These employers offer a Great Place to Work
Fair pay, good fringe benefits and respectful treatment form the basis for satisfied employees. However, to be attractive as an organization and to remain successful in the future, more is needed: At the "Best Employers" there is trust in the managers, they promote constructive cooperation instead of rivalry. And the work provides a sense of purpose and pride. This is shown by the results of the current study "Best Employers in Switzerland 2019".
The Great Place to Work Institute awarded the "Best Employers in Switzerland" for the 11th time on April 4, 2019 in Zurich. For the ranking, all employees of the participating employers are asked anonymously for their opinion. All organizations with 20 or more employees can participate. Currently, around 200 companies in Switzerland are working with Great Place to Work to improve their workplace culture. Last year, 70 of them took all the steps to be compared with the "Best Employers". Following Google and Cisco in recent years, Sensirion now won for the first time among large companies. The 34 "Best Employers" include international companies such as DHL, LGT Bank, Hilti as well as Swiss companies such as Holle baby food, Schweizer Salinen AG or Klinik Gut from St. Moritz.
High pay alone does not generate motivation
The study results show what the foundations of a good workplace culture are: Credibility, respect and appreciation, fairness (including compensation) and team spirit. Also very important are pride in what the company does. When it comes to the perception of an appropriate salary, there are large differences between the companies (70% positive perception in excellent vs. 39% in non-excellent organizations). What is striking here is that perceived fairness is more important than the absolute wage level. Here, even companies without high wages often achieve a better perception than industries with above-average but unfairly perceived wages. "It is surprising but at the same time impressive to see how even companies with lower wages create motivating working conditions thanks to fairness and good prospects. High salaries in an environment characterized by envy and power struggles, on the other hand, create frustration and stagnation in many organizations," says Michael Hermann, CEO of Great Place to Work.
Innovations require mutual trust and listening
However, even more is needed to awaken creativity, respond quickly to changes and inspire employees to make a special commitment. The importance of a sense of purpose and trust within the company is often underestimated, according to another conclusion of the study. Yet it is precisely these points that prove to be decisive for a special commitment on the part of employees. They want to be involved in decisions so that they can fully support them. It is increasingly important to employees today to make a valuable contribution to society. "Not only do we always want to perform at our best, but it's important to us that people are at the center of this. After all, today's generation expects different things from their workplace than it used to. They want an exciting, progressive and supportive employer" says Christoph Loos, Managing Director of Hilti.
Only proud employees are good ambassadors of a company
Management plays a central role. Among the award-winning employers, 82% consider their managers to be competent. The Swiss average, however, is only 50%. This shows how differently the working environment is experienced. Thus, 88% of the employees at the award-winning employers would recommend their company to others. However, the average recommendation in Switzerland is just 59%.
Michael Hermann continues: "In the workplace, it's just like in a relationship: if there is a lack of recognition and trust in the long term, commitment often declines and alternatives become more interesting. The award-winning employers also manage to meet the expectations placed on the company. After more than two years of service, satisfaction remains stable at 80%, while non-award-winning employers disappoint more and more employees and satisfaction drops to 59%.
These are the best employers in Switzerland
Large companies (250+ employees)
- 1st place: Sensirion AG
- 2nd place: DHL Express (Switzerland) AG
- Rank 3: LGT Bank (Switzerland) Ltd.
- Rank 4: Hilti (Switzerland) AG
- Rank 5: Cembra Money Bank AG
Medium-sized companies (50-249 employees)
- 1st place: dbi services AG
- 2nd place: Mars Switzerland AG
- 3rd place: Red Hat GmbH
- 4th place: AbbVie AG
- 5th place: Festo AG
Small companies (20-49 employees)
- 1st place: Rackspace International GmbH
- 2nd place: SAS Institute AG
- 3rd place: Holle baby food AG
- Rank 4: Alnylam Switzerland GmbH
- Place 5: Trek Fahrrad GmbH
Health and social services
- 1st place: Domicil Bern AG
- 2nd place: Klinik Gut AG
- 3rd place: Senevita AG
Participation in the competition is possible for any organization. To receive an award, 20 or more employees are required and at least 7 out of 10 employees must rate the company positively. Companies that do not receive an award will not be listed.
The complete ranking lists are here.
