At the beginning of 2021, the Euler Hermes Export Forecast stands at 0.78 points - the same value at which the revised indicator was already three months ago. The export forecast is above the zero-point threshold indicating the long-term average growth path of the Swiss export industry, and thus predicts a significant recovery in Swiss exports over the course of the year. This development is supported by the statistical base effect: Given the deep dip in the forecast in spring 2020, high annual rates of change hardly come as a surprise.

According to Export Forecast: Economic recovery in the second quarter of 2021

Euler Hermes expects global trade volumes to grow again by 5.8% in 2021 after a decline of 10% in the previous year. For Switzerland, 2021 should also be a year of economic recovery. In the short term, however, Euler Hermes expects the situation to deteriorate for the time being due to the second wave of the pandemic and its containment measures. "An economic resurrection is not expected until Easter at the earliest," said Katharina Utermöhl, European economist at Euler Hermes. "Then progress on the vaccination front and warmer temperatures should allow a gradual easing. The mid-year vaccination of at-risk groups sets the stage for a strong consumption boom in the second half of the year. The increasingly synchronized revival of the global economy should also provide a tailwind for Swiss exports." Utermöhl believes that a return to some degree of economic normality is not possible until 2022. However, the economic cleanup will still be far from complete by then - the unemployment rate is likely to remain at an elevated level and the wave of insolvencies will continue to roll on in 2022. Overall, Euler Hermes expects the Swiss economy to grow by 2.6% in 2021 (2022: +3.2%).

Consumer confidence remains low despite positive industry development

Asia and the emerging markets are currently seen as the biggest beacons of hope for Swiss industry. This positive outlook is an important factor for rising commodity prices, especially industrial metals. Furthermore, freight rates for the transport of shipping containers have exploded since December 2020, for which a backlog at Asian ports due to the unexpectedly fast recovery of the global economy is responsible. In addition, due to low passenger numbers, more all-cargo aircraft are operating, making air cargo more attractive to exporters and importers. As a result, the volume of global air freight traffic in December 2020 was back at the level of the previous year. In contrast to the positive development of these indicators, consumer confidence continues to be heavily weighed down by the COVID-19 pandemic, which negatively impacts the Export Forecast. If an improvement takes longer, this is likely to have consequences for the industrial sector, which is why the pandemic remains a weighty factor.

Foreign trade with China at a new high

After rising by 9.2% in real and seasonally adjusted terms in the third quarter of 2020 compared with the previous quarter, Swiss exports stagnated in the fourth quarter. Imports fell by 1.9%. Nevertheless, the second half of the year was considerably more encouraging overall than the first. Overall, exports fell by 7.1% to 225.1 billion Swiss francs in 2020, while imports declined by 11.2% to 182.1 billion Swiss francs. Stefan Ruf, CEO Euler Hermes Switzerland, commented, "It is noteworthy that foreign trade with China is at a new record high in both traffic directions. The Swiss export industry has managed to expand trade with China by a whopping 10% to 14.7 billion Swiss francs in 2020, despite COVID-19." Despite this exception, the Swiss export industry sold fewer goods overall in 2020 in the three major economic areas of Europe, North America and Asia.

Source: Euler Hermes

With the engagement of Edward Snowden, the Swiss Cyber Security Days succeeded in a special coup. As whistleblower & cybersecurity expert Edward Snowden reports in his new memoir "Permanent Record", the former CIA officer and advisor to the National Security Agency (NSA) risked everything to expose the US government's mass surveillance system. SCSD Program Director Nicolas Mayencourt makes the case that Edward Snowden powerfully demonstrated that, contrary to its original promise, the Internet has been expanded in recent decades into an Internet of government surveillance. "From Snowden we want to know how he sees the development in the past decade, and what needs to be done to get back on track with the initial promise, and whether there is any chance at all to do so," Mayencourt explains the whistleblower's involvement.

Edward Snowden live from Moscow

One of the most passionate and authoritative voices on privacy and cybersecurity, Snowden continues to warn about the growing threats of our digital age. Speaking live from Moscow, he discusses technologies and practices that have created "the most effective means of social control in the history of our species." "Everything we do now will remain forever. Not because we want to remember, but because we can't forget anymore," Snowden says, alluding to the central theme of Permanent Record. "Helping to create this system is my greatest regret."

The whistleblower shocked the world in the summer of 2013 when he broke with the intelligence establishment and revealed that the U.S. government was pursuing an unprecedented system of mass surveillance that had the potential to capture every single phone call, text message and email of every person on Earth. Fearing arrest, he fled to Hong Kong, where he
met secretly with journalists from The Guardian newspaper and filmmaker Laura Poitras. Poitras later won an Academy Award for the documentary "Citizenfour." He was also the focus of the critically acclaimed Oliver Stone film "Snowden."

The Guardian and The Washington Post were awarded a Pulitzer Prize for their role in reporting the NSA leaks. Snowden saw the honor as "a vindication" for his efforts to bring the secret surveillance programs to light. Snowden himself has received numerous honors for his public engagement, including the Right Livelihood Award,
the German Whistleblower Award, the Ridenhour Award for Truth-Finding, and the Carl von Ossietzky Medal of the International League for Human Rights. He is currently Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Freedom of the Press Foundation.

Passionate advocate of privacy

Since finding asylum in Russia, Snowden has been in the headlines as a passionate and authoritative champion of privacy, civil liberties and cybersecurity during what he calls "the greatest redistribution of power since the Industrial Revolution." As a result of Snowden's revelations, both the U.S. and U.K. governments challenged their surveillance laws in court, leading to new laws in both countries. Internet companies have responded to public outrage over privacy concerns by making encryption standard. Snowden continues to sound the alarm about mass surveillance and data collection by both governments and corporations.

Global Hacking and National Sovereignty

In addition to guest star Snowden, the Swiss Cyber Security Days (SCSD), the most important meeting on cyber security in Switzerland, will bring together key decision-makers and experts in the field of cyber security on March 10 and 11. During the two days dedicated to national and global cyber security, Federal Councillor Ueli Maurer, the head of the Armed Forces, Thomas Süssli, the French Cyber Defence Commander Didier Tisseyre, and numerous organizations such as Interpol, the WEF, the Geneva Center for Security Policy and the Cyber Peace Institute will be present. The fully virtual 2021 edition will focus on global hacking and national sovereignty, with a March 11 theme dedicated to SME security.

Register online now: www.swisscybersecuritydays.ch

A new study by Accenture Interactive titled "The Business of Experience" takes a close look at the topic of "experience" - customer experiences. A large majority (77 %) of CEOs surveyed on the subject said they will fundamentally change the way their companies interact with customers to drive business growth. The report, published by Accenture Interactive, is based on a survey of more than 1,550 executives from 21 countries and 22 industries.

Corona pandemic put customer experience in the spotlight

The goal was to understand the role customer experience plays in long-term business growth, consistency and relevance. According to the study, companies that align their entire business to create exceptional experiences for their customers, employees and communities outperform their peers by six times year-over-year in profitability. "COVID has further elevated the customer experience and reinforced its importance to every function and every employee," said Brian Whipple, group chief executive of Accenture Interactive. "Simply put, when you improve the customer experience, you improve the quality of life and, in turn, the business."

"Not only are expectations of brands changing, but also of companies as a whole. Everyone today wants to know how to interact with their customers in the current economic and healthcare crisis. Digital and hybrid customer experiences need to be reinvented. In the company, this affects not only the channels, but the entire value creation, via data, processes, technologies and employees, and ultimately the way value is created. The added value then lies in the experiences they enable," says Benjamin Tück, Managing Director of Interactive Switzerland.

Rapidly evolving customer needs drive the urgency of a new approach

While the focus on customer experience (CX) has traditionally been more about transactions with customers, the general focus on customer experience is a new way of working that is increasingly supported by senior management, the study found. Accenture Interactive calls this new holistic approach - which is becoming a key business imperative - the Business of Experience (BX).

The study finds that BX has become a CEO focus as it is linked to every aspect of the company's operations - unlike CX, which has traditionally been the domain of the chief marketing officer (CMO). In addition, more than half of chief operating officers (COOs) (56 %), chief strategy officers (CSOs) (53 %) and chief financial officers (CFOs) (51 %) also said their company will fundamentally change the way it interacts with its customers.

"To grow in the coming year, every company and every leader must rethink experience - especially as almost everything we do, from how we shop to how and where we work to how we interact with others, has been structurally transformed," said Baiju Shah, chief strategy officer, Accenture Interactive. "A fundamental redefinition of the customer experience is underway, and those companies that put customer experience at the center of their organization will drive growth and be the market leaders of the years and decades to come. "Becoming a business of experience requires investing differently, not more," says Benjamin Tück, managing director of Interactive Switzerland. "To compete for customer attention, funds must be consistently focused on improved experiences without compromising profitability and sustainability."

How companies become the "Business of Experience

The study shows that leading companies (i.e., companies that independently perform well in terms of financial growth and business cycle consistency) think and act differently about the customer experience than their competitors. These leading companies are far more likely to adopt the following BX approaches, consistently outperforming their peers.

1. Get to know your customers through and through. Customer needs are also likely to evolve, often in unpredictable ways, regardless of the impact of the pandemic. Consequently, companies should invest in ways to identify unmet customer needs of any scale. The study found that leading companies are twice as likely as others (55 % vs. 26 %) to say they are able to incorporate customer data into appropriate measures. But many of these leading companies also say there are limits to their data and the opportunities it can provide. That's why this point is so important - to be truly customer-centric, companies need better means to drill down and uncover those needs.
2. Make experiential innovation a daily habit. The study shows that leading companies feel better prepared to seize the opportunity to innovate on a large scale. Compared to their peers, they are more than twice as likely to have the agility to shift to new models that add value and relevance to their customers.
3. Expand the scope of responsibility for the customer experience. Experience is not just the responsibility of the CMO or COO - it's everyone's business, from the executive level down. All employees and all areas of the business should be connected and collaborative, functioning as a cohesive, customer-centric unit whose ultimate goal is to deliver the best customer experience.
4. Align IT, data and people. Becoming a "business of experience" doesn't mean investing more, it means investing differently. Leading companies are managing data, IT, and people to create agility that continuously unlocks efficiencies that can be reinvested in new performance and growth opportunities. Of the leading companies, 61 % said they have a clear understanding of what technology platforms they need to leverage to remain competitive and relevant to customers, compared to only 27 % of their peers.

Source: Accenture Interactive

As the next agenda item of our Supervisory Board meeting in summer 2022 The paradigm shift that we want to see completed in the behavior of the team and especially our managers by the beginning of 2022 is: "Out of crisis-survival mode - into future-shaping mode."

Core competencies and innovations

It still fascinates me today how quickly and consistently we switched to emergency mode in March 2020. But I am even more amazed at how long and rocky the road back to working beyond ad hoc crisis mode is. We constantly find that routines, standards, rules and other norms are no longer useful or practical.

Over the past 12 months, we have taken a very close look at our proven core competencies in our Corporate Innovation Lab, which was established in summer 2020. I would not have thought that in this way - and consistently building on our strengths - we have quickly come up with an impressive number of new business model ideas. A first, promising idea has already been fleshed out and is now in the pilot phase. It's fantastic to see how constructively and naturally our employees here work together with our main customer in mixed teams across organizational boundaries and time zones!

Paradigm shift with rituals and ideas

We also wanted to underscore our paradigm shift with new, social-distancing-compliant rituals, routines and symbols, which we introduced step by step in our organization. Roll calls at the start of every shift on the shop floor are still as taboo as most of the trade shows, conventions and major events that we would have automatically gone to in the past. Today, we start the day with virtual team breakfasts. And even on the shop floor, all of our employees now willingly use their personal smartphones to stay in touch.

We have introduced a virtual exchange for improvement ideas that is open to all employees. In the virtual idea room, improvement approaches and thoughts can be posted, viewed, explained and enriched. So much for post-its being the future in innovation management! We have often been surprised by how constructively and productively ideas are developed in the virtual room. We particularly like the fact that hierarchy plays a subordinate role. It's the better idea that counts. It doesn't matter who contributed it.

Spatial distance and customer trust

I particularly enjoy being invited more and more often by other managers and employees - even from other locations and countries - to the virtual coffee break. Here, we discuss more and more topics "in passing" as we used to at the coffee machine.

But we need to understand even better how we can secure and develop our customer relationships in the long term, largely without being present on site. Virtual design thinking workshops, virtual factory tours with the customer, product testing at the same time at the customer and supplier with virtual support are just a few examples of our efforts to maintain a high level of customer proximity despite a high physical distance.

We are constantly learning to build trust virtually and to nurture it. And we have also learned to appreciate one major advantage of virtualization: without the expense of travel, appointments can be scheduled much more quickly; participants feel noticeably more available.

The investments in the infrastructure required for this as well as in the skills of our team still seem to us to make much more sense than making business travel agencies and aviation companies big again. Against this backdrop, we have also held long and intensive discussions on how we intend to deal with the business consequences of the crisis in the medium term. We also took a close look at whether we had wisely reallocated our travel, trade show and event budgets last September in the interests of our customer relationships. For the time being, however, we are leaving them at the "new normal" level.

Employers and improvements

I am somewhat frustrated by the fact that we have been discussing adjustments to our employee processes for more than half a year - and how difficult we are finding it to release and implement the extensive improvement measures. Nevertheless, we have probably changed our working time and work location models in production and administration more in the last 12 months than in the entire 12 years before that.

Particularly when it comes to recruiting new specialists and managers, we are noticing that as a typical "hidden champion" from the provinces, we are getting better and better at reducing our location disadvantage compared to metropolitan regions. Our attractiveness as an employer is developing very positively!

As, by the way, did interdisciplinary collaboration, which we had always found difficult in the past. We were finally able to leave the old-fashioned silo thinking of the past behind us. The team spirit that has long been invoked now finally seems to have arrived in everyday working life. In particular, we haven't had to put up with political games or power struggles between individual departments for quite some time.

Leadership culture and data

The introduction of "micro-feedbacks", which we introduced at the end of every web conference or telephone conference just three months after the start of the Corona shutdown, certainly contributed to this. Since then, we have been using the resulting data base very consistently to prepare our staff appraisals as managers. The boost in quality and depth that we have been able to achieve in this area over the past few months is remarkable.

Nevertheless, the effective use of the assessment data and, above all, the empathetic handling of the resulting performance transparency currently still represent one of the greater challenges for our managers. All of them should therefore have completed their individual coaching program by the end of the year.

But things are moving forward: Increasingly, our managers have internalized that they should always act consciously and firmly as active ambassadors and guardians of our value base. More and more of them are taking the lively discussion from the management meetings to their teams and are very committed to doing their part for the good of the company as a whole - and "inciting" their employees to do so.

(to be continued)

Click here for part 1

Click here for part 2

Click here for part 4

Click here for part 5

Authors:

Christian Schiede has been advising and assisting entrepreneurial families and family businesses to strengthen cohesion, increase competitiveness and secure value since 2003. Contact: www.schiede.com; schiede@shpadvisors.com

Bastian Schneider has been helping entrepreneurs and management teams strengthen their brands from within and lead their organizations and businesses into the future from this perspective since 2000. In more than 30 industries. In Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Contact: www.brandleadership.ch; bastian.schneider@brandleadership.ch

The Corona recession has now reached historic proportions. This is shown by the survey conducted in January among around 300 Swissmechanic member companies. For the sixth time in a row, and thus for the last 1½ years, the quarterly business climate index for SME-MEM is in negative territory. On the supply side, the MEM sector suffers more from employee absenteeism in the second wave (29 percent) than in the first (25 percent of companies). This is not surprising because the case numbers exceed those of spring 2020 by several times. Capacity utilization remains low, although it has increased slightly since the last quarter.

SME-MEM: "Difficult and tough decisions".

Around two out of three companies have registered for short-time working. MEM companies expect effective short-time working to rise to 26 percent in the first quarter of 2021. 62 percent have imposed a hiring freeze. One in four SMEs are planning layoffs. "These figures show that our member companies have to make difficult and tough decisions to survive in this crisis," says Swissmechanic director Jürg Marti. Unfortunately, he says, it is still too early to sound the all-clear. "The MEM sector is by no means out of the woods yet, the SME-MEM have to hang in there and need staying power."

Aid measures are still necessary

The emergency aid measures, such as the extension and simplification of short-time work, the bridging loans and the hardship provisions, were very important in securing Switzerland as a workplace during the first phase of the crisis. "The situation remains tense, which is why the aid package referred to is still absolutely necessary, needs to be extended and applied in a more differentiated manner to the individual sectors," Marti explains. Swissmechanic is therefore calling for self-employed persons and persons in a position similar to that of an employer to also be able to benefit from short-time work compensation. Since short-time work compensation is an insurance policy, all persons who pay into this insurance must also be able to benefit from it in the event of a crisis.

Subdued optimistic outlook

The MEM sector is still in the midst of the crisis and uncertainty remains high. The course of the pandemic is difficult to predict, partly because of the mutations. However, BAK Economics assumes that Switzerland and the most important sales markets will increasingly get to grips with the pandemic through vaccinations in the summer. "With the decreasing uncertainty and the global economic recovery, we also expect a noticeable impetus for demand for products from the Swiss MEM industries again in the second half of the year," says Michael Grass of BAK Economics.

Source: Swissmechanic

A recent analysis of data from the management consultancy Mercer shows that the adjusted gap in basic pay between women and men in Switzerland fell from 1.5 percent to 0.85 percent (-76 percent) between 2019 and 2020. The adjusted gap takes into account the hierarchy level and workload of employees in terms of "equal pay for equal work." The unadjusted gap, which represents the difference between women and men regardless of rank and position, also decreased from 5.3 percent in 2019 to 4.9 percent in 2020 (-8 percent).

Gender inequality less in pay, more in higher-paying positions

The differentiation between adjusted and unadjusted pay gap is important to discuss two different issues. The adjusted analysis addresses the issue of equal pay ("equal pay") and the existing disparities that cannot be explained by seniority or position. The unadjusted analysis highlights pay disparities that can be explained in part by a lack of representation of women in leadership positions. Since there tend to be more men than women in higher-paying positions, they also see larger gaps here. The Mercer data confirms that the proportion of women is lower at higher hierarchical levels than at lower positions.

"Our analysis clearly shows that one of the main reasons for the sometimes large unadjusted pay gaps between women and men is their representation in higher-paid specialist and management positions. The legally required pay equity analyses are certainly a good step toward uncovering inequalities. But to really make a difference, we as a company and society need to work to give women access to higher-paying positions. Issues such as absences due to childbearing or part-time work must no longer be seen as automatic career killers, but must be recognized as part of a normal working life and managed accordingly," comments Tina Buchmeier, Consultant at Mercer Switzerland.

In addition to the base salary, this year we also looked at the extent to which there is a salary difference between women and men in terms of salary, including the short-term variable compensation component. A target value is set for the variable component, but the actual payout is adjusted at the end of the year depending on performance. Looking at the base salary plus target bonus, women are 0.8 percent below the base salary plus target bonus for men doing the same job. However, if the actual bonuses paid are considered, this difference increases to 1.1 percent. According to the unadjusted analysis, the target salaries (base salary plus target bonus) of women are 3.3 percent lower than those of men. However, the salaries paid out, including the variable component, are even 5.2 percent lower. These figures show that a difference already exists in the planned bonuses, which becomes even greater when they are actually paid out. Companies can address this issue by clarifying job positions and ensuring fair performance evaluation without gender bias.

The statutory wage equality analyses as a building block for success

As of July 1, 2020, Swiss employers with more than 100 employees have a legal obligation to conduct a pay equity analysis. The first analysis must be carried out by June 30, 2021, and must be audited by an auditing firm within one year. The results must be communicated to employees and, in the case of listed companies, disclosed in the annual report. If pay inequality is identified, the company is required to repeat the analysis at least every four years until the pay inequality is remedied.

One of the federally recognized pay equity analysis methodologies was developed by Edge, a globally recognized workplace equity auditing and certification body. In partnership with Edge, Mercer has already conducted analyses for many companies in Switzerland, providing them with strategic support on the path to greater pay equality through its consulting expertise. A majority of the companies that have already completed the analysis show positive results and no demonstrable pay gaps. Nevertheless, the Mercer analysis also shows that there is potential for improvement. The equal pay analyses are just one step of many.

"We observe a clear trend in our analyses and daily client work: The more professionally the HR department is set up in the company, the smaller the observed salary gaps tend to be. This is partly due to the fact that professional HR teams have established a sound job architecture and follow clear, comprehensible and data-based processes in talent management," says Stephan Pieronczyk, Partner at Mercer Switzerland.

Concrete measures to promote wage equality between women and men

• A sound job architecture as the basis for a fair and transparent pay philosophy
• A clear job and grading structure to classify positions in the company based on their value and contribution to the company's success
• Salary bands per job profile to control wage differentials for equivalent work
• Regularly conducted compensation benchmarks to align the compensation strategy in the company with market conditions
• Derivation of concrete measures and appropriate monitoring to identify and close gaps or ensure internal consistency

For many companies and organizations, it is an everyday fact that they are highly likely to be threatened by a hacker attack at any time. Especially in the challenging current conditions, it is difficult to prevent these attacks, although the consequences can be drastic. One example of this is a Incident at Düsseldorf University Hospital in 2020: Unknown persons had triggered an IT failure there, as a result of which a patient had to be taken to another hospital and died. An immense blow for the university hospital, which at the same time revealed a painful problem.

Cyberattack: What's going wrong?

The question is what exactly goes wrong when such an attack occurs. After all, the realization that educational institutions and healthcare organizations are attractive targets for cybercriminals is by no means new. Of particular interest to hackers are both the number of connected users and the value of confidential information. A first step in preventing these attacks is to implement the right IT security processes in the organization.

Human error is often the main cause. Many users are still not sufficiently aware of the value of certain data and readily resort to solutions that can put applications, servers and data at risk. Without a proper security strategy, these digital assets quickly fall into the wrong hands. Training employees in security and data literacy is therefore essential.

Four tips to guide you during a hacker attack

The fact that companies are hacked in this day and age is almost inevitable. The idea that anyone is out of the question as a target is therefore extremely outdated. After all, everyone has valuable information these days that malicious actors are only too happy to have. But suppose a company discovers that it has indeed been hit by a cyberattack: The following four tips provide an overview of the right course of action in such a situation.

1. Do not pay a ransom: Ransomware attacks are a very popular tactic among cybercriminals, as numerous examples from the past year demonstrate. In a ransomware attack, systems are held "hostage" until a ransom is paid. Companies are anxious to keep their operations running, so they usually pay the desired ransom. However, this is not very smart because by paying the ransom, they give the cybercriminals exactly what they want. Consequently, they will certainly continue to use this tactic.
2. Check all system levels: Although this tip is probably most effective beforehand, it is also advisable to continue to check all system levels during a cyberattack. On average, cyberattacks within an organization go unnoticed for about 124 hours. During this time, hackers can quietly explore systems and set up tactics to take the system out of service or lock down data. If enterprise IT professionals continue to monitor the entire system in the meantime, they can detect deviations or anomalies more quickly and take immediate action.
3. Invest in the cyber know-how of employees: As mentioned earlier, hacks are often the result of human actions. Especially when employees don't know what they should and shouldn't do when it comes to cybersecurity, major risks arise. Therefore, it is advisable to ensure that all employees know the correct procedures. This allows them to raise their own awareness of cybersecurity, which reduces the risk of a potential cyberattack.
4. Centralize multiple data feeds in one system: If there is a suspicion that a hack has been carried out, it makes sense to correlate several data feeds for related events. Feeds with information about threats can provide rapid transparency. Therefore, it is useful to use statistical analysis to identify abnormal behavior. In addition, finding and locating these deviations is much easier when the data is stored in one system.

These tips come from BlackBerry, a provider of security software and services in the IoT.

The Swiss trade association sgv demands the immediate relaxation of the lockdown with the approval of terrace and outdoor businesses in the catering industry and "private shopping" and outdoor sales in the retail trade. As of March 1, 2021, the sgv demands the complete opening of the economy. Accompanying this, testing must be intensified and expanded to break the staking chains. The full vaccination program must be completed by the end of June 2021. As a basis for information, the federal government must develop a clearly communicated "national dashboard" with indicators such as figures on hospitalizations, intensive care bed occupancy, 7-day incidence, positivity rates and infection sites. That, in a nutshell, is the sgv's roadmap. The association is thus underpinning its already last week communicated direction of thrust.

Situation is becoming increasingly difficult for many industries

Some representatives of heavily affected industries continue to draw attention to the difficult situation of many SMEs. The specialist textile trade, for example, is recording losses of 8 to 35 percent - depending on the outlet. Milo Goldener, president of the textilschweiz association: "The lockdown last spring has already depleted the reserves." Milo Goldener rules out the possibility that opening clothing stores will lead to an increase in infections: "Our protection concepts have proven their worth. Even employees who contracted the virus in their private lives have not passed it on to customers or staff in the stores." The situation in the sports retail sector is similarly dramatic, as its association president Peter Bruggmann explained. His demand is therefore unequivocal: "The lockdown strategy is costing the sports industry one in five jobs. It must be ended, immediately!" The auto-schweiz association is also complaining about massive declines in car sales because of the lockdown. In 25 years, the market situation has never been this bad, as François Launaz, president of auto-schweiz, explained.

Lockdown endangers health

Roland Steiner, Vice President and Honorary President of the Swiss Fitness and Health Center Association SFGV, pointed out an aspect that should not be underestimated at the media conference. For it is not only the virus directly that endangers health, but also indirectly the closed fitness centers. Because a survey had shown that in the lockdown, physical complaints among customers would increase sharply. One in three had to see a doctor or therapist again because of a worsening health problem. A large proportion are now unnecessarily suffering again from back or knee pain or are experiencing a sharp increase in weight.

Protection concepts as part of the roadmap

Therefore, the sgv demands, leisure, fitness and sports facilities should be able to reopen fully on March 1, 2021. Retailers should also be able to offer their full range of products again. Restaurants and similar establishments should be allowed to receive guests again according to the detailed new concept of Gastro-Suisse. This opening is to be accompanied by consistent compliance with protection concepts, such as those already created after the first lockdown.

Another demand of the sgv is the abolition of the home office obligation. According to sgv Director Hans-Ulrich Bigler, this would have brought nothing but rather caused uncertainty.

Not all call for lockdown to be lifted

Nonetheless, not all industries want the lockdown to end so vehemently. The Swiss Bank Employees Association (SBPV), for example, has written an open letter to the Federal Council. In it, it warns against opening the lockdown too quickly, as the employers' associations are demanding. In the banking sector in particular, a relaxation of the measures is not an urgent need - here, the home office has already proven itself in practice and a relaxation would undoubtedly pose a health risk to employees, writes the SBA. Experience has shown that banks have found good solutions to be able to continue to provide their services despite home office, it continues. The bank employees' union is therefore calling for the continuation of
"of these proven measures to protect workers and prevent unnecessary contact." But not only that: The home office obligation is even to be strengthened by financial support for employees in matters of ergonomics and the reimbursement of expenses.

What roadmap does the Federal Council have?

Be that as it may, the Federal Council is under pressure. The question remains open as to which voices it will listen to most when it makes its next decision: Those who lobby for an opening or those who fear a 3rd wave. It seems that the current situation is like a choice between plague and cholera. In any case, it is to be hoped that the Swiss population - not only the business community - can be presented with a clear perspective, combined with measures that are logical, easy to understand and clearly communicated.

Half of Switzerland currently works at home. How can companies help their employees eat healthily even in the home office? "If employees are also to be productive in the afternoon, pizza, pasta and kebabs are not the solution in the long run," says nutritionist Ruth Ellenberger from the Nutrition Center in Zurich. "A varied diet is an important factor for health, this is often underestimated." With work in the home office, lunch in the employee restaurant is just eliminated. And with it the opportunity to eat a balanced, varied diet that is co-financed by the employer.

Fresh food directly to the home office

With EMIL@Home the SV Group brings the employee restaurant home. Employees can choose from ten new dishes every week. They are spoiled for choice: vegetarian bowls, exciting curries and classics such as Zürcher Geschnetzeltes. The menus are created and freshly prepared by SV chefs in the company's own factory in Wallisellen.

The menus can be ordered once a week via the EMIL@Home webshop. At the desired time, the meals are hygienically packaged and delivered refrigerated in boxes. Preparation is simple: Heat for three to four minutes in the microwave, oven or pan and then enjoy. The meals can be kept in the refrigerator for five days.

Experience from Silicon Valley

Group Management member Stephanie Naegeli and her team developed the new EMIL@Home delivery service: "We want to offer companies a home office alternative to the employee restaurant. SV Group stands for healthy food at the workplace. When this shifts to home, we go with it. EMIL@Home is a flexible offering for home office dining."

Stephanie Naegeli is responsible for strategic business development at SV Group. She brings an understanding of food delivery and the impetus to react quickly to new market changes from her previous work in Silicon Valley.

A whole range of innovations

The pandemic has increased the need for practical solutions for healthy and good food at lunchtime. In addition to EMIL@Home, the SV Group innovation team therefore launched the delivery service ANDIAMO Delivery. The "virtual canteen" delivers fresh meals directly to the office every day for companies without an employee restaurant. Another element from the SV Group's innovation kitchen is EMIL Fröhlich. The digital refrigerator supplies employees at the workplace with fine meals around the clock.

Source and further information: SV Group

Sandra Banholzer will become the new CEO of Rausch AG in Kreuzlingen as of July 1, 2021. She succeeds Lucas Baumann, who will step down as CEO in October 2020. Rolf G. Schmid, who will provide ad interim operational management, will take over the induction of the new CEO and then return to his duties as Delegate of the Board of Directors.

Sandra Banholzer: Long career at Migros

After completing a bachelor's degree in business administration, Sandra Banholzer started her career as Sales Manager Latin America for Luzi AG. In 2007, she took over as Key Account Manager for the Migros operation Chocolat Frey AG in the International Sales division. In her role as Trade Manager for Migros, she lived in North America for two years, where she was responsible for setting up export platforms in the USA and Canada. This was followed by various positions in international sales for the Migros Group (Chocolat Frey AG, Mibelle Group, Midor Ltd.). Currently, Ms. Banholzer heads the international business unit of Migros Industry, where she is responsible for the international brand and private label business.

CEO from outside the owner family for the first time

With Sandra Banholzer, the Board of Directors is handing over operational management to a person outside the owner family for the first time. According to its own statement, Rausch AG is thus setting an example for the future-oriented direction of the family business and strengthening the intended modernization of the brand. With Sandra Banholzer, the company is to further expand its position as a global player in the field of natural cosmetics and also realize strategically important focal points in international sales, specialized trade and e-commerce.

Ambitious future goals of Rausch AG

The Chairman of the Board of Directors, Peter Muri, thanks Rolf G. Schmid, who was instrumental in leading the evaluation process for the search for a new CEO. The Board of Directors is looking forward to the future cooperation with the new CEO: "Among the many very well-qualified candidates, Ms. Banholzer convinced us with her leadership experience, entrepreneurial thinking, sales strength and personal values. We are confident that she will be able to consistently implement our ambitious goals for the future."

Source: Rausch AG Kreuzlingen

Imagine the CEO of an up-and-coming company, let's call him Mr. Hampe. At the moment, Mr. Hampe is having anything but an easy time with his company, partly due to Corona. And this despite the enormously good sales figures. The reason for his displeasure are a few of his employees, who are becoming increasingly unmotivated and hardly put any passion into their job, as they used to. Of course, this is also due to the current home office situation. Trust is strained, and although Mr. Hampe seems to be trying everything to communicate with his employees and bring back motivation, nothing changes.

Not even the spontaneous wage increase at the end of the year - which employees should have been happy about - worked to any significant extent. For a moment, everything was OK, then everything was back to the way it was before. More and more, Mr. Hampe therefore sees his goals in danger and imagines by far the worst scenario. Namely, that the customers notice something and turn away from his company.

But he is out of ideas as to what he could do to turn such a scenario around and get his people excited about the company and their work again. Mr. Hampe is groping in the dark and needs outside help. That's how the two of us come together.

For more motivation worry? "I don't know what else to do"

That is the résumé that Mr. Hampe draws after his remarks, while I briefly reflect and realize what is actually going wrong in his company and what he has not even given a thought to so far: It has to do with Mr. Hampe himself.

Because of the stress, the extra work and the distancing attitude of the last few months, Mr. Hampe has distanced himself further and further from his employees and made many superficial decisions. He promoted some with a quick hand, others not. Things were going great and the numbers were right. But part of his team saw things differently and also distanced themselves. His attempts to rekindle it now with nice gestures failed, because the team is interested in more than just these gestures.

So I give Mr. Hampe a handful of tips for more motivation among his employees.

Tip 1: Getting to know the employees better

If you want to manage employees - a company's most sensitive as well as most demanding resource - you need a feel for people. Without this intuition, you are in the same situation as Mr. Hampe. You try many things that seem intuitively correct, but you can neither identify nor meet the expectations and needs of your employees. They make short work of it. When they distance themselves or even leave the company directly, it is often because they do not feel understood or because the chemistry with the boss is not right.

The point is that you as a manager can influence both causes quite easily. If Mr. Hampe no longer tries to fob his people off with short motivational speeches and nice gestures, but instead engages with them and values them, he will be able to make a difference and motivate them. Because he knows where to start in concrete terms.

Tip 2: Do not make false promotions

Most companies promote those employees who stand out for their outstanding performance in their current position. Mr. Hampe's company is no exception. But his hasty move should be taken with a grain of salt. People are good at their jobs when they enjoy them. When they take care of areas in which they can develop by nature and in which they are wonderfully knowledgeable. Getting promoted always means having to leave your comfort zone. Some people cope excellently with this, while for others the joy changes to frustration after a short time. Because they realize that they were wrong to leave their comfort zone and move up to the next level.

Mr. Hampe recently promoted one of his best sales people to team leader. He thought he could praise the salesperson's exceptional performance by doing so. And the salesperson happily accepted the offer. But then he realized that he was no longer selling, but had a team to lead. He realized that this was not for him.

If you want to promote your employees, talk to them about it in detail. And - building on the first tip - get to know them better so you can uncover their true potential and promote them to positions they enjoy as much as their current ones.

Tip 3: Encourage your employees to self-reflect

Not only do you need to know your employees, but your employees need to know themselves. Don't assume that everyone knows themselves and is aware of their strengths and weaknesses. Many people find it difficult to view and evaluate themselves realistically and critically. Therefore, you need to encourage your employees to reflect on themselves and to develop themselves proactively as well as efficiently. Talk to them a lot and always encourage them to question themselves. Also, "observe" them by agreeing on goals and measuring their performance. The wrong thing to do is to withdraw and only react when problems arise. Think ahead and anticipate problems before they arise. In addition, your employees will grow in themselves and become more efficient at what they do. As a result, some problems will solve themselves.

Tip 4: No solution to the problem through wage increases and bonuses

The "I'll just pay my people more wages and then it'll be fine" thinking is widespread. But it is not a problem solver; it works more like a drug: You take it, and the symptoms of the illness disappear or are alleviated. Nevertheless, you feel weak and unable to perform, because the cause, the reason for the illness is still there. In the meantime, there are many studies that make it clear that people in the job hardly care about the salary or the benefits, but rather about qualitative factors. Leadership and development opportunities are particularly important.

So as a boss, don't try to fob off the concerns of your employees - as Mr. Hampe did - simply with a "Zückerli" in the form of more pay or benefits, but instead devote yourself to the real problems and lead people optimally. To be able to lead optimally, you must always be present, attentive and fit. You must be on fire for your position so that your passion spills over to your employees. Be with them, support them, be up for anything and always have an open ear. Even in stressful situations.

Tip 5: Expanding the gut feeling with facts from the outside

You are sitting in front of a control panel with many motivation buttons. And now it's your job to push the appropriately correct button for all your people. This sounds easier than it is. It is challenging, even with the tips already mentioned. Experience shows that especially strong age differences and different characters between the employees and the manager make it difficult to empathize with the other party.

Therefore, the last tip is: Take a completely objective outside view of the relevant employees, listen to your gut feeling and - if things inevitably get stuck - get perspectives from outside, ideally from an experienced personnel coach. Online assessments are an important keyword here. These are aptitude-diagnostic test procedures for determining job-relevant personal characteristics. At the latest, online assessments will give you the insight you need to solve the motivation problem.

And one thing is certain: Either everyone is satisfied in the end or no one is. There is always a win-win or a lose-lose situation. And as negative as the second sounds, it is just as positive for your company as the first.

Author:
Christoph Meier is an experienced HR development expert and since 2008 owner and expert of Outvision GmbH St. Gallen, one of the leading Swiss providers of online assessments for recruitment, promotion, talent search, leadership and team development. www.outvision.ch

When the IT security disaster has occurred and cyber criminals have been able to steal large amounts of corporate data, forensic issues such as uncovering the entry points and how the hackers proceeded in the network are naturally a strong focus. When it comes to responding to data theft, however, one important point must not be forgotten: What do I tell the public and how do I communicate it? A cyber attack is always an unwelcome surprise. But with proper preparation and a well-thought-out response, the relationship of trust with customers and the public can be maintained in many cases. As part of its Cybersecurity Summit, Sophos spoke with associate professor and cybersecurity specialist Jason R.C. Nurse* about communications strategy in the event of a data theft. His recommendations are summarized in the following sections.

Have a communication strategy in the drawer for emergencies

The amount of work before a data theft is critical, but many organizations overlook this preparation phase - at least when it comes to communications strategy. To effectively respond to a data breach, the company must determine in advance who will be the spokesperson, how best to reach customers, and what general communications regulations will apply.

The list of those speaking in public should be as small as possible - ideally a maximum of two people "with significance", because journalists want an expert or an executive. This helps to ensure that the message remains consistent and confusion is eliminated. It is helpful to anticipate possible questions from the press, shareholders or customers and have compact answers ready. This master plan should be prepared for various security incidents and kept up-to-date with regular reviews. In addition, these regular test runs ensure that every employee knows his or her responsibilities and with whom he or she may speak about what.

Data theft: disclose or keep secret?

Honesty remains the best strategy in the case of corporate incidents, unless a legal regulation dictates otherwise. If the company decides to maintain secrecy, there is always the risk that the incident will come to light later and the damage to its image will be all the greater. In addition, those responsible must not underestimate the fact that the stolen data can end up on criminal online markets and thus also become public.

Assume responsibility

When a cyberattack has taken place, the temptation quickly arises among those affected to portray themselves as victims. And while this is certainly true in a technical sense, the public often views such behavior negatively. Anyone who as an organization or company is entrusted with or works with personal or other important data has a responsibility to protect this data. Therefore, companies should understand the dimension of data theft from the customer's point of view, take responsibility, and communicate quickly, clearly and factually how to respond to the data theft.

Quick guide for crisis communication - not only in the event of a data theft

• Reply quickly. Often there is only one opportunity for the first impression and it should be trustworthy. Good preparation facilitates an immediate response that is measured and accurate.
• Deliver a clear message. No jargon when addressing customers, shareholders or the general public. Direct and emphatic communication is far more effective.
• Use a single source. Communication via different news areas or corporate social media channels can quickly dilute what should be a clear message. A single and up-to-date statement directly from the company's management via a corporate channel helps to get the message across clearly.
• Take responsibility. Shareholders, customers and the media honor companies that stand by their mistakes.
• Keep all affected parties informed. Set up an action plan to keep shareholders and customers competently informed even after the first "going public". In this way, the good relationships that have often been built up over many years will remain intact.

*Jason R.C. Nurse is Associate Professor of Cybersecurity at the University of Kent and Visiting Scholar at the University of Oxford. His research focuses on the socio-technical aspects of cybersecurity, privacy, and trust. He has incorporated his years of research into an evidence-based frame of reference that elaborates the best way to deal with potential relational-level harm associated with a cyberattack. The conversation with Jason R.C. Nurse can be found in the video at the following link: https://nakedsecurity.sophos.com/2021/02/03/what-should-you-say-if-you-have-a-data-breach-catch-up-with-jason-nurse-at-sophos-evolve/