Awareness of ergonomically sensible work is now quite well developed in the office. Numerous aids and behavioral tips help to stay fit when sitting or standing for long periods of time.

27 kilogram weight in neck
If we hold our head at a 60-degree angle (the usual position when operating tablets), we subject our neck vertebrae to tensile forces of up to 27 kilograms, as a study by a New York spine surgeon has shown. It goes without saying that this can't be good in the long run. Neck and back pain are the result. The eyes also tire quickly, because the screens reflect and are often small. Editing texts becomes more strenuous as a result. In short, mobile devices have many advantages, but they cannot be adapted to our anatomical needs as easily as a conventional computer.

The kick for the neck
In the meantime, there are accessories on the market that we can use to give our tablet or smartphone an update in terms of ergonomics.

Important rule: Lift the view. Holders and stands allow the devices to be placed in an almost vertical position. This allows us to look at the screen without bending our neck. If we add an external keyboard to our device, the mobile office is already much better ergonomically.

All posture traps cannot be avoided with it yet. Screens are not getting any bigger because of it. And anyone who works with a laptop or tablet on the train knows that tables and seats rarely allow for an exemplary posture.

Quarter-hourly service - the ideal timetable
Alternatively, it is advisable to consciously schedule those tasks on the mobile devices for which they are best suited: telephone calls, appointment management or short research. Work that requires a larger screen or involves longer typing sessions should be postponed until you are at a fixed and ergonomically optimally designed workstation.

If we remain in the same posture for a long time, our muscles tense up and complaints are the result, even if our working position is correct from an ergonomic point of view. It is therefore all the more important that we take regular breaks, move around and continue working in a different posture. A Harvard University study recommends changing position every 15 minutes. This means that we can work on the sofa with the tablet on our knees for a short time without harming ourselves - provided we get up again soon.

Mobility in the office is healthy
Sofas are already standard in contemporary offices. From different zones for concentrated work or meetings, employees can always choose the place that is ideal for their task. For some years now, mobile working has not only taken place outside the office, but also inside it. Employees switch between sofa, lounge, high table, retreat zone and coffee bar. Thanks to more spacious rooms, they can move around more than employees in a conventional office. Danny Schweingruber from Witzig, The Office Company welcomes the move away from individual workstations: "This promotes a dynamic that is good for our health," says the Head of Workspace Consulting.

"Especially people who often work with mobile devices should take advantage of every possible opportunity to move around," Schweingruber recommends.

Sitting dynamically
"Especially people who often work with mobile devices should use every possible opportunity to move," recommends Schweingruber. They can use not only their lunch break for this, but also sitting on the office chair. Because office manufacturers have now designed models that allow the pelvis to tilt in all directions. Says Schweingruber, "Sitting in motion mobilizes the spine and thus helps prevent complaints." This relieves the strain on the back.

WITZIG https://www.witzig.ch/de/find/

Checklist-how ergonomically they work

As a manufacturer of office systems, how do you see the megatrends?

Domenic Meier: By megatrends, we mean the main factors influencing the workplace, namely globalization, urbanization, demographic change, virtualization and mobility. In 2021, 50 million Europeans will retire, but only 20 million employees will enter the labor market, which means that in the next few years, the need for skilled and creative employees in Europe will increase dramatically. Likewise, there is another type of employee profile: the knowledge worker, the trend towards communication-oriented knowledge work continues to strengthen.

What do you see as the workplace requirements of the next generations?

For the first time, four generations are working together around the globe. The so-called Generation Y (15-29 years old) is entering the workforce: According to studies, they represent 25% of the total population at 1.7 billion. Generation Y's workplace requirements are flexible and communication-oriented. 79% want to work mobile, 44% expect a traditional work model, while 56% of Generation Y would prefer a flexible way of working. 32% want access to a "thinker cell," 41% prefer access to a team workspace, and 25% prefer access to a formal meeting room.

What about the companies and the tasks of the employees?

Increasingly, departmental and company boundaries are disappearing - work takes place everywhere. What is particularly interesting here is that 47.7 % of employees in companies with more than 200 employees work predominantly in projects. Project work places new demands on the design. Here, the working environment is designed to be occasion-related, diverse and less uniform and repetitive.

What about mobility? People today are working in an increasingly flexible and mobile way.

"Anytime, anywhere" is the motto. The rise in global connectivity flexibility is accelerating - with all its opportunities and challenges. For example, work is becoming less time and place bound, and technology is making work more mobile in many cases. An estimated 70% of employees read their email on their smartphones outside of work hours. These work styles are very different and therefore need to be understood and accommodated.

How do individual corporate cultures play a role?

We believe that increasingly working life can be seen as a combination of processes and experiences, i.e. what we do and what we feel. Work is a reflection of the cultures of individuals and companies. Thus, different employees and company typologies require culture-specific workspace design.

How can the "innovation" work culture be implemented in the workplace?

The formative work culture "innovation" should and can have an impact on the work environment. A few important points may be considered:

1.  Walkways: organic shape
2.  Collaboration areas: integrated everywhere
3.  Integrated management areas
4.  Equality: not present
5.  Working environments: varied, versatile
6.  Closed perimeter: can be designed differently to support user needs
7.  Community thinking / representation: very high
8.  Storage philosophy: diverse approach
9.  Group identity: very important
10. Surroundings: from hub and center to quiet
11. Color scheme: solid or colorful

What do you see as the balance between activity and rest?

Yes, the new workspace should also include retreats, especially for the concentrated creation of new things and disciplined work. Acoustically and visually shielded areas must absolutely allow focused work. Because the more intensively work is done, the more important relaxing and regenerating retreats become.

Book tip http://amzn.to/2boufA3

Haworth Switzerland http://eu.haworth.com/de-ch/

Innovation culture in space

The goal of office furniture manufacturer Haworth is to constantly develop knowledge on the subject of "working in the future". Thus, the book "Life of Work" by Jeremy Myerson was launched. It is based on a wide-ranging research project conducted by the Helen Hamlyn Centre for Design at the Royal College of Art. By examining analog environments, this book paints a completely new picture of the workplace that takes into account not only the physical structures associated with work processes, but also the psychological experiences of people within these spaces.

Organization

• Keep the ratio of individual workstations to common areas as low as possible
• Common areas should be located close to the workplaces
• Medium to low occupancy density, but can vary from area to area in the same room
• Greater room height
• Lively environment can be accepted as background noise if moderate
• Wide range of visualization surfaces supports innovation
• Other utilities in the building are important and support creativity and innovation

Common areas

• Informal design (e.g., low sofa elements and comfortable seating); small units
• Low, flexible shields
• Changeability of the working height

Personal workstations

• Acceptance of disruption/reachability
• Proximity to colleagues is important
• Ways to personalize the work environment with inspirational objects
• Varied design
• Equipment details more noticeable

The SFM method (SFM = Solution Finder Model) is used as an analysis model in convergent thinking, i.e. it is intended to bring clarity with regard to the solution variants. It starts from a problem for which a solution is to be found. This method was developed in 2009 at the Fernfachhochschule Schweiz by a research team of the research focus eCollaboration as a collaborative tool for finding solutions and has since been successfully used in many projects. The SFM method works by first classifying a topic input and thereby identifying it as either a need, a goal or a solution. Then, by asking appropriate questions, it is checked whether this assumption can be used to unify the "need-goal-solution" chain. It is important to note that a need must have a goal and a solution must be found for this goal. This solution must in turn satisfy the original need. Only if the triangular relationship can be set up in a meaningful way, the solution can be seen as a solution that is appropriate to the problem.

Smart Uffi - the intelligent office of the future

The SFM method has already been used successfully in many different projects, such as the "Smart Uffi" (Smart Office) project. This is a research project that the FFHS is carrying out together with the SUPSI (University of Applied Sciences in Ticino). It is about which solutions to implement in order to obtain a so-called "Smart Office" - in other words, an intelligent office.

In this sense, smart can be interpreted as follows (Fraunhofer Future Conference 2015 in Stuttgart):

1. The operator becomes the served - the technology recognizes what someone wants and acts directly without asking. For example, I come to the office in the evening, the laptop starts immediately and logs into a forum where I am still expected to reply this evening. I don't have to worry about the forum login, username or password - everything is already prepared. I can start working right away.
2. Things do not require human intervention. For example, I am on the move and use a laptop with a WLAN connection to the Internet. When I change locations, the laptop automatically connects to the Wi-Fi networks without me having to dial or type anything.
3. A flexible and context-dependent choice is made from several options for action. For example, I signed off for three days on vacation. Exactly during this time, a request comes in about a project I've already invested a lot of time in and would like to work on. I receive a text message on my cell phone and just have to give a quick confirmation that I'm in - this generates a reply e-mail. Other e-mails and inquiries that are not relevant to me at this point are held back and wait until I am back in the office.

The following statements were elicited as part of a survey in the Smart Uffi project at FFHS and then subjected to SFM analysis by assigning the individual statements of a group to needs, goals or solutions. Subsequently, an attempt was made to establish the relationships between the elements.

In the graphic, a solution can be read out (green, solid line), for the need "office too small" a goal can be found (support of one's own well-being) and a solution can be assigned (more open office zones) - the solution retroactively supports the need again. The triangle of these elements can therefore be closed and thus represents a real, sustainable solution.

For the need "to want to work standing up" a goal can be found (own well-being) but a solution does not exist yet. It must therefore be developed: For example, a standing table with high chairs would be possible here, with which one can work standing or sitting (also mixed) at the same table. This would fulfill another need (furniture too inflexible), since the solution (standing or sitting or both together with several people) could increase flexibility and one's own well-being.

The desire for an "own iPad" does not represent a need, but already a solution (since it is an instrument). However, neither a goal nor a need can be assigned, so the two elements must first be sought. If these can be found in a meaningful way, an iPad can certainly be a solution.

Getting closer to the smart office step by step

In this way, it will be possible to get closer to the smart office of the future step by step by matching the needs and goals of its users. For a start, therefore, a few selected solutions that have been revealed by the SFM analysis will be implemented in the practice of the two project partners.

Solution Finder Model https://tube.switch.ch/videos/b855fc39

Distance Learning University Switzerland https://www.ffhs.ch/

Collaborative Solutions Quick&Clean: The SFM Method http://bit.ly/2aRTtVk

With Daniel Walder, the sixth generation is now at the helm of the company. However, the change in leadership has not only brought changes in personnel. The young management generation also brings a breath of fresh air to the parental company in terms of structures and processes. The biggest change was implemented in the area of logistics, as Daniel Walder reports. Warehousing and logistics have been converted to scanner operation and so-called "wild storage". Shoes are no longer stored according to article numbers, but according to free storage capacity. "In this way, we create much more efficiency than before and can use the free capacity for other services for our stores," says Daniel Walder. For the employees, of course, this also means a change: tasks are redistributed and redefined.

"We consider the transfer of more responsibility to our staff to be an important and necessary measure to challenge and encourage our people even more. It gives them more scope and competencies," explains Daniel Walder.

More responsibility to employees

There are further changes in the Walder company hierarchy. Responsibility will be distributed among several heads. This is intended to relieve Daniel Walder in particular as Managing Director. This is because he also performs the function of sales manager. "We consider the transfer of more responsibility to our staff to be an important and necessary measure to challenge and encourage our people even more. This gives them more scope and competencies," explains Daniel Walder. A personnel development concept has been drawn up. Every year, ten employees can apply to benefit from the company's own development pool. The selected individuals receive special training and support for one year. Vacant management positions can thus be filled by people from the company's own ranks from the development pool without having to rely on external personnel. Whenever possible, experts from within the company are used to lead the internal courses.

Interface problems as a daily challenge

According to Peter Haller, trustee and organizer in Magden AG, the main significance of organizational structures in a company lies in the optimization of workflows and processes within a company. Today, he says, these structures and processes are often linked to technical parameters - in contrast to the past. "Organizational structures usually have the task of solving interface problems between the various departments and technical facilities," says Peter Haller. The aim here, he says, is to make processes as efficient and transparent as possible. Precisely defined processes and structures further ensure an optimal flow of information within the company. And, among other things, they also allow the effectiveness of the internal control system to be checked - for example, as part of the regular audit of the annual financial statements by the statutory auditors. In particular, the interfaces between different areas of the company are regarded as a constant challenge that must be solved anew every day.

"Flat hierarchies prevail within the teams and projects. Responsibility is distributed among several heads, as is the scope of tasks." - Peter Haller, Treuhand AG

Flat hierarchies, focused areas of responsibility

Because in many companies, including SMEs, work is now increasingly team- and project-based, hierarchical structures and precisely defined responsibilities have become less important, notes Peter Haller. "Flat hierarchies prevail within teams and projects. Responsibility is distributed among several heads, as is the area of responsibility." The larger a company, however, the more indispensable the need for internal regulation. In addition, the individual tasks and work areas of the employees are usually very focused, so that the interface issue has less of an impact than it used to. "Ten or more years ago, employees usually took on more diverse tasks. In order to clarify the interfaces and responsibilities, it was not possible without detailed organizational planning. Today, such rules are no longer needed to the same extent because the work is less generalized," explains Peter Haller. Nevertheless, it is worth clarifying certain boundaries and areas of responsibility in order to prevent misunderstandings and duplications.

A question of values and corporate culture

In owner-managed companies, the need for structure is less great because the company patrons have a stronger influence on the design of the organization than in large companies. According to Peter Haller, what is needed there is more factual and work-related structures through the formation of departments or teams that are assigned to specific projects. For this purpose, he says, a function diagram for important company areas and job descriptions for individual employees are sufficient. "Different structures and processes are needed depending on a company's size, industry, services and products," says Peter Haller. The structures a company sets up and maintains are always linked to the company's philosophy and values. This involves questions such as: Who calls the shots in the company? How strongly do we want to integrate employees into the company's processes and strategies? How much responsibility do supervisors give to their employees?

Involve employees

When creating or changing company structures, the organizational consultant recommends involving employees. In this way, their practical experience can be better taken into account and integrated. It also pays to get employees on board when defining strategic goals, he says. "There is no better way to create and implement structures and strategic goals for a company in a practical and successful way." However, he says, this means dissolving overly rigid and steep hierarchies so that supervisors and employees can work at eye level on the company's success. According to Peter Haller, there is a general trend toward flat hierarchies and short decision-making paths. However, this means more work for supervisors: "While bosses are handing over more responsibility to their employees today, they are busier integrating and supervising employees in return." The former control tasks of bosses have thus increasingly developed into accompanying and coaching activities.

Walder shoes http://www.walder.ch/

Peter Haller Trust AG http://www.peterhaller.ch/

It is therefore no longer worth confronting them with new challenges. At the same time, a balanced age mix of the generations is an important factor in a successful corporate philosophy: the older and middle-aged cohorts have considerable potential in terms of professional and life experience, while the juniors bring up-to-date knowledge, drive, dynamism and innovative strength to the company. A balanced mix of generations is important for the homogeneity and working atmosphere of a work community. It can therefore no longer be a question of promoting early retirement, but of keeping experienced professionals and specialists in the companies - a question of survival for many SMEs, given that the shortage of well-trained specialists is becoming increasingly accentuated.

Biological age not decisive for performance

As the results of comprehensive gerontological research prove, biological age is only one among many influencing factors that shape a person's individual development. Their performance is determined to a far greater extent by the activities, functions and demands they encounter in the course of their lives. The insightful remarks were made by Werner R. Müller, Professor Emeritus of Business Administration, Organization and Human Resource Management at the University of Basel. He adds that competence acquisition proceeds independently of biological decline phenomena in old age. Accordingly, human resources policy should not focus on age deficits, but on the opportunities for human development. It is important to create a work environment that challenges all employees over the duration of their work biography.

Making better use of the potential of the more mature generation

So it is no longer enough to play the "benefactor" and now and then give a senior a chance to make a useful mark. Rather, it is important to realize what advantages can arise for companies if they make better use of the potential of the more mature generation than has been the case to date. This means a rethink at those executive levels where age is primarily seen as a deficit rather than an opportunity. Yet there are a number of qualifications that are specific to the older generation, without denying the skills to younger employees:

• Sound life and professional experience
• Expert knowledge: acquired through many years of professional practice
• Balanced judgment
• High reliability, great sense of duty and responsibility
• Strong problem solving skills
• Security/stability through predictability of professional career
• Loyalty, fidelity, diligence and discipline.

Last but not least, customers are also getting older and attach great importance to a long-term business relationship, preferably a reference person of a similar age group.

Self-responsibility of the older cohorts

In the course of constant change, so-called employability, i.e. the labor market fitness of each and every employee, is gaining in importance. This means that even experienced seniors must be prepared to learn new things and actively tackle today's sometimes rapid changes. Terms such as intellectual and geographical mobility, lifelong learning and self-development are not foreign words for them either, but are part of their own labor market fitness. Managing directors and HR managers are predestined to act as "employability coaches" by ensuring that both the technical and the social skills of all age groups are promoted.

From philosophy to strategy

The corporate philosophy is one thing, the personal responsibility of the individual employees is another. The task now is to develop a strategy from this, which may look something like the following:

• Continuing education for all age groups
• Occupational health management
• Consciously designed generation policy in personnel planning and recruitment
• Knowledge transfer between older and younger employees
• Care of the aging clientele by personnel of the same generation

These are just a few points. More important than fixing them in a glossy paper is anchoring them in the minds of company management and translating them into a progressive HR policy. If it is to have a sustainable character, the following checklist can be helpful.

Checklist for a generation-appropriate personnel policy

• First: Conduct an analysis of the age structure: When are retirements due?
• Match future personnel requirements with existing resources
• Equal opportunities for young and old: The decisive factor for filling a position is the job profile, not age.
• Unless absolutely mandatory: No age limits in advertisements
• Establishment of a generation mix: Young people as current knowledge carriers, older people as guarantors of expert know-how
• In principle, no early retirements
• Offer flexible working time and retirement models
• Instead of luxurious retirement preparation seminars and the like: Investment in targeted further training for older employees
• Adapting work design to higher life expectancy. From the 50plus to the 60plus model: arc careers, tandems, mentoring and others

By the way: Rome was not built in a day either: It is therefore possible to implement the listed points step by step according to the modular principle - in line with the inner readiness and organizational requirements in your company.

Conclusion: Work between the generations must be given a new emphasis and a new quality.

"We still have entrepreneurial freedom, although that is increasingly being restricted without need." - Axel Förster, CEO Rychiger AG, filling systems for coffee capsules

Mr. Förster, the strong franc is rampant. As an export-oriented company, you are certainly affected by it. Does that still make you feel like celebrating?

Axel Förster: The euro issue - yes, it sunk in overnight. Losing 20 percent of our competitiveness is unpleasant. Well, we've been through that before, but not overnight. That's something to worry about. Above all, the book losses and the realized losses of expiring projects - sold in euros and built up in Swiss francs - that can no longer be salvaged. We export 95 percent of our products, and the 5 percent that we sell locally are of course offered 20 percent cheaper by our competitors. That's brutal. But we have to look ahead and act.

What specific measures have you taken - apart from waiving margins?

The first thing we did was to increase the number of hours from 40 to 42. This has already brought a 5 percent cost advantage on wages. We have also launched a cost-cutting program, but communicated to our employees that we will not be making any compulsory redundancies in the next six months. This buys us the time we need to assess the situation calmly. It is very important for us that we can purchase all materials at the same favorable conditions as our European competitors from southern Germany or northern Italy.

You supply the food, healthcare and pet food industries. Which of these is proving particularly challenging?

Healthcare people are particularly demanding when it comes to validation, but they don't always want to get the last ounce out of a machine. The food people, on the other hand, want highly productive systems and to push their performance to the limit. They have become more demanding in terms of hygiene and occupational safety. Every industry has its own requirements. As a plant manufacturer, you have to understand these.

You also manufacture the machines on which the coffee capsules are filled. How has the boom around Nespresso and related products changed your business?

For us, that's the wave of success we're riding at the moment. The coffee capsule story started around the turn of the millennium. But we've been supplying Nespresso for a long time - it just wasn't a success story at the beginning. Since about 2000, our market has been booming. Today, an estimated 30 to 40 billion capsules are consumed every year. That's a lot.

And the trend is rising, considering that new markets are only just discovering coffee for themselves?

That's our main business right now, yes.

And in other areas is it stagnating?

At least the business is no longer growing as strongly, perhaps still at 1 to 7 percent, depending on the category. Pet food, on the other hand, is a business area for us that generates ongoing sales, but we could never survive on that alone.

What are the actual market drivers?

In the healthcare sector, it is demographics that play an important role. We are particularly aware of this, for example, with diagnostics for diabetics, which are also available in a type of portion packs. Due to higher life expectancy, the number of diabetics is rising and with it the need for such applications.

To what extent is technology a market driver? I.e. do you create new markets yourself with innovations?

Through applied research, we try to use things that already exist more sensibly and bend them to our purposes. Our focus is on making the machines even faster, even safer and even cheaper. And the subject of hygiene has gained in importance in recent years. TPM, Total Productive Maintenance, should also be mentioned: the machines should be easier and easier to operate. These are all things where we as machine manufacturers can set trends and higher standards.

You produce exclusively in Switzerland. What are the arguments in favor of Steffisburg as a production location? Despite high labor costs and the current strength of the Swiss franc?

Clearly the regulatory environment - for now.

Why "still"?

We have a highly flexible labor market, top-motivated people with a high level of identification with our company. We have no problems with unions. We still have entrepreneurial freedom, although this is being increasingly restricted without necessity. Thun is the largest mechanical engineering location in German-speaking Switzerland, and we get the specialists we need here. That is not to be underestimated.

You are both Managing Director and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the company. What is your personal fascination with this dual function?

The dual function is rather common for an SME of our size, and a great task. I'm the "jack of all trades", so to speak, and I'm involved in all disciplines. But I give my people a lot of freedom and try to let them do things on their own. But of all of them, I probably have the most complete job. That's very exciting.

What does that look like in terms of labor economics? Do you really reconcile everything?

Sometimes rather bad ...

Where do you get the balance you need?

Sports are very important to me. If there's no customer visiting over lunch, I'd rather do sports than go out to eat somewhere. My children and my family are also very important to me.

In which direction do you want to further develop Rychiger AG?

It is certainly a question of maintaining and consolidating our position in the coffee capsule market and, if possible, also expanding into the upstream and downstream processes. At the same time, we need to build up a second solid pillar in the healthcare sector.

How difficult is it to break into this market as a newcomer?

It's not easy. People want to see references. If you can't provide any, it's difficult. But once you're in, it's hard to get out. So we focus on a few segments that we work on intensively. The goal is to get references in these segments so that we can prove our competence.

And what segments are you talking about exactly?

For us, it's mainly diagnostics and medical devices. We are also keeping our eyes open for companies that can complement us. Acquisitions are therefore quite conceivable.

Does the Swiss market offer this potential?

There is already potential here, but it is limited. In the mechanical engineering sector, takeover candidates are mainly to be found in the north of Italy and in southern Germany. But of course there would be nothing to say against a Swiss company.

On the other hand, could you open up more favorable production locations with a partner in the euro zone?

There are plans to set up a subsidiary in the euro zone, but for a different purpose: we want to build small and simple machines there, which we cannot do here in Switzerland. Not because it would be too expensive here, but because we think too elaborately. Here, we build "blue chip" technology for the big players, like Nestlé. But if we think about small coffee roasters, they don't need much of our equipment. That's why we need a small engineering department elsewhere to design small and simple machines. Euroland is predestined for this; but our aim is not to relocate production, but to open up a new business field.

Finally, back to the award: How do you judge the value, the sustainability of an award? Just something for the ego?

The value cannot be overstated. It's about the people who are proud to have come first. And the media presence should not be underestimated. As a company, you are better perceived by the public. What we have achieved with the award, we also achieve with our customers. We bring enthusiasm with us. I call this the "Rychiger virus". You feel it when you walk through the hall. And then it's insanely beautiful plants that we build. Sometimes 20 to 25 meters long, and a lot of technology goes into them. The employees are proud to build such machines. You can feel that - and many of our customers feel it, too.

 

Time and again, we come across the following in our dealings with companies: They have a good, i.e. sustainable, strategy. But they fail to implement it in their day-to-day operations. Company leaders often ask themselves: What's the problem? Were the goals set too high? Do we have the wrong team? Do the employees not identify with the company and its goals? Or ...? Such questions are rightly asked. Because only if the factors at the level of the corporate culture that promote (mis)success are known, can they be specifically influenced.

Research shows that it Three central drivers to develop the corporate culture:

1. The behavior of managers and supervisors. After all, they act as role models for their employees.
2. Internal communication and information. Because only if employees know which overriding goals the company wants to achieve and why, can they orient their behavior to these.
3. The opportunities for self-organization and independent action. Because only if employees have the necessary creative freedom can they actively participate and help shape the corporate culture.

And employees are willing to do this, provided the necessary framework conditions exist. Numerous studies show this. They not only show that most employees are dissatisfied with their company's culture, but also that they would like to play an active role in changing it.

Against this backdrop, one can only recommend that the top managers of companies actively deal with the corporate culture. The first step here should always be to first ask themselves in a kind of as-is analysis, for example:

• What makes our company, my division or department unique?
• What are the reasons for the special performance of the people in our organization?
• What are learning inhibitors and learning facilitators?
• How is motivation achieved? What demotivates the employees?
• What values do the managers exemplify? Which ones do I exemplify myself?
• What are the thinking and behavioral taboos?
• What fears do employees have?
• What norms and values shape the way employees interact and behave?

In the second step, managers can ask themselves to what extent the answers deviate from their objectives or those of the company. It then quickly becomes clear where the leverage should be applied to ensure that the company's culture meets the objectives and future requirements of the market in the medium and long term.

Dr. Kraus & Partner http://www.kraus-und-partner.de/

Book tip http://amzn.to/2aSre7H

Just a few years ago, life balance was often associated with part-time work and the compatibility of family and career, but today we know that there are many more facets that influence life balance: The psychological balance, which is not determined by the time factor alone, but also by the content of the work, the balance between stress and relief, hunger for success and performance, achievement and recovery, income and lifestyle, and the balance between constant accessibility and time for oneself.

Finding balance means recognizing one's own needs and standing up for them. Here lies the first challenge in finding life balance: many believe they know what is important and valuable to them and what their needs are. And yet they are not in balance.

First challenge: inner agreement as a guide

What is important is what seems valuable to me and to which I can give my full inner approval. Inner approval is a clear and strong feeling of being able to say "yes" to what I am currently doing or experiencing. This brings us to the feeling level. Something can seem very important to me, but if the inner approval is missing, the question of the meaning threatens very quickly and with it the search for the motivation, for the power that moves me.

But what if I think I feel the inner agreement and yet I am not in balance? Then it's probably a "Yes, but ...", that is, a limited inner agreement: "Yes, it's important to me, but I don't have the time, the energy." "Yes, it is important to me, but right now something else has priority." Such situations challenge us. They catapult us into a field of tension in which we feel the pressure of having to decide for one thing and thus against something else.

Second challenge: enduring ambiguity

If we find ourselves in such a field of tension, we tend to think either/or. In order to feel the power that contains the right answer for me, I have to stay in the field of tension and thus develop a tolerance towards ambiguity. We almost can't stand this persistence, so we want to decide. Ambiguity tolerance is the ability to tolerate ambiguous or contradictory situations and calls us to both/and thinking, i.e., to integrate multi-layered information. People with the ability to relate different pieces of information are better able to wait until the appropriate solution presents itself.

Third challenge: the integration of facts and feelings

When making decisions, we often have the claim that we have to find the right solution. After all, we have to be able to justify the decision to ourselves and others. This demand builds up enormous pressure. Let's assume that we would actually stand in front of such a signpost in the middle of the jungle without a road map, then it should be clear to everyone that the decision cannot be an exclusively imaginary one, because we can pay attention to facts such as the position and course of the sun, but nevertheless have too little information to find the answer by thinking alone. The question is therefore: Where am I drawn to? In this emergency situation it is vital that I hold out, open myself to new impulses and reflect until the appropriate solution appears. It only appears when we link facts, feelings and the unconscious in a new way until clarity emerges. Action that springs from such a creative process connects head and heart. This is called courageous.

Now it can be that I perceive the inner feeling and know where it pulls me, I do not dare to go this way. The fear of disappointing someone, the fear of not meeting the expectations of others. A healthy self-awareness (being aware of yourself) makes it a little easier. Maybe also the following questions: who should decide about my life, myself or possibly others? Who should be the main shareholder of my "I-corporation"?

Of course, we can evade the question "where am I going" by simply running off fact-oriented or by stopping too long in front of the signpost out of sheer fear of making the wrong decision. In both cases we get into an imbalance, namely where we try to control our life exclusively thinking or where we let ourselves be controlled by our fear.

Existential psychology defines responsibility in such a way that life asks us questions. If we take care of the questions and look for our personal answer to them, we take on responsibility and thus make our contribution to life balance. Whether we perceive areas of tension or not is our own responsibility and not that of our superiors, colleagues or the company.

What can a company contribute?

Nevertheless, the question naturally arises as to what extent the company bears a responsibility in achieving and maintaining the life balance of its employees. Every company must ask itself this question. A commitment can be worthwhile from a personnel policy or socially influenced consideration and from an economic point of view: the more balanced the employees, the more productive they are.

Companies can exert influence in different ways in different areas. Basically, the same thing always applies: It is easier for individuals to find a balance if they are given freedom, a say and facilitation. If attention is paid to health and employees can pursue a meaningful task in a functioning team according to their abilities and experience recognition and appreciation in the process.

SwissRe for example, supports its employees in many areas, including the care of elderly relatives. The Ergon Informatik AG allows its employees to vote on important decisions. If the majority of the workforce is against it, the planned venture is abandoned. Other companies organize the "dog walker" for dog-loving employees or prepare lunch as well as dinner in the canteen, provide childcare in company crèches or give employees and teams the opportunity to determine their own projects in whole or in part.

Conversations help to eliminate areas of tension

If we think about the three challenges described above, we see that the greatest challenges of life balance lie in finding inner agreement, in skillfully dealing with areas of tension, and in integrating head and heart. Clarifying these issues is a challenging task that cannot always be accomplished alone. Exchange and reflection with an independent person in a protected space are very valuable. Many companies have recognized this and offer help through external coaches. Companies such as Migros Genossenschaft Zürich, UBS and other smaller companies go one step further and offer executives membership in Spot Coaching the sparring partner for professional questions. A conversation with a professional coach can be booked online at very short notice and without complications. The 60-minute, location-independent conversation takes place via telephone or Skype and can be anonymous if desired. A conversation helps to efficiently link facts, feelings and the unconscious and thus to find the way out of a field of tension more quickly. This offer can promote life balance.

Spot Coaching AG http://www.spotcoaching.ch/

Book tip http://amzn.to/2auQZeN

Book tip http://amzn.to/2auQH7L

How crowdfunding is organized is shown by the example of the "marketplace miteinander-erfolgreich.ch"which is operated by Basellandschaftliche Kantonalbank in cooperation with Swisscom IT Services AG. Natural persons and legal entities can present and support projects on the "Marketplace". As the "marketplace operator", the Cantonal Bank considers itself to be a broker within the meaning of Art. 412 ff. OR. This means that it offers the opportunity to conclude a contract in return for remuneration. In general, the provisions on the simple contract apply to the brokerage contract.

Innominate contract with platform service provider

A person or a company wants to finance a project - depending on the situation he can be called project provider, project organizer, project initiator or business manager. He looks for an Internet platform that presents the project and concludes a contract with it, usually based on GTC.

The platform service provider verifies the identity and seriousness of the project organizer. Then he has to put the project on the Internet, establish contact between the sponsors and the project organizer and organize the payment processing correctly. For this purpose, the platform must be permanently accessible. The operator must ensure data protection and data security in accordance with the latest technical standards.

As with the hosting contract, the agreement with the platform operator cannot normally be regarded solely as a brokerage contract or as an order. In most cases, it is likely to be a mixed contract with elements of rental law as well as contract for work and services and contract law.

Project providers and platform operators should observe the Anti-Money Laundering Act and the Ordinance on the Professional Practice of Financial Intermediation (VBF) as soon as they operate crowdfunding on a commercial basis. According to these, one is already considered a professional financial intermediary if one achieves gross proceeds of more than 20,000 Swiss francs per calendar year and maintains business relationships with more than 20 contractual parties that are not limited to a one-time activity.

Loan, donation or participation?

The sponsors, in case of company foundations investors, conclude a contract with the project organizer. He commits himself to use the paid contributions correctly. Depending on the situation, they can be considered as loans or participations, or even as a gift with the condition that the project is carried out. Often a quid pro quo is offered for the sponsor's contribution, it should be precisely defined.

Some platform operators pay attention to guarantees for sponsors, for example, the German platform Startnext stipulates that donors get their money back if the project is not carried out, or that the money is collected by direct debit only after enough money has been raised for the project.

The lottery law and the associated ordinance (LG Art. 1) apply to the drawing of prizes. Lotteries are prohibited, for which fines or imprisonment are threatened. In the case of projects for non-profit or charitable purposes, prize draws are possible, with the approval of the competent cantonal authority.

Important: Sponsors must pay attention to which law applies in the case of international providers, for example EU or US law. Consultation is recommended for investments of higher amounts.

Regulate liability!

For a crowdfundig community, the law for simple companies may apply, which is practically applied to many different joint projects. Unless otherwise agreed, according to CO Art. 533, each shareholder has an equal share in profit and loss regardless of the type and size of his contribution. Therefore, in crowdfunding projects, the liability of the sponsors for the project, or towards third parties, should be excluded or limited to the amount paid in - for safety's sake, even if the contributions are considered a gift or a loan. According to OR Art. 100, the platform operator and the project provider are liable at least for intent or gross negligence. However, such a limitation of liability does not make a good impression, which is why the project provider should be prepared to be liable for negligence towards the sponsors.

Company formations

If commercial companies are founded and partners are sought by means of crowdfunding, the provisions of the CO on the relevant form of company must be observed. In the case of a limited partnership, the external funders can act as limited partners, for which a minimum amount should be specified. They are liable only up to the amount of the limited partnership sum. Partners with unlimited liability can only be natural persons, but limited partners can also be legal entities and commercial companies. If one establishes a limited liability company, joint-stock company or cooperative with crowdfunding, the corresponding law must be taken into account. For example, when tendering shares and bonds, the provisions of OR Art. 652a on the issue prospectus apply.

Successful together http://bit.ly/1sl1JMb

crowdfunding.com http://bit.ly/29F1HBL

swisscom http://bit.ly/1L44u0Y

However, most companies are far from taking advantage of the leeway offered by the Occupational Pensions Act (BVG). The BVG permits early withdrawal of retirement benefits from the age of 58. If one withdraws one's pension fund benefits early, the retirement capital is smaller than with ordinary retirement. The conversion rate is reduced, which is used to convert the capital into a lifelong pension. Most pension funds reduce the pensions of early retirees by 5 to 7 percent per year of early withdrawal. Consequently, those who retire at 63 instead of 65 will receive 10 to 14 percent less pension. This reduction in benefits can be compensated for with higher payments into the pension fund. The tax savings that insured persons achieve in this way reduce their costs of early retirement.

Great potential for optimization

As a rule, savings contributions to the pension fund may amount to up to 25 percent of the insured AHV annual salary. The following example shows how much an existing pension solution can be optimized: A 55-year-old company owner earns 280,000 francs a year. His current PF pension plan insures the salary up to 150,000 francs. The savings premium is only 15 percent of the insured salary. If the company owner simultaneously increases the savings premium to 25 percent and the insured salary to 280,000 francs, his annual savings contributions increase from 22,500 to 70,000 francs per year. The additional savings premiums reduce his taxable income, and the expansion of pension benefits also increases his potential for voluntary purchases. The company owner can now pay an additional 1.2 million francs or so into the pension fund and deduct this amount from his taxable income. With a voluntary purchase of 30,000 francs, he saves around 10,000 francs in income tax at a marginal tax rate of 30 percent. If he withdraws this amount at retirement, he incurs about 5,000 francs in withdrawal taxes. The return on the purchase is therefore 5,000 francs (excluding investment income).

A modern pension plan allows cadre employees to make purchases not only up to the amount of the regulatory benefits, but also for early retirement. This means that insured persons who have already bought in for the full benefits on ordinary retirement can make additional purchases.

Tax savings with a partial retirement

Because partial retirement is particularly common among managers in addition to early retirement, a modern management pension plan offers insured persons the option of drawing their retirement benefits gradually from the age of 58 and continuing to insure their full salary in the pension fund until the regular retirement age, which they have drawn up to that point. This is permitted by law, provided they earn no more than 50 percent less after reducing their workload. This means that retirement benefits are the same as without a reduction in working hours, and the tax burden is significantly reduced. The BVG stipulates that the employer must only pay its share of the pension fund contributions on the effective salary. The employee pays the remaining savings contributions and the risk premiums on the fictitiously insured portion of the salary. The employee may deduct these contributions from his taxable income. Thanks to continued insurance at full salary, insured persons can continue to buy into the pension fund in full and also deduct these voluntary contributions from their taxable income. If only the actual salary is insured, the savings contributions and also the purchasing potential shrink.

The company owner in the example calculation reduces his workload at 58 from 100 to 60 percent (see table below). His effective salary thus falls from 200,000 to 120,000 francs. If only the effective salary is insured, the owner can only deduct his savings contributions as an employee in the amount of 12,000 francs from his gross salary. Purchases into the pension fund are no longer possible. If the company owner remains insured at the previous salary, he can deduct employee savings contributions of 28,000 francs and continue to additionally reduce his taxes with purchases. Thanks to the higher savings contributions and a purchase of 15,000 francs, he saves 8,500 francs in taxes - per year.

Optimization of own retirement provision

A pension analysis by an expert provides the necessary basis for decision-making. The analysis lists all benefits from the three pension pillars and provides optimization suggestions on how the benefits can be improved. Company owners and members of the management have greater freedom to shape the plan, as they can directly influence the various solutions. Possible areas of optimization are:

• Insured salary in the pension fund: In the mandatory part of the BVG, the maximum insured salary is currently CHF 59,925. This is calculated from your current salary minus the so-called coordination deduction of currently CHF 24,675. Thus, wages up to around CHF 84,600 are compulsorily insured. Wages above this amount are either not insured at all or insured voluntarily. Thus, additional retirement savings can be saved by insuring wages above CHF 84,240 voluntarily and the entire annual salary without coordination deduction.
• Above-mandatory and extra-mandatory BVG: Salaries above CHF 84,600 and above CHF 126,900, respectively, can often be insured at better conditions (higher savings contributions, better interest rates), depending on the pension fund.
• Paying into the pension fund: It is often forgotten that there is a purchase potential into the pension fund due to salary increases. This should be closed, provided that liquidity is available. On the one hand, payments into the PF have the advantage that they improve benefits upon retirement and the amount paid in can be deducted in full from taxable income.
• Choice of pension foundation and investment of pension capital: There are very large differences here in terms of flexibility, costs and returns, and their impact on retirement savings can be quite significant.
• Pillar 3a: It is important here that the annual maximum amount, assuming liquidity, is paid in every year. A comparison of the costs and returns of the various providers is also useful here.

By taking advantage of these opportunities, you can substantially improve the benefits available at retirement. And the earlier you start optimizing, the longer you have to improve your benefits.

Consequences of early retirement. Once the decision has been made to take early retirement, you should consider the consequences of early retirement. They come into play in all three pillars and are briefly listed below:

1st pillar

• AHV pensions can be drawn earlier. However, due to a lifelong reduction, this is not advisable.
• However, despite early retirement, you remain liable for AHV contributions. Early retirees are subject to the obligation to pay contributions for persons not in gainful employment. The amount depends on the assets and pension income. A sideline reduces the contributions to be paid in certain cases, because the early retiree is then not declared as "not gainfully employed". In the case of wealthy persons, it makes sense to have a secondary income so that their income and not their assets serve as the basis for assessment.

Pillar 2

• The entire BVG capital can be drawn upon early retirement or paid out as an annuity. Since no more savings contributions are paid in for the remaining years until ordinary retirement and due to the compound interest effect, the benefits are substantially reduced.
• If you draw your retirement benefits in lump-sum form, your pension foundation must observe special regulations regarding purchases into the PF. The following often applies: "If purchases have been made, the resulting benefits may not be withdrawn in capital form within the next three years.
• The entire retirement savings capital can be withdrawn upon early retirement. As a result, taxes have to be paid on the entire capital on the one hand and the private assets increase on the other. Higher private assets result in higher AHV liability. Both points can be mitigated by a further payment of the capital and splitting on two vested benefit foundations. In this way, the capital remains in the pension circuit until ordinary retirement and is therefore tax-free. Splitting the capital between two vested benefits foundations has the effect of breaking the tax progression when the capital is paid out, leaving more net capital.

Pillar 3

• You can only pay into pillar 3a if you earn a salary that is subject to AHV contributions. Thus, under certain circumstances, your early retirement means that you may no longer pay into pillar 3a in the years up to your regular retirement. You can pay into pillar 3a up to a maximum of 70 if you have a sideline job.
• Make sure that you draw on them in a staggered manner. If you open several accounts, you can withdraw the assets in different tax years.