Ten years ago, it all started with a hobby: Tania and Yves Woodhatch were tinkering with new taste experiences in their home kitchen. Because they met the taste of their acquaintances with the spices they mixed themselves, the two decided to found the spice manufactory "Würzmeister". On August 1, 2012, they launched the online store. "Shortly after, we had the first resellers of our spices," Tania Woodhatch proudly recounts. "This was followed by organic certification, first trade fair participations and winning the Kloten Young Entrepreneur Award." The ten-year success story is to be celebrated on August 1 and 2, 2022, with an open day and extended opening hours (see box).

Spice manufactory with social orientation

Since the separation of the couple Tania and Yves Woodhatch one year ago - shortly after the opening of their first own store at Gerbegasse 10 in Kloten - Tania Woodhatch continues to run "Würzmeister" alone with the support of her team. It is precisely this team - in addition to the spice mixtures - that is the recipe for success. "Würzmeister" is namely also a social enterprise: since its founding ten years ago, Tania Woodhatch has been offering a day structure to people in difficult circumstances. The spice production tasks are an important support for people who, for health reasons, find it difficult or impossible to integrate into the labor market: "The workload ranges from a few hours a week to a few hours a day.

Lunch table set up

In addition, there is a communal lunch table that often consists of up to twelve people. "It has always been my heart's desire to be able to offer people for whom the system does not work a place where they can experience appreciation and pursue a meaningful and varied activity within the community. And that's exactly what I'm able to do here," explains Tania Woodhatch. The free lunches have presented financial challenges for the small business, which is why Woodhatch founded the Life Anchor Association three years ago. Today, the lunches and the assistant cook's salary can be financed through donations.

More information: www.wuerzmeister.ch

Open doors on August 1

"Würzmeister" invites to an open day on Monday, August 1, 2022. From 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., founder Tania Woodhatch will personally guide guests through the spice manufactory, the Würz-Lädeli and the day structure at Gerbegasse 10 in Kloten. In addition, culinary appetizers await - prepared, among others, by "Genussköchin" Erika Weber. While no spices may be sold on August 1 due to the national holiday, visitors will enjoy an exclusive goodie bag with samples and a voucher. On Tuesday, August 2, the Würz-Lädeli will be open until 9 pm.

Younergy Solar AG's model is based on the principle of energy as a service: the company invests in the installation of solar systems to provide locally generated renewable energy. Younergy erects photovoltaic systems on the roofs of its customers and assumes the entire cost of installation, maintenance and monitoring. As a result, customers - from single-family homes to large corporations - produce their own electricity without any upfront investment and instead pay only for the energy they produce. Once the payback period has expired, the plant becomes the property of the customer. Younergy thus makes it possible for anyone, regardless of personal budget, to generate and use solar power, whether in their own home or together with other tenants. "Throughout Switzerland, we are the only ones to cover single-family homes as well as buildings with larger roofs. This has been key to our rapid growth," explains Pedro Miranda, CEO and co-founder of Younergy.

The goal of the green bond

Younergy is the largest photovoltaic plant owner in Switzerland by number of production sites - more than 480 solar plants nationwide. The company was founded in 2015 by a group of solar energy experts at EPFL. The goal of this ever-growing company is to give all residents access to clean, affordable energy by investing in decentralized photovoltaic projects. According to Younergie, demand is steadily increasing. To finance new photovoltaic projects, the Lausanne-based company is currently issuing a CHF 5 million direct-distribution bond with an interest rate of 3.0 % and a maturity of five years from August 1, 2022 to July 31, 2027. The subscription period ends on July 25, 2022. With an investment of CHF 10,000, Younergy can install 20 solar modules that will locally generate 10 MWh of solar power per year. This allows the saving of 4 t CO2 / year.

Local solution and international development

With this source of financing, Younergy aims primarily to develop new projects to meet the growing demand not only in Switzerland, but in several European countries. Rainer Isenrich, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Younergy, is optimistic about the future of the company: "We want to make solar energy accessible, easy to implement and affordable so that these solutions spread beyond the Swiss borders. After the Portuguese and Spanish markets, Younergy has also expanded to Germany in 2022." In other words, the company wants to democratize solar energy. "The energy transition is mainly happening at the local level. That's why we want to expand this solution," Pedro Miranda highlights. The sharp increase in energy prices and the uncertain energy supply related to the geopolitical situation require local supply. Electricity prices are expected to increase by more than 20 % in Switzerland in 2023. Younergy's solution, on the other hand, will enable significantly lower prices for individuals and businesses, according to the report.

Younergy's vision is that the future energy landscape in Switzerland will be characterized by strong decentralization. Younergy assumes that every roof with at least twelve solar panels would have to contribute to this. The company is receiving funding from the Swiss Federal Office of Energy (SFOE), among others, to accelerate the development of cloud services for decentralized energy systems.

More information: Younergy Solar AG

Few issues are as pressing as cybersecurity, because citizens, governments and companies are more dependent than ever on digital networking. In this context, the Federal Council is placing special emphasis on the topic in terms of state policy and wants to establish a new Federal Office for Cybersecurity. This is a significant step for the Swiss economy, because in the future the new national strategy should not only focus on infrastructures, large companies and authorities, but also support small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Attention to the latter is of particular importance, as SMEs account for around 70 % of Swiss companies. At the same time, they are the most vulnerable in terms of IT security.

With this holistic strategy, IT security becomes much more than just a hedging strategy against attacks and their consequences. Cyber resilience, when implemented effectively, can help drive long-term economic prosperity and innovation.

Cybersecurity support for SMEs

A high level of IT security is a decisive economic location factor. In Switzerland, too, cyberattacks are increasing rapidly: the Swiss National Cyber Security Center (NCSC) has received between 408 and 881 reports every week so far this year. In addition to fraud and phishing cases, hacker and ransomware attacks are the order of the day.

The topic of cybersecurity among SMEs deserves special attention: a 2021 Study on digitalization and cybersecurity in SMEs estimates that around 55,000 SMEs were the victims of a hacker attack last year. The most frequently cited incidents were via malware, viruses or Trojans.

Strengthening the private sector through the public sector

In terms of building a resilient economy, protecting SMEs in Switzerland is a huge economic priority. Professional support is needed both in detecting and preventing cyberattacks in advance and in responding quickly and recovering lost data when hackers do succeed despite all precautions. Even with strong defenses, it is impossible for organizations to avoid all cyberattacks and the resulting negative impact on data, privacy and trust. Then it's a matter of limiting the damage and returning to regular operations as quickly as possible.

The main goal should therefore be to develop a government-backed cyber resilience strategy that can anticipate significant disruptions and quickly repair damage in the worst case. An essential component of such resilience is thorough security training for all employees. This must also be a priority for the public sector in the months and years ahead.

What SMEs can do themselves

In addition to public and private training for employees, there are other strategic measures that SMEs can implement themselves. Since there is no 100 percent protection against attacks, companies should be prepared to restore normal operations as quickly as possible. For this, storage solutions are essential as a basis for backup and recovery as well as archiving. They allow short- to medium-term storage and - in the event of loss - recovery of data records. The main advantage is the relocation of business-critical data to an isolated environment that cannot be accessed by corporate network intruders.

In addition, software should take over the management of identities and their access rights in every company. Such solutions for "identity and access management" enable authorized persons to access applications and data securely and protect them from external attacks. They ensure that all persons and services are checked, authenticated and authorized, and that authorizations are granted in accordance with the company's guidelines.

Into the future with cyber security

Digital transformation not only brings benefits for economic growth. New technologies also offer new opportunities for criminals to attack both public and private infrastructures. That is why cybersecurity should be high on the list of priorities for the public sector and business.

A comprehensive security strategy, coordinated between governments and industry, is a key component of economic recovery after the crises of recent weeks and months.

If cyber resilience is well planned and coordinated across the national collective, it will make an important contribution to Switzerland's long-term prosperity.

Author:
Frank Thonüs is General Manager of Dell Technologies Switzerland.

Rudolf O. Schmid was elected as the new President of Handel Schweiz by the General Assembly. He succeeds Jean-Marc Probst, whose great commitment to the concerns of Switzerland's largest private employer, which employs around 680,000 people and trains 38,000 apprentices, was appropriately acknowledged and thanked by the association.

Three focal points

Rudolf O. Schmid brings extensive experience in the trade as a long-standing Vice President of Handel Schweiz as well as an entrepreneur. Coming from the agricultural trade as a young trader, he was elected early on to the board of directors or the leading committee of Handel Schweiz. He sees three clear focal points in the further development of the umbrella organization, as he emphasizes: "Handel Schweiz is committed to the education of young traders, provides secretarial services for several trade associations and is committed to its approximately 4,000 members. Handel Schweiz represents their diverse interests, depending on the topic, also at the political level."

Trading companies are under even more pressure today than in the past, as Rudolf O. Schmid explains. The Ukraine war, as well as the economic situation, left clear traces in trade. As is well known, the interrupted supply chains for electronic components or building materials caused standstills in companies and industries. For example, cable harnesses were manufactured in Ukraine until recently. Their absence led to production stops in car factories. Winter tires are also in short supply. Those who have not yet bought any today should do so quickly. They are made with Russian coal dust.

Trade with new approaches in globalization

In order to better prepare for future developments, new approaches to global trade are needed. Rudolf O. Schmid advocates diversified supply chains: "Previous approaches to globalization have led to exaggerations. Producers and trading companies underestimated the supply risks. It has now become clear that single sourcing - making purchases in one place - is not a good solution. We say a clear yes to globalization. It is important for our prosperity. It also raises living standards in the third world. However, in global trade, companies must now weigh supply risks much more critically than before. Sourcing must not be dependent on one partner, one country or one continent. Such diversification of supply chains will significantly change global trade."

Source: Trade Switzerland

FernUni Switzerland was founded in 1992 to offer students from peripheral regions, professionals and top athletes the opportunity to study. To celebrate its 30th anniversary in a fitting manner, the university institute held an anniversary party on Friday, June 23 at the Simplonhalle in Brig, which was attended by around 250 people.

Strong support from authorities at federal, cantonal and municipal level

During his address, Christophe Darbellay, State Councillor and Head of the Department of National Economy and Education, expressed the unanimous political will of the Canton of Valais to accompany the FernUni Switzerland on its way to becoming a Valais University by 2027. "With the HES-SO Valais-Wallis, the Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne, the Universities of Lausanne and Geneva, the Distance Learning University of Switzerland (FFHS), the University of Teacher Education Valais (PH-VS) and the research institute Idiap, Valais has important players in the field of tertiary education. However, Valais is missing one piece of the puzzle - a Valais University - to complete the higher education landscape. This missing piece is the FernUni Switzerland."

Silvia Studinger, Vice Director of the State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI), pointed out the importance of the university institute in the Swiss higher education landscape. "Thanks to the subsidies from the federal government, FernUni Switzerland is now independent and benefits from funding on a par with that of other universities. It also has a high-quality distance learning model, which is key in today's society."

Mathias Bellwald, Mayor of Brig-Glis, proudly presented his city as a true urban center of education: "In Brig-Glis, young people have the opportunity to complete their entire education, from kindergarten to vocational training to university degrees. This is a unique advantage for Brig-Glis to play a central role and contribute to the training of a qualified workforce."

At the subsequent Strategy Days in Zermatt, Roberto Schmidt, President of the State Council and Head of the Department of Finance and Energy, emphasized the need and legitimacy for distance learning in today's society. "In Valais, we suffer from a shortage of qualified workers. With the support of the Canton of Valais, FernUni Switzerland can counteract this through its success."

From FernUni Switzerland to the University of Valais

FernUni Switzerland is stepping up its efforts to meet the requirements for accreditation as a full university from 2027. In addition, internationally renowned professors will continue to be engaged to ensure the quality of research and to strengthen the centers of excellence within the five faculties. "FernUni Switzerland wants to anchor itself in the Swiss higher education landscape and live up to the trust of students, academics, the canton of Valais, the founding cantons (Schwyz, Bern, Solothurn, Lucerne), the federal government and politicians in order to establish itself as a fully-fledged and internationally recognized institution," explains Dr. Damien Carron, Director of Academic Services.

The structural requirements have been met: At the end of 2021, FernUni Switzerland will have moved into its new university campus jointly with the Fernfachhochschule Schweiz (FFHS) in the Rhonesand district of Brig. This building provides the university institute with a location for internationally integrated research activities and university training opportunities based on the findings of its research, thus strengthening its anchoring in Valais. This innovative construction was noted as an example of best practice in the Cantonal University Report 2021.

Source and further information

These days, SAP Switzerland is making new appointments to various management positions. "With these new appointments, we are well positioned to support our customers and partners with innovations and proven expertise on their way to becoming highly competitive, sustainable companies," says Michael Locher-Tjoa, Managing Director SAP Switzerland, commenting on the personnel changes. "With the new position of Chief Sustainability Officer, we are also putting our strategy of broad-based commitment to a sustainable economy into action at SAP in Switzerland."

Newly created function of Chief Sustainability Officer

The newly created function of Chief Sustainability Officer is part of SAP's sustainability strategy. Behind it are various measures to reduce the carbon footprint, shift supply and value chains to circular processes to avoid waste, protect the planet and preserve biodiversity on Earth, and incorporate ESG (environment, social, governance) dimensions into financial reporting, according to the company. The new chief sustainability officer (SCO) is Sebastian Kaczynski, who SAP says is a professional "who has followed his passion for sustainability and has been working on innovations to solve sustainability problems since his student days." At both RWE and innogy, Kaczysnki was responsible for developing data-driven business models for a more sustainable energy system. During his more than six years at SAP, he held various roles in innovation, consulting and presales.

As CSO of SAP Switzerland, Sebastian Kaczynski aims to leverage SAP's expertise in sustainability, ecosystems and technologies to effectively support customers on their journey to smart and sustainable businesses. "At SAP, we believe that companies need to put sustainability at the heart of their business strategies and integrate sustainability data into their end-to-end processes. This is the only way they can gain the insights they need to transition to a more inclusive, regenerative, and net-zero economy and act accordingly," Sebastian Kaczynski specifies. He lives near Zurich, loves beautiful hiking and climbing trips, and is involved as a mentor and coach for disadvantaged people.

Alexander Finger is new Chief Technology Officer

The role of Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of SAP Switzerland will be assumed by Alexander Finger. He succeeds René Fitterer, who is taking on new responsibilities within SAP. Technology, innovation and entrepreneurial spirit have accompanied the new CTO since he started his working and professional life. In 1995, in an early phase of the Internet, he founded one of the first Internet service providers in Germany. The phase as a company founder was followed by positions at Deutsche Post and Geneva-based CPGmarket.com, and then many years at Swisscom, where he held various consulting and management positions. A good two years ago, he joined SAP Switzerland, where he looked after customers from the energy industry and initiated numerous forward-looking projects as an innovation ambassador.

Alexander Finger says he sees digital transformation with SAP as a tool for achieving sustainable success. "This requires close interaction with those people at our customers who work on the two axes of innovation: in the context of continuous improvement on the one hand, and in the area of disruptive innovation on the other," he elaborates. "Both groups have a need for technological innovation. We are properly positioned when SAP is the natural partner for business development." To achieve this, his central task is to communicate SAP's strategy and vision, as well as to actively seek dialog with customers, partners and colleagues.

Alexander Finger has been devoting himself to studying law part-time since 2015, graduating with a master's degree in 2021. Since November, he has been working on his doctorate at the University of Fribourg on the topic of "Internal Control Systems". After many years in France, Alexander Finger now lives with his wife in bilingual Murten. He likes to spend his sparse free time sailing and in the south of France.

Robert Kehrli: Newly responsible for SMEs at SAP Switzerland

The business unit that looks after SMEs and partner management has a new head in Robert Kehrli. He replaces Simon Hammer, who has accepted a new challenge outside SAP after four years in this position. Robert Kehrli brings 20 years of sales and management experience. Since 2016, he has held various management positions at SAP Switzerland, most recently that of Head of Business Technology Platform, where he ensured significant growth. Previously, he held various sales, support, consulting and management roles at IBM, Hewlett-Packard and its successor organization HPE. After an apprenticeship as an electromechanic, he continued his education until he earned a master's degree in business information systems.

In his new role, Robert Kehrli has made it his mission to drive the digital transformation and the development into an intelligent, sustainable company with the help of SAP technologies together with the partners in the SME segment. "A particular concern of mine is to lead and accompany our customers in the SME segment into the cloud together with our partners," emphasizes Robert Kehrli. "With our powerful team, we can generate innovative projects with real added value and serve customers and partners unbureaucratically, quickly and efficiently."

In addition to his professional activities, Robert Kehrli is heavily involved in the local soccer club, where he coaches the women's team and junior teams. Then, when he still has time besides his family, he enjoys skiing and golfing. Robert Kehrli is married, father of three adult children and lives in Zugerland.

Source and further information

The shortage of skilled workers in Switzerland is still acute. This is shown by a new, representative SME labor market study conducted by AXA Switzerland in collaboration with the Sotomo research institute. According to the study, 78 percent of the companies surveyed that were looking for new workers in 2021 had some problems filling their positions. Almost two-thirds of them put this down to a shortage of skilled workers. The situation appears particularly precarious in the skilled trades and construction sector. There, as many as 80 percent of the companies looking for employees had difficulty filling their positions - in the area of production and repair, the figure was 74 percent. And also in the areas of technology, information technology, consulting and sales, about half had problems finding a job. Only in the area of administration and organization was the situation more relaxed: Here, suitable workers were lacking in only 10 percent of cases.

Large corporations take away skilled workers from SMEs

On the one hand, the labor market has virtually dried up. On the other hand, almost one-third of SMEs also see themselves competing with large companies on the labor market: 20 percent of those surveyed justified the difficulties in filling positions with fewer career opportunities compared to larger companies, and 17 percent consider their own company to be less competitive due to lower wage levels. "SMEs therefore face the dual challenge of a very tight labor market and competition from powerful large corporations when it comes to the issue of a shortage of skilled workers," says Michael Hermann.

High motivation of the employees

Even though many companies are constantly looking for skilled workers, they are mostly satisfied with the commitment and loyalty of their existing employees. However, there are clear differences in assessment: Small SMEs are mostly very satisfied with the qualities of their employees, while the assessment of larger ones is more mixed. For example, 51 percent of small companies with 2 to 9 employees rate their employees as very willing to perform, while only 19 percent of larger companies with 50 to 250 employees do so. And when it comes to resilience, there are also big differences in the assessment: 75 percent of small SMEs rate the psychological robustness of their employees as rather or very good, but only 47 percent of large ones. Conversely, this means that slightly more than half of the large SMEs see significant deficits in the resilience of their employees. "The manageability of the company evidently not only contributes to mutual identification and mutual understanding between employers and employees, but also supports the psychological robustness of the employees," Michael Hermann, Managing Director of Sotomo, concludes.

Older employees: Popular - and yet not hired

It is striking that older employees are generally rated very positively by SME managers: 67 percent rate both the loyalty and the willingness to take responsibility of the over-50s as better than the rest of the workforce. At first glance, this may not seem surprising, since older employees have usually been working in the company for a long time and know the processes; they are seen as having a correspondingly high level of identification. However, it is particularly noteworthy that they are also rated by their employers as more willing to perform (55 %) and more resilient (54 %) than the rest of the workforce.

This positive picture contrasts sharply with the low willingness to consider older employees for vacancies, as the study shows: although a total of three-quarters of SMEs were unable to fill all vacancies as desired in 2021, most companies have a formal or informal age limit when it comes to hiring new employees: around one in ten companies generally do not hire people who are 45 or older, and in 29 percent of the SMEs surveyed the age limit is between 45 and 54. "In view of the prevailing shortage of skilled workers, but also in view of the challenges posed by retirement provisions, there is great potential here that is not being exploited," says entrepreneur and political scientist Michael Hermann.

Female labor force participation is hardly actively promoted

Only just 5 percent of the SMEs surveyed with a gender imbalance in the workforce implement targeted support programs for women, only 13 percent support part-time work and job sharing, and only 22 percent rely on flexible working hours. While nearly nine out of ten of the large SMEs still take at least one measure to promote gender equality, for one in two SMEs with fewer than ten employees, promoting gender equality is not an issue at all. "This shows that the potential of female employees is often not actively tapped by Swiss SMEs," explains Michael Hermann.

Many SMEs cautiously positive about four-day week

Increasing female participation in the workforce would therefore be one way of combating the acute shortage of skilled workers. The study concludes that hiring older employees would also help to combat the shortage of skilled workers. As a possible further measure against the shortage of skilled workers, a four-day week is increasingly being introduced in various countries to improve the compatibility of family and career. The four-day week is also being discussed in Switzerland. The AXA SME study shows that a remarkable 38 percent of Swiss SMEs are basically in favor of a four-day week - among large SMEs, the figure is as high as 43 percent. "The widespread shortage of skilled workers may have helped break down mental barriers here and foster openness to new approaches in the SME sector as well," says Michael Hermann.

Mental illness a challenge especially for large SMEs

In addition to recruiting new employees, the well-being of their own workforce is also a challenge for Swiss SMEs: 76 percent of those surveyed stated that their own company faces particular challenges with regard to the health of their employees - among large SMEs, the figure is as high as 97 percent. SMEs most frequently struggle with physically-related absences of their employees; 38 percent of small and medium-sized SMEs and 45 percent of large SMEs see this as a particular challenge.

By contrast, absences due to mental illness primarily affect large SMEs. While only 11 percent of small SMEs see mental health-related absences as a major challenge, 42 percent of large SMEs do. Mental illness is thus just as big a problem for large SMEs as physical illness. Large SMEs are not only particularly frequently affected by mental health-related absences, they also perceive the development more negatively. 38 percent of all SMEs with 50 or more employees report an overall increase in such incidents over the last five years.

Source and further information: AXA Switzerland

The daily updated study "National Analysis of Swiss Company Formations 1st Half Year 2022", prepared by the Institute for Young Enterprises IFJ, shows that in the first 6 months of the current year 25'447 new companies were registered in the Swiss Commercial Register. This corresponds to a slight decrease of -3.6% compared to the first half of 2021, which went down in history as a record half-year with 26,387 new companies. Despite the decline, the 10-half year comparison shows that +13% more firms were formed in the first half of 2022 than the long-term average. Since the slight declines from 2014 to 2015 and 2019 to 2020, the Commercial Register Offices have seen an overall positive trend. This means that in the last 10 years, 22'511 new companies were registered in the Commercial Register per first half of the year. With its 25,447 new companies, the 1st half of 2022 thus recorded the second highest level and is significantly higher than the average of the last 10 half-years with +13%.

Strong differences in the major regions - Zurich as a start-up engine

According to the IFJ's analysis, Zurich is the only major region with a slight increase of +0.3% in the first half of 2022. The other major regions of Southwestern Switzerland (-1.6%), Eastern Switzerland (-2.8%), Ticino (-3.1%) and Central Switzerland (-3.9%) recorded slight declines compared to the same period last year. In the regions of Espace Mittelland (-7.4%) and Northwestern Switzerland (-7.9%), significantly fewer new companies were founded than in the first half of 2021. Broken down by canton, the situation looks like this: In 9 cantons, the number of new startups in the first half of 2022 increased again compared to the record-high period of the previous year. These are currently the cantons with growth in Swiss company formations: Appenzell Innerrhoden (+18.5%), Jura (+6.9%), Fribourg (+4.8%), Obwalden (+4.6%), Glarus (2.9%), St. Gallen (+1.3%), Vaud (+0.9%), Zurich (+0.3%) and Valais (+0.2%).The cantons with only slight percentage declines are Appenzell Ausserrhoden (-1.2%), Basel-Land (-2.1%), Lucerne (-2.2%), Ticino (-3.1%) and Uri (-4.3%). The strongest percentage declines in company formations were registered in the commercial registry offices of the cantons of Nidwalden (-18%), Basel-Stadt (-12.5%), Bern (-12.4%), Neuchâtel (-11.9%) and Graubünden (-10.9%)

New companies by industry

Top growth industries this year include high-tech (+22.1%), healthcare (+9.7%), and transportation & logistics (+9.3%). The highest percentage declines are in
Agriculture & Forestry (-20.2%), Wholesale (-15.2%) and Retail (-13.8%). The analysis shows that especially the retail sector is struggling strongly. In addition to the two startup-intensive sectors of healthcare and IT & ICT, smaller sectors in particular are recording positive accents.

Optimism among founders

The geopolitical and economic uncertainties and the ongoing international Corona measures are also affecting the Swiss economy. Nevertheless, Swiss founders are optimistic. Swiss company founders give an unequivocal answer to the question "Why found a company?

One figure in particular shows how important an ideal balance between courage and intellect is to self-employed people: at the time of founding, 66% of the founders are still in a different
company employed. After the start-up, this number drops to around 40%. The idea of security can therefore be ideally combined with the desire for more freedom, as the IFJ writes. Workers in the home office continue to use the time to implement their own ideas, people are looking for meaningful employment more than ever. And as in all difficult times, many innovations and improvements are being developed from the current situation. In addition, social acceptance of self-employment continues to grow.

Source: Institute for Young Enterprises IFJ

This year's Employers' Day, held in Bern on June 30, 2022, provided an opportunity to examine the urgent issue of the shortage of skilled workers from the perspective of employers in Switzerland and its neighbor Austria, as well as with representatives of the industries, following an analysis of the situation. "The Corona crisis has shown employers many areas for improvement - this opportunity must not be missed," emphasized SAV President Valentin Vogt in his assessment of the situation. But with the Ukraine war, a new crisis, far more dramatic from a geopolitical point of view, is putting the brakes on economic recovery in Switzerland. And while the Federal Council is working with the EU on this, negotiations on the further development of the bilateral model are at an impasse. At the same time, solid, legally secure relations with Europe are indispensable, especially now. Vogt stressed that the business community expects leadership and swift action from the Federal Council.

A shortage of 1.3 million workers by 2050

The event then focused on the shortage of skilled workers, which has been exacerbated by the Corona pandemic. How is it affecting the industries concerned? What solutions and demands do employers have for policymakers? Employer Director Roland A. Müller addressed these points in his presentation. As a result of demographic aging, a shortage of skilled workers of around 1.3 million people is expected by 2050. In view of this shortage, employers clearly want to promote the domestic workforce potential. For women in particular, they are focusing on improving the work-life balance and reducing tax disincentives. "For older employees, it is central that the labor market capability is maintained and promoted," Müller emphasized. To this end, the Swiss Employers' Association (SAV) launched the employer network focus50plus. Nevertheless, Switzerland will continue to be dependent on immigration from EU/EFTA and third countries in the future - good framework conditions and the safeguarding of the free movement of persons are decisive for this.

Austria as guest at the Employers' Day

Similar sentiments were expressed with regard to the worsening shortage of skilled workers in neighboring Austria. As guest speaker Georg Knill, President of the Federation of Austrian Industries (IV), impressively pointed out, Austria expects its workforce to shrink from the current level of around 52 percent to 47 percent by 2050. In order to get a grip on the problem in the long term, the government is working on a comprehensive skilled labor strategy that covers various areas such as apprenticeship training, the involvement of women and older people, and skilled immigration.

Skills shortage as growth inhibitor

Representatives of the respective industries discussed how the shortage of skilled workers is experienced and addressed by the industries in the panel discussion. What is the reason for the acute shortage of skilled workers in the healthcare sector and how can young people be attracted to the industry? Rolf Zehnder, former director of the Winterthur Cantonal Hospital and vice president of the H Plus Hospital Association, emphasized that, in addition to wages, company culture and working atmosphere play an important role. "For the pharmaceutical industry, it is a privilege to be able to gain the missing specialists via the third-country quotas" - Thomas Bösch, Head of Human Resources at Novartis Switzerland, is aware of this. "The lack of skilled workers is a real growth inhibitor," warned Judith Bellaiche, managing director of Swico, the trade association of the Swiss ICT and online industry. She said that we need to start at school.

Source and further information: Swiss Employers' Association

In a recent study, New Work SE, operator of the employer rating platform kununu, investigates the question of which industries in Switzerland offer the best work-life balance. The study is based on data from kununu. This company rating portal, which claims to be the leading one in the German-speaking world, already has 450,000 authentic employer ratings, salary checks and information on corporate culture in Switzerland, provided by former and current employees.

Top ten Swiss industries with the best work-life balance

1. internet
2. IT
3. advice and consulting
4. insurance
5. human resources and recruitment
6. clubs
7. banks
8. public administration
9. energy
10. education

Internet, IT and consulting offer the full package

In the top trio of Internet, IT and consulting, it is not just work and private life that can be balanced better than average. The three sectors also occupy the top positions in terms of working atmosphere, pay and benefits. Insurance, human resources/procurement and banking are also in the top ten for all three dimensions and score well on several levels.

Education, associations, public administration and energy require willingness to compromise

In some industries with a high work-life balance, employees have to accept cutbacks in other areas. The education sector, for example, offers a good work-life balance, but does not make it into the top ranks in terms of salary and benefits. The picture is the same for associations. Public administration scores well in terms of work-life balance, but falls behind in terms of working atmosphere. The situation is similar in the energy sector.

Printing/packaging, textiles and purchasing bring up the rear in terms of work-life balance

In terms of work-life balance, printing/packaging, textiles and purchasing are at the bottom of the list. These industries are not able to compensate for the lower work-life balance with other advantages.
to outweigh the other sectors. In the overall rating, taking into account all kununu rating dimensions, these industries also bring up the rear.

Swiss professionals want a healthy work-life balance A spring 2022 New Work survey in Switzerland showed: For 29 percent
of employees who took up a new job during the pandemic were motivated by a desire for a better work-life balance. No other reason was
mentioned more often.

Source: New Work SE

From Arlesheim to Zizers - the Trashfox collection stations are located all over Switzerland. More and more urban planners, architects, and developers are opting for disposal in underground containers for waste disposal. One pioneer is the city of St. Gallen, which has long collected its residents' waste underground in many neighborhoods. Mondini Trading SA, founded in 1952 in Tesserete, Ticino, also relies on these disposal systems. The company offers innovative, functional underground containers as an alternative to conventional waste storage. Recently, Trashfox AG took over the company completely - with the plan to further expand underground disposal. According to the company, the aim of the merger is to combine competencies, exploit synergies and create sustainable added value for customers in the long term. "Trashfox and Mondini share the same vision. Together, we ensure sustainable recyclables and waste collection. Thanks to the merger, we can operate even more efficiently in the dynamic market and strengthen our position," says Florim Maliqi, the new Managing Director of Trashfox AG. Maliqi succeeds Urs Landolt, who is retiring after 18 years with the company. Landolt co-developed Trashfox, built it up and made it big. With Landolt helped to develop, build up and grow Trashfox. With his commitment, he made a significant contribution to the company's success today, according to a press release. Maliqi's credo is healthy growth: "Today, more than ever, it is important to collect waste and used glass efficiently and in an ecologically sound manner. I'm looking forward to the expanded team with its high level of expertise and that we can now offer a larger service portfolio." Trashfox AG has its headquarters in Rümlang ZH, which has been renovated and expanded in recent weeks. To celebrate the merger, a celebration with an open day is planned for fall 2022 in Rümlang. Source and further information: Trashfox AG The post Waste disposal systems: Trashfox and Mondini join forces appeared first on Organizer.

ISS, an international facilities management and workplace experience services company, has unveiled the results of its latest "ISS Pulse Survey." The survey was conducted in 20 countries among 100 ISS international clients, representing more than one million office workers worldwide across a range of industries. The survey was based on the proposition that companies' office workplace priorities have changed markedly in recent years. While operational efficiency and cost savings were among the top priorities in office planning and operations in the last ISS survey before the Covid pandemic, employees, their recruitment and retention are now top priorities. Nearly two-thirds of the companies surveyed are also investing in their office environments to achieve this.

Unfold in the office

Jacob Aarup-Andersen, CEO of ISS World Services A/S Group: "The balance of power in global labor markets has shifted from employers to employees. The pandemic has further accelerated hybrid work models, as well as employee expectations for flexibility. The new challenge for employers is to meet these expectations in ways that meet the productivity needs of both the employee and the company. It's not a question of whether employees are in the office, but rather how they can thrive, innovate and collaborate. Right now, we're seeing a lot of companies redefining their workspaces to adapt to hybrid work models and also to employees' personal preferences. They're focusing on both the physical setting in which people work and the experience they have when they come into the office."

Office space will not be reduced

The survey further shows that the majority of companies (69%) are not currently planning to downsize their office space. And those companies that have decided to downsize in the wake of home office are simultaneously investing in their corporate culture and workplace experience to improve innovation and collaboration among their employees. Jacob Aarup-Andersen: "Despite the different approaches to the issue of Real Estate's environmental footprint, the goal of employee retention remains. There is no one-size-fits-all model when it comes to designing the workplace of the future; it has to fit the company and the employees. One thing is certain, however: predictions that the office would disappear were exaggerated. On the contrary, today we are seeing workspaces being reimagined and redesigned all over the world."

Office worlds continue to change

For André Nauer, CEO of ISS Switzerland, it is indisputable that "office environments will continue to change, especially in the context of the 'New Normal'. They will become more colorful, homelier, more communicative, and they will foster collaboration among employees." As one of the leading facility management providers in Switzerland, ISS specializes in Advisory, Workplace & Workspace Design, Energy Management, Health & Safety and Environmental Management. André Nauer: "Under the leadership of Ulrike Bäuerle and Dr. David Lunze, ISS has a team of specialists for Workspace Design & Construction that offers the entire range of services from project study to implementation from a single source."

Source: ISS