: Sensirion AG, Stäfa
3rd place: Hilti Aktiengesellschaft, Liechtenstein

Health and social services

1st place: Domicil Bern AG, Bern
2nd place: Waldheim Foundation, Walzenhausen
3rd place: GGZ@work, Zug

You can find the detailed list of winners at www.greatplacetowork.ch