Families are characterized by cohesion and consistency. These values are of great importance in personal life, but can be a hindrance in a business context.

Why the family metaphor is problematic

In families, maintaining the status quo often takes precedence over change, while companies rely on flexibility and innovation. In a dynamic economy, companies must constantly adapt in order to remain competitive.

A family is geared towards stability, but a company is about clear goal orientation and measurable success. Companies should therefore be seen more as a performance community in which excellence and determination are paramount. Such a community makes it possible to achieve great goals, because people are prepared to take on challenges.

The characteristics of a joint venture

1. Clear target orientation: The focus is on measurable goals that determine the success of the company. Everyone in the team should know the goals and understand why they are important. Without clear direction, a company quickly loses momentum.
2. Flexibilityät: Structures should be geared towards goals, not personal preferences. A flexible organization adapts quickly to changes and seizes opportunities. In a performance community, everyone is prepared to adapt to the requirements.
3. Compliance with standards: Clear standards and expectations promote a culture of excellence. While indulgence is often practiced in families, in a company everyone needs to know what is acceptable and what is not. Adhering to standards ensures long-term success.
4. Adaptability: Roles and responsibilities must continuously adapt to the requirements of the market. A successful company must continue to develop, while rigid structures lead to stagnation.
5. Focus on results: While families are focused inwards, companies must have an outward impact. Success is measured by the added value the company creates for customers and the market. The performance community looks outwards in order to achieve real results.

Conclusion

A company is not a family, nor should it function like one. As a leader, it is your responsibility to create an environment that fosters excellence. Empathy and collaboration are important, but they must always serve the common goals.

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

Unicorn potential, culinary delights from the roof of the world and much more characterized the third episode of the new season of Die Höhle der Löwen Schweiz. And there were also tears of joy.

Unicorn or not?

Jonny Burger and Mehmet Ademi from Zurich (ZH) want to take off with their video creation tool Remotion. Their idea is to automatically generate personalized videos of major events such as the Jungfrau Marathon. Each of the 4000 runners then sees themselves in different stages and at the end of the video their running time is animated. The videos are created using a specially developed editor. Remotion collects half a centime in license fees for each video created. With 4000 participants in the Jungfrau Marathon, this amounts to 20 francs. Nevertheless, the company has already generated an annual turnover of 100,000 US dollars, as Remotion's largest customer generates around 400,000 videos per month. 80 customers already rely on the solution, which requires some specialist knowledge to use. With a capital requirement of CHF 500,000 in exchange for 5 % company shares, Jonny and Mehmet now want to provide "additional programming power" for their idea with unicorn potential. However, Jürg Schwarzenbach immediately questioned the high company valuation. "You have to make a few million in turnover," he clarified. And Lukas Speiser put a question mark behind the customer structure: mostly start-ups. While Jürg Schwarzenbach, Roland Brack and Lukas Speiser dropped out, Anja Graf and Felix Bertram made a counter-offer: 500,000 against 10 percent. However, this was not what Jonny and Mehmet wanted and they ultimately rejected the investment.

Investment with tears

Then it was on to the culinary side: German Anne Riewoldt and Tibetan Dechen Jangma from Adliswil (ZH) want to shake up the market with House of Momos, a delivery service for the Tibetan dumplings Momos. Dechen Jangma came to Switzerland as a refugee in 2012 and met Anna Biewoldt. This led to a close friendship and the founding of the momos delivery service in 2021. The dumplings are made by hand according to Tibetan tradition. And the business seems to be going well: a turnover of 4.2 million Swiss francs in 2023 caused the lions to open their eyes and ears. The two founders are in talks with several major customers and need 500,000 Swiss francs for further growth. In return, they offered a 20 percent stake. The lions and lionesses clearly enjoyed the figures presented and the Momos samples. And Anna Riewoldt and Dechen Jangma knew the answers to all the typical investor questions. But initially they were only able to convince Lukas Speiser: he offered 500,000 Swiss francs in return for a 25 percent stake. He believes in the potential, even if he sees a few challenges with the margins. Then things got emotional: overwhelmed by the offer, Anna Riewoldt burst into tears. Felix Betram let his emotions get the better of him and also offered 500,000 francs in exchange for 25 percent. After a brief discussion backstage, the two decided in favor of Lukas Speiser as investor. The other lions congratulated the decision. These were "the founders of hearts", as Jürg Schwarzenbach put it.

Negotiating skills pay off

In their start-up Studyflash, Nikola Bulatovic, Dominik Gebhard and Florin Barbisch from Muri bei Bern are developing AI-generated flashcards that are tailored to students' lectures and courses. They are designed to help students master the learning material more easily in less time. The concept is simple: students upload their lecture notes to the Studyflash platform and the AI uses them to create the flashcards within a short space of time. The service seems to be popular with the target group: Within five months, 20,000 users have already been generated. Further market potential is to be tapped into with an investment of CHF 250,000 in return for a 10 percent stake in the company. Initially, the five lions and the lioness present were not quite "flashed" by the idea. They expressed concerns about copy protection and the low margin. Lukas Speiser liked the case, as he had already launched a business with flashcards when he was a student. However, he remained outside as an investor. Despite his reservations about the figures presented, Felix Bertram made an offer: 250,000 Swiss francs for 40 percent, with the prospect of a reduction to 30 percent if a sales target of 4 million is reached by 2027. "But here's a tip: I wouldn't do it," he added. While Jürg Schwarzenbach was unable to warm to the idea of an investment, Roland Brack and Nicole Buettner agreed to make the three founders a joint offer: CHF 250,000 in exchange for 20 percent. Felix Bertram's offer was out of the question for the three young entrepreneurs, and they countered Nicole Buettner's and Roland Brack's offer with a counter-proposal: CHF 250,000 for 15 percent, which the lions then accepted.

Does successful marketing require an investment?

Robin Horner and Jeffry Dahinden from Schindellegi SZ entered the lions' den with their company Freeways GmbH. These young entrepreneurs are true marketing geniuses: at the age of just 20 and 21, they have generated sales of over CHF 1 million - with a product that has been around for a long time: Nose plasters that make breathing easier. They seem to have struck a nerve, as the two young men have achieved 80 million views on social media with their product in Switzerland alone, and this with a starting capital of just 5,000 francs. The two men's demand came across as correspondingly self-confident: 500,000 francs in exchange for 10 percent of the company. To convince potential investors of their product, Robin and Jeffry pulled out all the stops, including acrobatic ones. And the figures had an even greater impact: The first million in turnover was achieved with 34,000 customers, and the two put the profit margin at 25 percent. Do they still need an investment? This is to be used primarily for marketing. After all, the product itself is not new and hardly differentiates itself from others, except in terms of color and shape. Therefore: "Whoever is the loudest will be heard the most," says Robin Horner. But then the two of them had to drop another bombshell: Freeways is not the only brand they market. Roland Brack made it clear: "This is simply uninvestable". All the other lions agreed with this view and no deal was made. In the end, Robin Horner and Jeffry Dahinden were left without a deal, but they left behind a den of lions that was very impressed by their marketing coup.

A friendly family business

Marie Jane and Marco Eberle from Unterterzen in St.Gallen use onion juice to strengthen the immune system. The miracle bulb has an anti-inflammatory effect. That's why Marie Jane has developed socks with nets into which onion slices can be slipped. They sleep with them and swear by the positive effect. Onion pouches for use on other parts of the body, e.g. ears, are now also available. The two have also devised other herbal mixtures to ensure a good sleeping atmosphere. With an investment of 30,000 Swiss francs in return for 10 percent of the company shares, the aim is now to conquer the DACH market with these products. The lionesses and lions ask many skeptical questions, for example about the market potential. The couple put this at 1 percent of the population, as many people have long been familiar with onions as a household remedy. However, Felix Bertram doubts whether this is enough and sees the product more as a fun gift idea. Lukas Speiser would have liked some more scientific proof of its effectiveness. However, Marie Jane and Marco Eberle were unable to provide this. The answers to the figures were more concrete: the socks have so far generated a turnover of 4,000 francs per year, excluding expenses. With production costs of around two francs and a sales price of just under 18 francs, there would be a considerable margin. In the end, however, there was only a lot of sympathy for the product and the family business. Even a lot of personal conviction is not enough for an investment.

When recruiters recruit investors

Goodbye CV: The job matching app Kanbii from René Lehmann and Carlos Müller (the two other co-founders Robert Onesim and Martina Fornara did not appear on the show) creates a job profile based solely on skills and to a certain extent eliminates prejudices. This means that no personal information is shared before a match is made. The idea is that skills are not tied to specific sectors, as the two of them immediately demonstrated using the profiles of the lionesses and lions present. This means that all five would be suitable investors for Kanbii. On the app itself, job seekers and job providers can find each other by simply swiping left or right. Kanbii needs an investment of 90,000 Swiss francs in exchange for 20 percent of the company shares to get the business off the ground. There are now 1700 users on the platform and 23 jobs have been placed so far. Nicole Büttner was impressed by the solution, but still asked the two of them about the figures. They want to achieve a turnover of 60,000 francs in the first year, double that in the following year and increase it by a further 30 percent in the third year. Lukas Speiser saw too little potential for disruption and dropped out as an investor. Felix Bertram took the same line and also decided not to invest. Tom Zimmermann attested to the founders' great business knowledge, but did not consider the app to be a major game changer and also withdrew. That left Nicole Büttner and Bettina Hein: while the former pulled out despite initially signaling interest ("not ambitious enough sales targets"), Bettina Hein allowed herself to be lured out of the reserve. "I believe that the 'No CV' concept has a future," she said and made an offer: 90,000 francs, but in return for a 25 percent stake in the company. The founders accepted this deal - a "perfect match", it seems.

Conclusion of this program: Again, lots of good ideas, but also the realization that parallel projects or opaque investments are "investor poison". And whether you really have unicorn potential is faster calculated than realized.

You can watch the program here: https://www.oneplus.ch/catalog/1000604

The venue for the first edition of the Greenovation Summit was well chosen: "Cubic", the Bühler Group's innovation center that opened in 2019. In this "nucleus", innovations for the food, animal feed and high-end materials sectors are being worked on every day. This led presenter Mona Vetsch to use the term "Silicon Uzvalley", referring to the often underestimated innovative strength of companies in Eastern Switzerland in general. And it was not without pride that Stefan Scheiber, CEO of Bühler AG, referred in his welcome address to the opportunities his company has to contribute to more sustainable food production with new technological developments.

Challenges in the consumer goods industry

The Greenovation Summit offered a foray into almost all sectors. From the consumer goods industry, Sandra Banholzer, CEO of herbal shampoo manufacturer Rausch AG from Kreuzlingen, reported on the challenge of having to commit to the standards of the Science-Based Targets Initiative (SBTi) under pressure from major customers. Even though Rausch has long been committed to sustainability, e.g. in terms of packaging materials and economical consumption, the aim now is to explicitly measure the impact of these measures. Or Claude Rieser from Step Zero showed the rocky road to tackling the problem of microplastics caused by the abrasion of synthetic shoe soles with new materials.

It was also about sustainability in tourism. Thomas Kirchhofer, Director of St.Gallen Bodensee Tourismus, sees the strongest lever for change in the transfer of knowledge because a wide variety of stakeholder groups are involved. Christian Klein from The Tschuggen Collection, with the construction of a completely CO2-neutral hotel in Arosa, showed what is technically possible in order to offer guests the comfort they are accustomed to - even if compromises sometimes have to be made, for example when offering out-of-season fruit at the breakfast buffet.

Employee involvement and building for the future

Further topics were covered in four breakout sessions. How to involve employees in the sustainable transformation of a company was one of the questions discussed there. Florian Hoffmann, CEO of tfy-consult, pointed out a common mistake: That employees are only involved once management has decided to implement measures. It is therefore better to involve employees as early as the analysis of the current situation and the definition of the strategy.

The other three breakout sessions focused on the topics of energy, compliance and the construction industry. Andreas Zindel, CEO of Zindel United, sees sustainable material development as the key to enabling "grandchildren-friendly" construction. Among other things, his company has developed a CO2-neutral concrete called KLARK. Maura Hegi, founder of the consulting firm Ecoleader GmbH, pointed out in her session that sustainability requirements should be used to transform them into future-proof corporate goals.

So that less food is lost

One of the biggest levers for achieving the climate targets lies in food, or to be more precise: in more sustainable food production and more conscious consumption. Béatrice Conde-Petit, Sustainability Officer at Bühler AG, explained how, for example, the waste of raw materials can be reduced by making greater use of by-products from grain processing. Bühler is also working in countries of the Global South to establish so-called "food parks". These are factory clusters that concentrate large parts of the food production value chain in a single location in order to reduce unnecessary transportation routes.

Better no sustainability marketing?

Jacqueline Schmid, Head of Sustainability at St.Gallen Kantonalbank, represented the financial sector. What was previously based on a great deal of goodwill and voluntariness has now become an obligation due to regulatory pressure. It was therefore all the more important to have created clean structures from the outset, to focus on the essentials and to have anchored responsibility at all levels, the speaker concluded.

"Sustainability" as a term doesn't work in marketing - and never really has. This is the insight that Johanna Gollnhofer, Director of the Institute for Marketing and Customer Insight at the University of St.Gallen (HSG), shared with the audience. Who is prepared to pay more for a product that is associated with "sacrifice" or "loss of quality"? After all, it is precisely these two terms that have turned a large proportion of consumers into real "sustainability grouches". It would therefore be more effective to simply focus on the customer benefits that can be achieved with sustainability.

Three Greenovation Awards for companies from Eastern Switzerland

The presentation of the Greenovation Award also celebrated a premiere at the end of the event. This award was presented for the three categories "Projects", "Products" and "Services". An expert jury awarded the prize to the following companies:

• Projects" category: Huber Fenster, Herisau, for their project of prefabricated wooden houses in the Ukraine
• Products" category: Nussbaum Matzingen AG for its cans made from recycled aluminum
• Services" category: originate GmbH, St.Gallen, for consulting and measurement services to reduce the ecological footprint of building technology and machinery.

These three award winners, as well as the speakers, showed how many approaches and concrete solutions are available today to actively tackle the required sustainability goals. However, there is still a lot of work to be done to achieve them and to answer the question of who will ultimately have to pay the price - and not just in Silicon Uzvalley.

More information

For the past 20 years, Kurt Mettler, CEO of SIZ Care AG, a company specializing in health, absence and case management, and his team have been holding a conference at which current issues relating to occupational health management are addressed in various presentations. The Zurich-based company has been supporting and advising companies and insurers with customized services for 25 years. SIZ Care now supports people throughout Switzerland who are unable to work on their way back into the world of work.

"Brain training" at the SIZ Care Forum 2024

As we know, a lot has changed in the world of work over the past two decades. Health, leadership and prevention have become more important, as we can see. After all, healthy employees are a valuable asset in all companies. However, each of us is ultimately responsible for our own physical and mental fitness. With this in mind, Barbara Studer, neuroscientist and brain coach, presented a "strengthening program for brain, body and soul". She encouraged the audience not to ignore emotions in the workplace, but to allow them in. "Emotions bring energy, and emotions need to be talked about," said Barbara Studer. If you become more curious about your own emotions, you can use this in a positive way. And there is also a lot of benefit in being curious about other people: Because it is in diverse thinking, so-called neurodiversity, that the real power of innovation lies. But with so much brain activity, we must not neglect relaxation. Multitasking means stress for the brain, which is why it is more beneficial to focus on specific tasks. And Barbara Studer used a few practical exercises to show how mindfulness, movement and music can be used to steer brain activity in the right direction.

Ongoing topic: Mental stress in the workplace

Nevertheless, psychological stress in the workplace is on the rise. Prof. Dr. Andreas Krause from the FHNW Olten spoke about the constructive handling of psychological risks and resources in companies. Using an overview of studies, he showed that psychosocial risks also have a physical impact, e.g. significantly increasing the risk of cardiovascular disease. According to Health Promotion Switzerland, 25 percent of employees report a critical work situation. This means that companies still have a lot to do to improve this situation. Andreas Krause outlined three ways in which this could be done: By setting up an early warning system (e.g. by obtaining a picture of the mood through surveys), by specifically naming hazards and by strengthening social interaction.

Prof. Dr. med. Matthias Jäger from Psychiatry Baselland then continued these threads from a medical perspective. The speaker emphasized that work has a fundamental effect on health. It provides a livelihood and a sense of purpose, gives a daily structure and can also provide status. Work has a disease-promoting effect when the focus on results gets out of hand, tasks become more concentrated and lead to time pressure and stress. Symptoms of illness are then, for example, sleep disorders, tinnitus, gastrointestinal problems or headaches through to affective disorders or anxiety. Burnout, on the other hand, is not a mental illness per se, but a chronic state of stress. This presents doctors with major challenges when certifying incapacity for work. This is because it does not always mean that recovery is possible, but can also lead to a chronification of the clinical picture.

Discussion points in labor law

Kurt Mettler led the last block of presentations at the SIZ Care Forum 2024. He highlighted a number of cases from employment law practice that have recently caused a stir. These included the "Nestlé case": after a legal dispute lasting more than ten years between a former high-ranking employee and the food company due to systematic bullying, an appeals court ultimately ordered the former employer to pay compensation of CHF 2 million. The court considered it proven that the employee had been systematically bullied by her direct superior and had suffered damage to her health as a result. The employer had breached its duty of care. However, there was no such breach of duty of care in another court case presented by Kurt Mettler. The court found that the plaintiff employee had failed to respond to his employer's suggestions for improvement at all. Another topic of the presentation was workplace-related incapacity for work. A recently published Federal Supreme Court ruling now states that there is no blocking period in the event of job-related incapacity for work and that employees can therefore be dismissed immediately. However, some misunderstandings have caused confusion in reporting. This is because "job-related" is not the same as "job-related" or "work-related". Kurt Mettler doesn't necessarily find these terms helpful either. He would prefer to speak of "job-related prevention of work". In his opinion, the question of the applicability of the blocking period does not even arise, as there is neither an illness nor an accident (facts according to Art. 336c CO). In addition, Art. 324a CO uses the term "prevention of work" and not "incapacity for work" in relation to continued salary payments. And with regard to daily sickness benefits insurance, there would be no question of illness in the case of a work-related incapacity to work, and thus the basic requirement for an obligation to pay benefits would no longer apply.

With 4i to personal and business success

The conference concluded with a presentation by former disabled athlete Lukas Christen. He lost his left leg in a serious motorcycle accident, but this did not prevent him from winning the long jump at the Paralympics in 1992, 1996 and 2000. With his life-affirming attitude - despite the many setbacks he experienced, which he described as a "boot camp for the soul" - he inspired the audience. We are all "chairmen of the board of directors of the human enterprise", he said in his speech. Dealing with unfamiliar changes is an "ongoing task for the Board of Directors". Lukas Christen relies on the "4i concept": Instinct (the primal knowledge), intuition (the gut knowledge, intuition), inspiration (the heart knowledge, feeling) and intellect (head knowledge, reason). This human competence to lead oneself forms the beginning of a chain of effects that can ultimately also be used to lead a team and a company. However, it is always important to follow the principle: "No added value without appreciation". And this should also be the nucleus of any culture that can have a preventative effect against any kind of workplace-related illness.

More information: SIZ Care

Wars, climate change, loss of biodiversity, but also more sustainability and impact: these keywords were omnipresent at this year's SGES. The global problems that need to be solved are enormous and time seems to be gradually running out. The UN's 17 Sustainable Development Goals are still a guideline for political, economic and social players, but there are also more and more sources of conflict when it comes to implementation. The vote on the biodiversity initiative on September 22, 2024 is just one such example. Opponents, such as the agricultural sector, and proponents from scientific and nature conservation circles are outbidding each other with arguments for and against. In a panel discussion, Prof. Dr. Michael Schaepman from the University of Zurich pointed out another example of a (possible) conflict behind the biodiversity debate: The agricultural plant maize, for example, is not native, but is nevertheless considered non-invasive, in contrast to cherry laurel, for example, which has now been banned from sale as a garden plant. Banning maize, on the other hand, would probably not occur to anyone...

Focusing even more on biodiversity

The topic of biodiversity provided new aspects at SGES 2024. It was shown that climate protection and biodiversity should not be viewed in isolation from one another. Marco Lambertini from the Nature Positive Initiative called for a move away from "Net Zero" towards "Net Positive". Like carbon neutrality, his initiative is based on a time-bound target for nature to halt and reverse species loss in order to support climate action and the Sustainable Development Goals. Stewart Maginnis from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) placed particular responsibility on countries such as Switzerland: despite their efforts to preserve biodiversity in their own country, the global footprint remains large. According to the panel participants, a change in mindset is needed and the focus must be placed even more on nature. However, we first need to better understand the impact that humans have on biodiversity and, based on this, develop a plan on how this impact can be managed. This may well raise the question for the outsider observer: Do we still have the time? And what conflicts do we have to accept? After all, it was also pointed out in the discussion that every regulation always has consequences that can lead to inequalities in society.

Tools for the 2030 Agenda

Switzerland, which likes to see itself as a role model when it comes to respecting human rights or protecting nature, is not where it should be on the path to achieving the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals. This was demonstrated by Daniel Dubas, Federal Council delegate for the 2030 Agenda: "The direction is right, but the speed is not," he said. Although progress has been made in the fight against poverty, there has been stagnation or even regression in other goals, Dubas continued. However, the Federal Council is continuing to pursue the priorities of sustainable consumption, biodiversity and equal opportunities. Daniel Dubas also pointed out the important role of business. In order to help companies implement the 2030 Agenda, the Federal Office for Spatial Development and its partners have developed a toolbox (https://toolbox-agenda2030.ch/de/) was developed. This was launched in 2023 and aims to share existing knowledge among companies. It is primarily aimed at companies that specifically want to do more for climate protection but are only just starting out.

Circular economy: Accepted, but much remains to be done

SGES 2024 also addressed the topic of the circular economy, for example in connection with the recycling of batteries from electric vehicles. Julian Proelss from BASF calculated that electric vehicles - viewed over their entire life cycle - emit 70 percent less CO2 than combustion engines. However, batteries in particular are big "CO2 guzzlers" during production because they require a lot of metals that are expensive to mine. According to Proelss, recycling these materials would reduce the CO2 footprint by 60 percent. The subsequent panel discussion with National Councillor Matthias Jauslin, Rahel Galliker (Deputy Director FOEN), Pia Guggenbühl (scienceindustries industry association) and Esther Laabs (WWF Germany) showed that the circular economy is generally not very controversial. According to a study commissioned by the FOEN and Seco, there are various pioneering companies in the circular economy among Swiss companies. However, the majority of companies are only at the beginning in this respect. Pia Guggenbühl: "A new era is underway" - if only because of the economic pressure resulting from dwindling resources. And is there also regulatory pressure? Yes, because the EU is currently introducing a new Circular Economy Act. Julian Proelss regrets, however, that many of the regulations contain technically unrealistic requirements. This makes dialog between the stakeholders all the more important, according to the unanimous opinion of the panel participants. "Protecting the environment and benefiting customers should not be mutually exclusive," was Matthias Jauslin's opinion on the frequently emerging conflicts of objectives.

Supply chains: it doesn't work without partnerships

The issue of more sustainable supply chains is also a source of conflict. The example of Pacific Jeans from Bangladesh, wrapped up in plenty of PR, showed that textile production can be ecological, socially responsible and economical at the same time. The company supplies various well-known clothing brands, which for their part are increasingly interested in offering sustainably produced textiles to local customers. Transparency along the supply chain is a key factor today. However, there are also problems, as Fabian Waldmeier from Max Havelaar Switzerland pointed out: many small coffee farmers find it difficult to meet the ever-increasing requirements and run the risk of no longer being considered as suppliers. An inclusive implementation of new regulations is therefore required. And it is also important to make such challenges transparent. Supplier audits also ensure transparency. Pierre Strub from amfori Switzerland, a trade association that promotes sustainable supply chains, pointed out that these should also be shared more widely in order to avoid duplication. Here, too, the conclusion of the discussion was clear: You can't do it without strong partnerships, and sustainability doesn't come for free. However, this remains a major area of conflict for the time being: not all consumers are yet prepared to pay this price - or they are not even in a position to do so.

SGES 2024 shows the many facets of the green economy

In the 17 innovation forums and at the stands of the more than 20 exhibiting organizations, many questions that could only be "touched on" at the main event were discussed in depth. Among other things, the focus was explicitly on climate protection in SMEs and how they can better convince their employees and suppliers of this. The construction industry was also a focal point. On Thursday, August 29, the focus was on the topics of "Healthy and sustainable building and living" and carbon capture processes, i.e. the binding of CO2 in cement, for example. The construction industry in particular has great potential for the circular economy. However, logistics, the food sector and mobility were also the subject of lively discussions in a "small circle".

Overall, the SGES 2024 was once again able to show that the "green economy" has many facets, but that it is not always easy to understand their interrelationships. This is why there is still a lot of potential for conflict between different stakeholder groups and particular interests. Resolving these - together - remains a major goal.

More information: www.sges.ch

In my workshops, I see time and again that the most difficult step is not the knowledge or the exercises, but the commitment to actually putting what you have learned into practice. Do you know that? You are not alone!

Non-commitment as a vicious circle

Why is commitment so difficult? The reason often lies in the responsibility for the results - even when things are not going so well. This creates a "vicious circle": People are afraid to commit for fear of failure. However, without a clear commitment and full involvement, the likelihood of unsatisfactory results increases. The next time, commitment is then avoided even further.

This mechanism can be seen in companies of all kinds and at all management levels. Decisions are postponed, steps are left unclear and deadlines are not met - all signs of a lack of commitment. However, there are three simple but effective steps that can help you to strengthen your commitment:

1. create clarity

You need to know exactly what you want to commit to. It's not enough to say, "I want to get better at leadership." Be specific, e.g. "I want to learn to listen better." When exactly? At meetings? This clarity is crucial for success. Equally important is the "why". Why do you want to listen better? What impact will this have on you and your team? Without clarity on the "what" and "why", it is difficult to maintain commitment.

2. find an accountability partner

Find someone to hold you "accountable". This can be a colleague, a mentor or a coach - someone who will remind you and give you honest feedback. A good accountability partner will help you stay on track, even when the going gets tough. They remind you of your goals and celebrate your successes with you.

3. schedule and adhere to times

Don't just make a mental commitment, but plan specific time to pursue your goal. For example, if you want to listen better, set yourself the goal for the next meeting of putting down your cell phone and actively listening. For bigger goals, block out regular times in your calendar to work on them. Without fixed times, good intentions often remain unfulfilled.

What now? Now it's your turn! Implement these three steps and watch your commitment and ability to achieve your goals improve. If you lead a team, apply these principles to your employees as well. This will not only help you, but also your team to be more successful.

Author:
Volkmar Völzke is a success maximizer, book author, consultant, coach, speaker.www.volkmarvoelzke.ch

Clients in wealth management are in high demand. This is also due to the fact that banks can earn a lot of money with wealthy clients. One reason for this is the persistently high fees in private banking. For an analysis, the online comparison service provider moneyland.ch took a close look at the fees in Swiss wealth management and investment advice and examined three different investment strategies and investment amounts for this purpose. The result: wealth management in Switzerland has its price. But the cost differences are large. "Depending on the strategy, the most expensive mandates cost more than three times as much as the cheapest banks," says Benjamin Manz, Managing Director of moneyland.ch. It is therefore worth comparing fees. Good to know: Depending on the assets and bank, the fees are not set in stone, so it can be worth asking or negotiating.

Mandate fees on average 1.32 percent

Traditional asset management with a pure equity strategy for an investment amount of CHF 250,000 costs an average of CHF 3289 per year in mandate fees at the Swiss banks surveyed. This corresponds to 1.32 percent of the investment amount per year. This does not include various additional costs such as foreign currency costs, taxes, stock exchange and fund fees. In particular, the funds used are often just as expensive as the mandate itself.

On the other hand, digital investment apps, sometimes also called "robo advisors", are cheaper and cost less than half the price of traditional asset management on average, as various comparisons by moneyland.ch show. Hybrid models that combine digital apps with advice are also on the rise.

Costs vary with the equity strategy

At many banks, the rule still applies: the more shares are used, the more expensive it becomes. For example, asset management for assets of one million francs with a pure equity strategy (80 to 100 percent equities) costs an average of 12,574 francs per year, which corresponds to around 1.26 percent. With an average equity share of 40 to 60 percent, customers still pay 1.16 percent for the mandates, and 0.92 percent for a strategy without equities.

The most favorable asset management mandates

There are large cost differences in the flat fees between the mandates examined. The most favorable of the providers examined are Sparkasse Schwyz, Alpian, Basellandschaftliche Kantonalbank and, depending on the equity strategy and assets, other banks.

An example: with assets of CHF 500,000 and a pure equity strategy, customers of Sparkasse Schwyz pay CHF 3500 per year with an ETF mandate. At Alpian it is CHF 3750, at Basellandschaftliche Kantonalbank CHF 5000, followed by Privatbank Piguet Galland with CHF 5400.

The most favorable consulting mandates

In addition to asset management mandates, Swiss banks also offer investment advisory mandates. In the case of investment advice, clients can choose between various investment recommendations, whereas in the case of asset management they no longer have a say once the strategy has been chosen.

For a pure equity portfolio of CHF 500,000, the investment advice of Sparkasse Schwyz is the cheapest with costs of CHF 1,500 per year, followed by the Uno mandate of Basellandschaftliche Kantonalbank with costs of CHF 1,750. However, in addition to the mandate fees, most banks usually also charge product fees.

Source: moneyland.ch. You can find all interactive comparisons at https://www.moneyland.ch/de/vergleiche

Alongside mental illness, back problems are the number one widespread disease. According to various statistics, more than 80 percent of all employees over the age of 40 have been temporarily unable to move due to the infamous lumbago. In Germany, for example, one in twenty people will undergo surgery for a back problem in the course of their lives. In addition, around half of all early retirements in Germany are due to spinal problems, among other things.

Cause of back pain: poor posture and one-sided physical strain

These figures are consistent with the findings in my practice. More than half of my clients complain during their first visit that they have back pain more or less regularly. This is usually not due to organic causes. Rather, the cause lies in poor posture and one-sided physical strain. There are also psychological factors such as stress. This can also cause pain-inducing tension.

In terms of evolutionary history, the cause of "our cross with the cross" lies many millions of years ago. At that time, humans learned to walk upright. It enabled our ancestors to use their hands freely and to make and use tools. At the same time, however, it led to greater strain on the spine as well as the hip and knee joints. As a result, humans have been carrying the health problem of back pain around with them for millions of years.

There are many reasons why this occurs more frequently in our society. One of the main reasons is our longer lifespan. This increases the likelihood that our musculoskeletal system will show signs of wear and tear.

The load on the spine has changed

What's more, our physical strain is different today than it was 100 years ago. On the one hand, when we sit for hours on end typing texts into a PC or laptop, for example, our spine is under constant strain from which it can rarely relax, and on the other hand, we only use a few muscle groups. In the long term, this leads to certain muscle groups regressing or shortening. They then no longer provide our spine with sufficient support. The result is painful tension, e.g. in the neck (cervical vertebra syndrome) or in the lumbar vertebrae (lumbar vertebra syndrome).

The so-called intervertebral discs play an important role here. They form a kind of buffer between the individual vertebrae. They prevent the individual bones from rubbing against each other and thus wearing out. Frequent incorrect loading can overstress the intervertebral discs and restrict their buffering function. The result: the dreaded slipped disc.

You can avoid back pain through prevention

Such problems can be prevented. The least strain is placed on the intervertebral discs when lying down. Even when sitting and standing (assuming a straight sitting/standing posture), the intervertebral discs are only slightly stressed. Here are two examples: A sitting posture with the upper body slightly bent forward puts twice as much strain on the intervertebral disc as a "disc-friendly" straight posture. The strain on the intervertebral disc when standing with the upper body bent forward is more than 50 percent higher than with a straight standing posture. Lifting "incorrectly" with a bent spine also puts a lot of strain on the intervertebral discs. The correct approach is to bend your knees when lifting and keep your back in a straight position.

Strong hip, thigh, back, chest and abdominal muscles give the spine the support it needs. Office workers in particular should therefore make sure they get some exercise after work and at the weekend. In addition to special strength and stretching exercises related to these muscle groups, such as those often practiced in yoga, sports such as swimming, jogging, cycling or hiking are particularly suitable for compensating for work-related lack of exercise. In addition to building muscle, these endurance sports have other health-promoting effects. Regular exercise prevents cardiovascular disease, helps to reduce stress and promotes healthy, restful sleep.

Tips for everyday professional and working life

But what can you do if you experience back problems during everyday office work? Then you should first check whether your desk and chair are at an appropriate height for your height and whether your monitor is positioned so that you can look at the screen without straining. If you still have problems afterwards, stretching exercises, which you can also do at your desk, can help. It usually helps to stand up for a few minutes, walk around and stretch to relieve the tension. If possible, you should change your sitting position several times a day, for example by swapping your desk chair for a sitting ball. Or: simply shorten the long periods of sitting at your desk by doing certain tasks at a standing desk.

And another tip: if possible, make your calls while standing and walking back and forth in your office. No problem with portable phones today.

About the author:

Anja Botter is a non-medical practitioner for psychotherapy and a yoga teacher. She runs a yoga studio in Welle in der Nordheide, where she offers yoga classes and personal training, among other things; she also has a psychotherapy practice for psychological counseling (www.bewegte-leichtigkeit.de).

Prevent back pain

Back pain is one of the most common complaints of office workers. 10 tips on how to avoid them.

1. Ergonomic sitting posture: Adjust your chair so that your feet are flat on the floor and your knees are at a 90-degree angle. The backrest should support your back and your arms should rest at a right angle on the table top.
2. Height-adjustable desk: A height-adjustable desk allows you to switch between sitting and standing. This change relieves strain on the back and promotes circulation.
3. Adjust screen height: Position the monitor so that the top line of the screen is at eye level. This prevents you from tilting your head downwards and straining your neck and back muscles.
4. Take regular breaks: Take a break of about 5 minutes every hour. Use this time to stand up, stretch or take a few steps.
5. Use alternative seating: An exercise ball or an ergonomic stool can be temporary alternatives to sitting. They promote an active sitting posture that strengthens the back muscles.
6. Strengthen the back muscles: Strengthen your core muscles with exercises such as trunk flexion. Just 10 minutes of exercise a day will make a big difference.
7. Conscious breathing: Incorrect breathing can also cause tension. Breathe deeply into your stomach instead of shallowly into your chest. This improves the oxygen supply to your muscles.
8. Drink plenty of water: Dehydration can also lead to muscle tension and back pain. Drink enough water throughout the day - about two or three liters.
9. Relaxation and stretching exercises: Do daily stretching and relaxation exercises (e.g. yoga or progressive muscle relaxation). This increases your flexibility and reduces tension.
10. Consciously dealing with stress: Constant stress also often causes back problems. Identify the stress factors and develop strategies for coping with stress. Meditation and breathing exercises help you to relax physically and mentally.

Anja Botter

Editor's note: Further tips and exercises for "frequent sitters" are also available from Suva, namely here.

Appenzell is probably something like the beer capital of Switzerland: The Locher brewery based there won 13 awards for its beer creations at the World Beer Awards 2024 in Norwich - including five gold, five silver and three bronze. In addition, five of the Appenzeller brewery's creations were named the best beers in Switzerland - including Quöllfrisch hell, Bschorle, Schwarzer Kristall, IPA and Locher-Craft Freefall. Max Bürki, master brewer at Locher Brewery, emphasizes: "We are proud that, as a traditional and innovative Swiss brewery, our beer creations have also met with international acclaim."

Chopfab Boxer: Switzerland's most award-winning brewery

However, other domestic breweries also proved in Norwich that Swiss beers play in the top league in international comparison. This year, for example, the Chopfab Boxer brewery received an award for the world's best hoppy wheat beer. Chopfab Boxer also received a total of 13 awards for its beer creations, including two gold awards for the Chopfab Selection White IPA and the Boxer Pale Ale. With seven silver and four bronze medals as well as design awards, the craft brewery with locations in Winterthur and Yverdon-les-Bains has cemented its reputation as Switzerland's most award-winning brewery.

Bernese brewery as "Switzerland Winner"

But where is the really best beer in Switzerland brewed? According to the jury of the World Beer Awards 2024, it happens in Worb, Bern. The Egger Bier brewery received five awards for its beer creations. With Hopfer and Rammbock, Egger won gold twice and thus also the title of Switzerland Winner. Their lager was awarded silver. The Maximus and Toujou varieties received bronze. 

More information: www.appenzellerbier.ch, www.eggerbier.ch, www.chopfabboxer.ch

All winners on: www.worldbeerawards.com

The Swiss aircraft manufacturer Pilatus, known for the PC-12, PC-7 and PC-24 business jets (image), previously had an internal administration and support process for the mobile devices it provided. As the number of employees using smartphones increased, so did the administrative workload. This led to longer waiting times and overloading of the internal helpdesk. Pilatus therefore decided to outsource all services for all mobile devices to Nomasis via the provision of VIP services. To this end, the Mobileiron endpoint management system previously used was replaced by Microsoft EM+S, including Microsoft Intune and Microsoft 365 from the cloud. The transition took place in four steps: Analysis of the situation, preparation of the migration, migration of the devices and users to the new system and the introduction of standardized processes. 

With the new solution, Pilatus also achieved increased data and system security, more efficient processes, shorter response times and therefore greater employee satisfaction. "We already had a long-standing partnership with Nomasis before outsourcing all mobile device services and particularly appreciate the fact that they adapt to and fully understand our structures and processes. The entire company benefits from the new solution and the concentration of resources on one partner," says Chan Huynh, Team Leader IT Services at Pilatus. Huynh plans to further expand the collaboration with Nomasis, particularly in the area of supporting BYOD mobile devices and other measures to improve endpoint security and user-friendliness.

Source: Nomasis