Abacus was once again able to maintain its leading position in the Swiss market for business software last year, according to a media release sent out on March 9. The solutions are in demand as never before, even in "times of digitalization". Last year, more than 4,600 subscriptions were sold for the latest products for mobile applications alone, such as the app for recording working hours and benefits, as well as expense reporting, which allows business processes to be handled electronically from A to Z without media discontinuity, according to Abacus.

The use of Abacus software from the cloud continues to be highly popular. Sales of web subscriptions for the corresponding rental programs increased by 24.5 percent last year compared to the previous year. Since its launch ten years ago, a total of over 15,600 program subscriptions have been purchased by SMEs. There has also been a marked increase in the business with new program licenses. This segment had grown by 43 percent compared to 2015. In total, 350 SMEs decided to use Abacus Business Software for the first time last year. The various industry solutions contributed significantly to this increase in sales, the report continues. In the "Public Sector" segment alone, 35 municipalities switched to the financial software of this Swiss software manufacturer.

As has been the case since its beginnings more than 30 years ago, sales of the business software continue to be handled by partner companies. The "best list" for the sale of new software licenses is headed by Axept Business Software, ahead of BDO and All Consulting. Claudio Hintermann, CEO of Abacus Research, comments with satisfaction on the good business performance: "The investments we have made in new technologies for mobile and cloud-based applications are beginning to bear fruit. However, this is only an intermediate step, as there are currently many other developments in the pipeline."

Source

The INTES Academy is considered the market leader and first point of contact for cross-generational qualification, networking and owner-strategic consulting for family businesses and entrepreneurial families. INTES has been a company of the German PwC Group since 2013. Due to this successful cooperation and shared passion, PwC Switzerland and INTES are now also going down the same path and developing sustainable structures for Swiss companies and families. INTES brings the experience of almost two decades of advising owner families. PwC can now enrich this with high-quality expertise in auditing as well as strategy, management, legal and tax consulting, according to the two companies.

"Family-run companies shape the Swiss economy. We are pleased to join INTES in supporting their success in Switzerland. Our joint mission is to make such companies more successful and entrepreneurial families stronger," says Norbert Kühnis, Head of Family Business and SMEs at PwC Switzerland. Dr. Dominik von Au, Managing Director of the INTES Academy for Family Businesses, adds: "INTES supports family businesses in achieving sustainable family and corporate governance through a clear owner strategy. PwC makes family businesses even better. INTES makes owner families even stronger. We are very much looking forward to working with PwC Switzerland and their experts to develop sustainable solutions for businesses and families in Switzerland."

Source: www.pwc.ch

Nine out of ten employees in Germany want the option of returning from part-time work to a full-time position. This makes such a right the most important measure for skilled workers in Germany to reconcile family and career. This is what the online job exchange StepStone found out in a survey of around 5,000 professionals and managers. The study also shows that 28 percent of the women surveyed have firm plans to take on a management role in the future. Just under 60 percent of all part-time employees believe that they can adequately fill a responsible management position even with reduced hours.

Up to 1.5 million part-time workers would work full time

"Highly qualified women in particular want to make a difference at work - even if they want or have to work part-time temporarily. Our market research has shown that four out of ten women would switch to full-time if childcare could be organized optimally. The willingness to work more has thus increased again by ten percentage points compared to our previous year's survey," says Simone Reif, Managing Director at StepStone.de. "For the economy this is good news, because in times of scarce skilled workers companies are dependent on these women." According to StepStone estimates, the number of women who would work full time under the right conditions is up to 1.5 million among specialists and managers alone.

Ways out of the part-time trap

Flexible working hours are a must for 95 percent of all respondents. Women would like to receive support from their employer in the form of training to prepare them for a management position and measures to specifically promote part-time employees. Almost two-thirds of female professionals were confronted with other tasks after returning from family leave - 28 percent have since taken on less demanding jobs. More than half of the women believe that the career break has damaged their career. This also has financial consequences: 60 percent expect negative effects on their salary in the long term.

In Switzerland: More female managers

In Switzerland, on the other hand, the business community is succeeding in filling significantly more vacancies on its executive boards with women. The proportion of women on the management boards of the 100 largest Swiss employers jumped from 6 % to 8 %, and of all new appointments to management boards, 21 % were female - compared with only 4 % in the previous year. On company boards of directors, 21% of the open mandates were also filled by a woman, bringing the proportion of women there to 17%. This is shown by the latest "schillingreport" of the executive search specialist Guido Schilling AG. However, if the Swiss economy does not want to lose touch with the other countries in Western Europe, it must consistently continue on the path it has taken. In the public sector, the comparative body of 24 % female government councillors and 14 % female top executives is significantly further ahead than the private sector.

Sources: www.stepstone.de, www.schillingreport.ch

The Swiss cloud software provider jacando recently produced the study "Digitization of HR in Europe" as part of a status quo analysis. More than 1000 career sites of SMEs (50-499 employees) and corporates (500+ employees) from 12 European countries on recruitment topics were examined. One key finding: a lack of digitization leads to a great waste of money in HR departments.

Apply like in the past

But let's start from the beginning. The study "Digitization of HR in Europe" has revealed that despite a wide range of digital options, recruitment processes in European small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are often still handled as they used to be: For example, more than every 3rd SME still asks for applications in postal form and in 54% of all cases, emails come into play. However, these are then not processed efficiently with an applicant management system, but mainly still manually. Such a system is only used in 14% of the cases - despite a time saving of around 30 minutes per application.

Immense waste of money

It is obvious that this costs companies dearly. With an average of 50 applications per vacancy, this means that 60 million applications are handled inefficiently every year. In man-hours, this amounts to 30 million. And the costs caused by a lack of digitization are immense: In the DACH region alone, 1 billion euros are lost due to a lack of digital application processes - every year!

E-Recruiting in general? Hardly widespread!

A look at other efficient e-recruiting methods, such as the one-click application with the social media profile or mobile recruiting, does not bode well either. With 10% (one-click), respectively 6% (mobile recruiting), these two forms are virtually non-existent. And speaking of mobile: the fact that only 66% of the websites examined are mobile-responsive at all shows that mobile measures are already failing to meet the basic requirements. And what about social recruiting? Social recruiting also suffers from the same problem, because not even every 2nd SME has its own social media account. And thus the most important prerequisite for a successful implementation is missing here as well.

Even the big players still have potential

On the one hand, corporates have significantly more resources and, on the other hand, are virtually forced to digitize due to the large number of vacancies (and corresponding number of applications) for capacity reasons. It is therefore not surprising that they are further ahead than SMEs when it comes to e-recruiting. But even among corporates, there is still potential for digitization: although 99% of career pages are mobile-optimized, applicant management systems are only used in 77% of cases, and social media could also be more widespread at 80%. A deeper look also shows that corporates are only just scratching the surface when it comes to digitalization: The one-click application with the social media profile is only possible in 14% of the cases and the number of companies that enable an application via mobile app can only be counted on one hand.

Digitization? Basic stage

Although digitization is not a new term and it is promoted and supported by numerous programs, it does not yet seem to have arrived in European HR departments, at least in recruitment matters. "Backward" or "basic stage" thus best summarize the current level of digitization in the SMEs studied. Whether this is due to the will to digitize, the knowledge about it, or a lack of resources can only be speculated on for the time being, and further investigation is required for this. However, the fact that digitization of individual subareas would already bring considerable cost savings should be reason enough for all companies to at least give digitization a chance.

In order to learn more about the background and causes of the hesitant digitization, jacando is currently conducting another, larger-scale study together with various partners. The results will be published in spring 2017.   

Source and information: jacando AG

Globalization, digitization and knowledge transfer: the world of work is changing. And with it, the demands of employees and entrepreneurs on their working or office worlds are changing. "Current developments are not fundamentally different from ten years ago. But: Their interpretation goes much further. Digitization or mobility permeate the working world in a new dimension. This accelerates and changes processes sustainably. A sustainably designed office must adapt to this. What is interesting here is that currently it is rather the large companies that are learning from the small companies to do this," says Sven Bietau, Managing Director of conceptsued gmbh. The consulting firm from Munich supports companies in the selection and redesign of commercial properties. One key observation: small, inexperienced companies in particular are the driving force behind current developments. They try out more, also allow ideas to fail. Sven Bietau uses seven trends to explain what the workplace of the future will look like.

Megatrend: Individualization of work

New technologies and digitization are making it possible to live an increasingly individualized life. The car can be tailored to one's own needs. When shopping, consumers are no longer tied to cities or stores. Even if older generations find this more difficult: Generations Y and Z, born in 1980 and later, are digital natives. For them, certain freedoms are normal. This also affects their demands on the workplace. "In the past, there were workplaces filled with people. Today, the office is all about people and new ways of working. 'Srcum Working' and agile working are just two trends there that are taking hold in many companies," says Sven Bietau. According to the expert, there is no one right office. Rather, certain basic requirements must be met, such as fixed locations for clerical work. Beyond that, however, areas are created that can be used individually and flexibly. There are no longer any fixed rules or places.

The office as an emotional bonding agent to the company

The location of the workplace was hardly important to employees in the past. Pride was taken in the corporate brand. Today, the location, concept and furnishings of the office are the focus of appreciation. Sven Bietau: "Many experts say that location is more important today than salary. I am convinced that both are now so important to young professionals that the much-described 'war of talents' cannot be won with a good location or an appropriate salary alone."

The office as a place of well-being

What is true for one's own home is now increasingly true for one's job as well: People want to feel good at their workplace. Forward-looking entrepreneurs know that office environments that employees enjoy are important prerequisites for motivation and performance. The same applies here as in one's own four walls: The furnishings should be multifunctional and flexible. In this way, entire rooms can be rethought again and again and adjusted to different work situations at any time.

The office as a social hub

Within the office, teamwork is becoming more important - but for limited periods of time. According to the so-called 'Scrum Working' model, colleagues work together on a topic for two weeks, for example. The work is started in the group. This is where everyone's knowledge is pooled. This is followed by the individual implementation of the necessary individual tasks and discussions in small teams. These teams then present their results to their colleagues in the larger team. The goal is the rapid and creative development of ideas within short time intervals. In this way, workspaces develop into 'hubs' that can be quickly enlarged for joint brainstorming. Retreats allow concentrated work alone. Lounges invite casual conversations, sports areas invite exercise.

The office as a knowledge broker

The individualization of the employee is also accompanied by increasing demands on the employer in terms of further training. Sven Bietau: "Employees today want to develop their own skills or reduce deficits. At the same time, they also have to do this because technical progress is becoming ever faster. For this, too, employers must create space in their own companies and offer appropriate technologies."

The office as a technology laboratory

Formerly reserved for the boss or department head, the cordless telephone is now part of the office standard. With it, employees can be reached at their fixed workstation, in the meeting room or in the lounge. Increasingly important, however, are software and technology: employees in companies write programs themselves and share them with colleagues via screens; infinite whiteboards can be shared by everyone and filled with information. "Screens are alive today: The computer-aided drafting program can be open on one screen, and next to it, simultaneously, a website on the Internet, a video screen, and a hand sketch. This is increasingly important for communicating with customers and colleagues who are not in the same location, for developing products, and for solving increasingly complex tasks," says Bietau.

Trust vs. control

Sofa, park, lake or 'home office': Today's employees want to decide for themselves from where they start their laptop or make a phone call to the supplier. This, too, is leading to changes within the office worlds. Sven Bietau: "The basis and prerequisite for the success of the new ways of working and the office worlds designed for them is trust. It is no longer presence that is the proof of performance, but the work result."

Source and further information: http://www.conceptsued.com/

European workers have a strong appetite for international work or careers. Nearly three-quarters (74%) would consider working in another country to pursue career opportunities, according to research from ADP®. For the study, titled "The Employee View in Europe 2017," nearly 10,000 employees across Europe were asked what they thought about the future of work, international competitiveness and talent management.

Switzerland in 4th place

Germany (21%), the UK (15%) and France (12%) top the list of most desirable places to work, while North America is surprisingly much further down the list at number 12.

1. Germany
2. United Kingdom
3. France
4. Switzerland
5. Austria
6. Belgium
7. Spain
8. Norway
9. Netherlands
10. Italy
11. Sweden
12. North America
13. Ireland
14. Denmark
15. Luxembourg
16. Finland
17. Portugal
18. Russia
19. Asia Pacific
20. Iceland

What makes the top countries so appealing?

 Despite their popularity for international careers, Germany, the United Kingdom and France are not particularly strong in the areas the study asked about, such as skills and development, flexible work opportunities and workplace stress. In fact, workers may have more balanced lives and more interesting opportunities in countries that don't top the list, according to the study. Instead, pre-existing perceptions of the country, economic stability, distance from home and language skills have a greater impact on preference. Employees who are most interested in working abroad (Poland, Spain and Italy) are also the ones who say it is important to improve one's language skills.

Does any talent want to cross borders?

Despite the overwhelming interest across the continent in international work, over a quarter of employees (26%) would never work abroad. Significantly, there is a marked difference in opinion between men and women, with 18% and 36% respectively not wanting to work abroad. Interestingly, French (46%) and British (43%) employees are the least interested in working abroad. The results also show an expected trend of younger workers who would be more likely to work abroad. An astonishing 87% of 16- to 24-year-olds would be interested in pursuing career opportunities abroad, compared to only 56% of those 55 and older.

International battle for talent

Sebastien Moyon, Service Delivery Director at ADP Switzerland, says: "It is clear that Europe has an appetite for international work. The battle for talent and widening skills gaps are challenges that span the continent. It is essential that companies consider adapting to a more international workforce. Encouraging the cross-border development of talent and employing people from diverse backgrounds, is important to keep up with global competition. If companies consider the needs of their employees and potential talent, they will be able to reap the benefits of an engaged and optimistic workforce.

For more information visit www.adp.ch

Digitization at Swiss companies is advancing in leaps and bounds. However, according to a recent survey of 700 Swiss companies with 30 to 2,000 employees conducted by the consulting firm EY, SMEs are threatened by a digital two-tier society: a gap is opening up between successful and less successful companies. The importance of digital technologies has increased significantly compared to the previous year. Well over half of them already use digital technologies: 60 percent attach medium to great importance to them - in the previous year, the proportion was still 45 percent.

However, successful companies rely significantly more on digitization than companies with a poor business situation and negative business prospects. For 62 percent of the "top performers," it plays a very large or a medium role. By contrast, only 30 percent of the less successful companies say that digital technologies are fundamental to their business model.

No investment due to lack of funds

More than two-thirds of respondents see no fundamental obstacles to investing in digital technologies. However, more than twice as many as last year (15 percent) have too little money, 9 percent lack qualified employees and 8 percent have too little know-how. "Many medium-sized companies are at a crossroads," is the finding of Marcel Stalder, CEO of EY Switzerland. "Some of the companies are adapting flexibly to new developments. These manage to further develop their business model through innovative products and services. Others, however, will lose out: They do not invest enough in the transition to digital technologies, do not look specifically enough for suitable employees, or neglect cultural development. The Swiss economy is threatened by a digital two-tier society."

Digital advocates on the rise

The companies themselves know that they have to face up to digitization: The proportion of companies that are open to this megatrend has risen to 83 percent. Only 17 percent (previous year: 36 percent) say that the importance of digital technologies for their business model will not increase in the next five years. However, many companies still find it difficult to implement this realization in their day-to-day business. For Martin Ceccon, EY Digital Strategy Leader Switzerland, one thing is certain: "Many companies will still experience serious upheavals. They need an agile strategy for digitization, innovative products, services and new business models. Provided the leadership understands and promotes digitization as an opportunity, new exciting growth opportunities will arise. On the other hand, those who hold on to an outdated business model for too long will be among the losers."

Against digital two-tier society

"Size matters" - at least when it comes to using new technologies for their own business: Almost three-quarters of companies (73 percent) with sales of over CHF 100 million use digital technologies. By contrast, only just under one in five (21 percent) of companies with sales of less than CHF 30 million say digital technologies are very important.

Martin Ceccon also calls on smaller companies to be open to digitization, to acquire new skills and knowledge, and to invest in appropriate technologies, because otherwise there is a risk of a dangerous downward spiral. "Even companies with 100 or 200 employees can optimize supply chains, intensify customer relationships or individualize products. They become more flexible and save money, time and resources. Cooperations are important, not only if the company lacks the money or knowledge for its own digital solutions. Companies need to build a digital ecosystem with partners. This means more and more inorganic growth as well." In addition to an increase in collaborations, Martin Ceccon also expects the number of specialized digital solution providers to increase massively in the coming years. "There is still a lot of room to grow for digital solutions as modular systems. For example, smaller companies that do not need their own solution can make use of open platforms and incorporate them into their processes. We will see more of these types of services for small and medium-sized companies on the market in the future."

Switzerland evenly digitized - Germany split

The digital two-tier society has no clear boundaries. There is no discernible divide in Switzerland when it comes to digitization. The survey shows that digitization is accorded almost the same importance from Geneva to Romanshorn. The location initiative for digitization and innovation, digitalswitzerland, which is supported by EY Switzerland and many other organizations, also aims to ensure that digital strategies, business models and technologies are disseminated throughout Switzerland, especially by promoting startups. A comparatively unbalanced picture in terms of regional distribution emerges from the survey conducted in Germany at the same time: In the northeast of the country, the proportion of companies that describe digitization as very important for their business is six times lower than in the southwest.

According to the survey, the importance of the individual technologies and application areas has increased across the board in Switzerland. Above all, customer relationships are now organized digitally by the companies surveyed. 69 percent of the companies use digital technologies for this purpose. Mobile devices such as smartphones or tablets are now used by 54 percent of companies, whether for the work of their employees or for product sales. More than half of the companies also sell products online, with the proportion rising from 44 to 52 percent.

You can also find more information in a Expert interview in EY's annual report.

The history of Stans-based Maschinenfabrik Schilter leaves nothing to be desired in terms of drama. Between 1959 and 1972, the company developed from a 3-man operation in Stans' Schmiedgasse into an internationally active SME with 270 employees. Its product: all-terrain vans for mountain farming. At the best of times, Schilter produces and sells 1000 vehicles per year. The Stans-based company is considered a pioneer of mechanized mountain farming. But the impressive rise is followed by a thunderous collapse, in which the Nidwaldner Kantonalbank (NKB) is also thrown into turmoil: a fascinating piece of Nidwalden technology and economic history.

The exhibition will be accompanied by various side events:

• Spotlight Tour: Wednesday, May 3, 2017, 6:30 p.m. Eva-Maria Knüsel, Head of Mediation, will lead a tour of the exhibition in dialogue with experts.
• Engine noise and oil smell. A spoken word evening at the museum in cooperation with lit.z: Wednesday, June 21, 2017, 6:30 p.m. (event details to follow).
• Public tour: Wednesday, August 23, 2017, 6:30 p.m. Fabian Hodel, curator, will guide through the exhibition.
• Schilter stories. Contemporary witnesses tell. Wednesday, September 20, 2017, 6:30 p.m., Chäslager Stans (event details to follow).

The exhibition in the Nidwaldner Museum Salzmagazin lasts until October 29, 2017.

More information: www.nidwaldner-museum.ch

One thing in advance, according to Stefan Häseli: "Whether this act is good for the world or how bad it will be when the impulsive new president shapes not only the fate of the USA but also, linked to this, to a large extent that of the world for the next four years, is left to the political observers. The fears that Donald Trump will continue to frighten many with his often outspoken statements are undoubtedly justified. Already, the world public is amazed at what he allows himself verbally." He added that it is exciting to follow how Donald Trump communicates: "You have to separate two things here. On the one hand, he very often ignores all the rules of constructive communication and appreciative feedback. That is without question something that I dislike. The other is that he, like hardly anyone else, tries to rule the world with 140 characters from the 'Twitter window'. And that's something we should think about."

Getting to the heart of the matter

From this point of view, says the communications expert, it is worth trying to separate the threatening from the useful: "Once the fear of the content of provocative statements is set aside, a lot can be learned from it purely in terms of communications technology. After all, the point is to get to the heart of the matter. This initiates the discussion. 140 characters are enough to make the news, whether positive or negative. Or, in a less spectacular way, simply into the conversation. Packing important statements into 140 characters on Twitter is certainly not always right - especially when it comes to global interests. But the art of being able to do it is important! This ability is still not really used well everywhere in modern society, business and the public sphere," says Stefan Häseli, who has been working on everyday communication for many years. "It is by no means evidence of superficiality to limit information to 140 characters. Rather, such a core statement must be formulated aptly. The situation is different, of course, when it comes to complex contexts. Anyone who masters the both/and is a 'commander in tweets'."

A quality that can be learned

What remains to be distinguished and differentiated is that a lot of junk is tweeted. Stefan Häseli: "Many of Donald Trump's posts also seem too ill-considered. But who hasn't sent a message themselves without thinking about what it could trigger? But there's just a difference between sending an unclear email to a good acquaintance and the world's most powerful man insulting a fellow official with nuclear weapons in the closet." Even if many things are not eaten as hot as they are cooked, as Stefan Häseli knows from his contacts with politicians: "Some things are done for the gallery. For example, when Donald Trump posts a Twitter message about Vladimir Putin, it may be that the personal conversation between the two has long since taken place and they know from each other very well what they really think." Which brings us full circle, the expert says: "Composing a message in a 140-character message is a quality that can be learned and is becoming increasingly important. But there is still and for the time being no substitute for the conversation. What's clear is that at the end of the day, even Donald Trump will be judged on actions, not his posts."

Recommendation by Stefan Häseli: Twitter as training

"Breaking down important key messages into 140 characters is hard work - but very educational. I did this recently in a presentation with the most important key messages:

• The world of communication is becoming more demanding. Communicating a lot on more media does not necessarily result in more content.
• In all the euphoria and in the maelstrom of networked thinking and holistic approaches: In the market, sales still have to be made.
• The way is the goal. That may be true most of the time. But let's not forget: a beautiful train is no use if it doesn't arrive at the station.
• What is needed are solutions to customers' problems, not just the results of studies and convictions of suppliers.

That was attractive for the audience and it helped me to deal intensively with the topic. So supposed superficiality can also be the result of depth."

About Stefan Häseli:

As an international speaker, Stefan Häseli encourages people to experience effective communication in everyday life in a fun way. To this end, he is the author of numerous books and well-known as an advisor on radio and TV programs. www.stefanhaeseli.ch

In 2016, insured persons reported 461,000 accidents to Suva, as the company shows in its latest figures. The number of occupational and non-occupational accidents remained slightly below the previous year: The approximately 178,000 registered occupational accidents and occupational illnesses fell by 1.1 percent, while non-occupational accidents fell by 0.5 percent to just under 264,000. In accident insurance for the unemployed, the accident figures rose almost in parallel with the increase in job seekers. The figures were communicated via press release on February 15, 2017.

In occupational accident insurance, the number of accidents has fallen continuously by a total of 5.5 percent since 2011. This is despite the fact that the number of full-time employees has increased over this period. The occupational accident risk (number of accidents per 1,000 fulltime employees) has also been decreasing for years, the company adds. Suva attributes this decline on the one hand to its prevention work in the area of occupational safety. On the other hand, high-risk activities are generally decreasing as a result of ongoing structural change - for example, due to the increase in automated processes, it adds.

Overall, Suva can report a good result despite higher costs: The insurance company incurred daily allowance costs of CHF 1.35 billion in 2016, 3.5 percent more than in the previous year. However, the average duration of daily allowance payments remained stable at around 40 days. The higher daily allowance costs are partly due to the fact that more cases were settled in 2016 (+2.6 percent), namely a total of almost 231,000 cases. The reason for this, according to Suva, is that in 2015 they switched to new software for settling claims. This changeover led to backlogs of work that could be worked off last year. This is now reflected in the figures. Furthermore, the daily allowance costs were influenced by the general increase in average wages and the increase in the maximum insured earnings as of January 1, 2016, Suva added.

Source: Suva

As a recent study supported by Matrix42, a provider of workplace management software, shows, Workplace Modernization is already advanced in 38 % of European companies. 10 % of companies are still at the beginning, every second company (52 %) is in the implementation phase.

Individual solutions are no longer enough

For European companies, digital transformation means making fundamental changes. While the goals of digitization vary - increasing agility, improving service quality, optimizing processes or promoting innovation - the central starting point for the changes is always the working environment of the employees. After all, employee performance is crucial in the digitized, international knowledge economy. Accordingly, three quarters of the IT and HR managers surveyed attribute great importance to the quality of the IT working environment for the success of the company. Workplace modernization is therefore a high priority in every second European company. However, individual solutions, such as equipping employees with mobile devices, are not enough to meet the requirements. What is needed are comprehensive digital workplace concepts that cover all aspects from procurement and operational processes to support and security.

Changing the investment agenda

Awareness of the importance of workplace modernization is not yet reflected in the investment agenda of the majority of companies. Current digitization initiatives are primarily aimed at improving interaction with customers, introducing Internet of Things infrastructures and Big Data solutions. Workplace modernization projects had been launched in the past primarily for efficiency reasons. Now, however, they are being focused on achieving various business goals. These include increasing employee satisfaction and supporting collaboration and innovation. At the same time, they must meet the highest security requirements and address cost-efficiency issues. "The time when it was sufficient to introduce new end devices or new applications is over. Companies' ambitious digitization goals can only be achieved with modern, integrated IT workplace environments. An increasing number of companies will therefore align their budgets accordingly and look to the market for suitable, holistic solutions with which these goals can be achieved while at the same time providing professional operation and service, including a high level of user orientation and (data) security," explains Oliver Bendig, CEO of Matrix42.

Country comparison shows large differences

When it comes to workplace modernization, companies in European countries are at different stages of progress. French companies are the frontrunners when it comes to workplace modernization, while German companies, for example, are lagging far behind when it comes to workplace transformation. And what about the digital workplace in Switzerland? Nadia Bischof, Managing Director of the Alps region at Matrix42, explains: "We can see from the number of inquiries that companies in Switzerland and Austria are also intensively dealing with workplace modernization and looking for solutions. Our local teams support customers and prospects in planning and implementing their individual Workplace concepts and see that it is not easy for those responsible to keep the balance between requirements and budgetary and resource restrictions."

Source: www.matrix42.com

Several organizations of people with disabilities will address the topic of mental crisis - ways back to work on Monday, March 13, 2017 at the Forum in the Pfalzkeller in St.Gallen. According to Prof. Dr.med. Wolfram Kawohl, Chief Physician and Head of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy at the Psychiatric Services Aargau - he is present at the forum - it is possible to continue working despite mental illness in many more cases than previously thought. The field of application can be changed to create a better fit between employee and workplace.

Mental crisis: what to do?

There is uncertainty all around. The person concerned is afraid of losing his or her job, the supervisor is afraid of bringing up a sensitive topic, the therapist is afraid of violating confidentiality. The IV is often wrongly perceived as an adversary instead of a partner. A conversation can go wrong - but usually does not. But if you don't talk and the employee really has a problem, it will go wrong in any case.

How have employees with a mental illness managed to return to work together with their employer? Practical examples with participants present, together with expert advice and experiences from the audience, show the ways of return. The panel of experts consists of job coaching, psychiatry, occupational integration IV, law and insurance.

Register now

For the ninth time, the St.Gallen Forum in the Pfalzkeller is dedicated to the topic of work integration of people with a disability. The event is aimed primarily at employers from regional SMEs. At the aperitif, representatives of all organizations and the experts will be available to answer participants' questions. The forum is organized by Profil Arbeit & Handicap, Obvita, dreischiibe, Procap and Suva, and supported by the IV, SVA, the Employers' Association, Gewerbe St. Gallen, the Chamber of Industry and Commerce and "Wirtschaft Region St. Gallen". The event will begin at 6 p.m. in the Pfalzkeller. The forum lasts until 8 p.m.

Registration and further information on www.forumimpfalzkeller.ch