Each year, the International SOS Risk Outlook study examines risks to employees, identifying gaps in employee health and safety protection. These include risk perception, mental health, impact on productivity and operational challenges. Also incorporated into this study are findings from the Workforce Resilience Council (a panel of representative experts from all health, safety and occupational safety fields) and extensive consolidated data from International SOS with support from their clients. The study's key findings show one thing: Covid-19 overshadows everything.

The risks for employees are expected to increase in 2021

Around eight out of ten survey participants say the health and safety risks for employees have increased in 2020. This applies to local employees at the company site (85 percent agree), expatriates (81 percent), business travelers (79 percent) and employees at remote project sites and construction sites (77 percent). More than half of respondents expect this to increase further in 2021.

The assessment that risks have increased is accompanied by declining trust in local governments and health authorities. One-third (31 percent) of the professionals surveyed see this as a key challenge - most clearly in North and South America (40 percent). Only for business travelers did the assessment that risks had increased reach a high level in the past (72 percent in 2016). At that time, the focus may have been on terrorist attacks in places that had previously been considered safe. In 2018, the assessment that risks had increased already received less support again (47 percent) before rising to the current level of 79 percent. "The Covid 19 pandemic has created a triple whammy: of public health, geopolitics and the economy. All three are hitting workforces and business on a global scale," said Stefan Esser, M.D., Medical Director Central Europe at International SOS. The situation is exacerbated by an infodemic in an increasingly complex world, Stefan Esser adds. Companies also need to work harder to fulfill their duty of care, he added. "Just as September 11, 2001, changed the way employers look at duty of care and security issues, the
pandemic will permanently change how employers view health threats to the workforce," Stefan Esser believes.

Covid 19 glasses put other risks in the background

The majority of professionals surveyed believe that infectious diseases (such as Covid-19, malaria, dengue fever, Ebola, Zika, etc.) will lead to a decline in employee productivity over the next year. One in three respondents expect mental health impairments to be a contributing factor as well. In fact, experts at the Workforce Resilience Council predict that mental health issues will overtake Covid-19 in the next year.

Other risks are also becoming less important for many respondents, for example, country risk ratings worldwide, road safety issues and security threats. Respondents with business travel responsibilities cited "geopolitical threats" (30 percent), "civil unrest" (25 percent) and "security threats" (32 percent) significantly less frequently than last year (52, 52 and 68 percent, respectively). "The results show that Covid-19 is very much in the foreground and other risks are taking a back seat - to a potentially business-threatening extent," says Gautier Porot, Security Director Switzerland and Italy at International SOS. "This is because the pandemic has exacerbated security issues, particularly those related to civil unrest and political protests. Similarly, crime has increased in some places, and we are only at the beginning of the socioeconomic and
psychological consequences of the Covid-19 crisis. At the same time, dealing with major threats such as natural disasters is becoming more complex as Covid-19 and ever-changing travel restrictions must be considered."

The five most important challenges for companies

Companies face various challenges in ensuring the health and safety of their employees. The survey revealed the following difficulties:

1. Sufficient resources to handle Covid-19: 54 %,
2. Access reliable and up-to-date information on health and safety issues: 40 %,
3. Educating employees about current risks: 35 %,
4. Managing mental health stresses: 33 %,
5. Communication during a crisis: 33 %.

In these five areas, organizations are required to develop appropriate strategies to ensure the best possible protection for their employees.

Source: International SOS

After 21.AbaNinja, the already well-known tool for offers, invoices, payments, accounting, time and activity recording and much more, the software for payroll accounting in Swiss21 also comes from Abacus. The module 21.AbaSalary contains all functionalities for the accounting, payment, evaluation and posting of wages. The opening is fast and uncomplicated from Swiss21. In addition, access by the trustee is also possible. 21.AbaSalary is free of charge up to the payroll of seven employees. With the 21.AbaSalary dashboard, companies would have an overview at all times and data available in real time, Swiss21 informs. Pay slips and wage statements are automatically stored by the system in digital personnel files.

Complete payroll accounting quickly

Like all Swiss21 applications, 21.AbaSalary is designed to make administrative work in small businesses quick and easy. In general, software in companies should always be up-to-date for security reasons. This is especially true for payroll accounting: it is subject to constant changes due to increasing regulation by laws and directives of the authorities as well as the high requirements of insurance companies. With the cloud solution hosted in Switzerland, the payroll software is always up-to-date and on any device. In this way, Swiss21 is making a contribution to relieving the burden on small businesses now also in the area of human resources. Payroll accounting thus becomes efficient and reliable, it says.

Ideally, only a few minutes pass from the opening to the first payroll with 21.AbaSalary. Thanks to the integration with 21.AbaNinja, the accounting in Swiss21 is also always up to date and enables an up-to-date view of the financial development at any time.

Sustainable free of charge

Up to 2,100 receipts/year, 2,100 items in the store and 2,100 contacts, the offer is free of charge for the company. This ensures that no costs are incurred in a start-up phase and, in the case of smaller organizations, also in the longer term. The participating software companies have committed themselves to sticking to the free use also in the longer term. If a user exceeds these limits, CHF 21/month will be charged for up to 5,000 receipts/year, 5,000 articles or 5,000 contacts. A change to another system is possible and the data can be exported. A modular extension of the applications is also possible and thus allows a scalable and customizable overall system with manageable costs.

The central goal of Swiss21 is to drive digitization forward and keep the costs low, especially for SMEs. The organization was founded in 2017. Walter Regli, its managing director, is pleased with the new expansion: "Thanks to the addition of payroll accounting, Swiss21 is the most complete overall solution for office administration on the market. We can thus offer SMEs a comprehensive package of business software. And all that free of charge! The offer has been well received; we recently had over 30,000 users on Swiss21."

Source: Swiss21 

The consequences of the Corona pandemic are being felt particularly acutely by some sectors, such as the travel, hospitality and events industries. Industry insiders believe that the weeks-long loss of sales will mean "lights out" for some companies unless financial help arrives quickly. In other words, there is a threat of an increase in insolvency proceedings.

Avoid bankruptcy and liquidation thanks to probate proceedings

Swiss debt enforcement and bankruptcy law (SchKG) essentially provides for three forms of insolvency proceedings: bankruptcy, composition proceedings or bankruptcy moratorium. Little known and relatively little carried out is the composition procedure. This was the finding of a new study published by the consulting firm Alvarez & Marsal and the Swiss Turnaround Association. The composition procedure according to SchKG must be applied for at a court and has the following effects, among others:

• Debt collection and legal proceedings are suspended
• Assets of the debtor cannot be seized
• Assignments of receivables become ineffective upon approval of deferment
• Statutes of limitations stand still
• As soon as the deferment is granted, interest ceases to accrue against the debtor for all claims not secured by a lien (unless otherwise stipulated in the composition agreement)
• Preventing the cancellation/cancellation of claims prior to the probate proceedings.
• No social plan obligation in case of mass redundancies occurring during the probate proceedings concluded with a probate agreement with assignment of assets
• Appointment of a custodian; with the custodian's consent, long-term contracts can be terminated if they stand in the way of reorganization

The probate process probably could have actually saved some companies that filed for bankruptcy in the recent past - along with many jobs.

Managers should assess the financial situation more objectively

The study found that companies in payment difficulties often wait too long before taking the necessary measures, and when they do, they realize that there is little room for maneuver left and that the company will ultimately have to file for bankruptcy. Instead, in the event of liquidity bottlenecks, company management should objectively evaluate restructuring at an early stage and consider a debt-restructuring moratorium as a possible solution. A debt-restructuring moratorium gives companies the time they need to implement restructuring measures.

Out-of-court solutions are often preferred instead of probate proceedings. In 2019, according to the study by Alvarez & Marsal (A&M), only 66 Swiss companies opted for a debt-restructuring moratorium. Compared with the 4,691 bankruptcies in the same period, the debt-restructuring moratorium instrument was only used in around 1.4% of all Swiss bankruptcies. By comparison, petitions for Chapter 11 proceedings in the USA were ten times higher in 2019 (14%).

40% of companies that went into probate in 2019 were successfully restructured

17 (38%) of the companies that were granted forbearance in 2019 and for which the proceedings are now closed were successfully restructured either through a straight restructuring or through an ordinary forbearance agreement with their creditors. In 28 (62%) of the closed proceedings, the company ceased to exist. Nevertheless, in 5 cases a solution was found, either with a fall-back solution (i.e. the healthy part of the company became an independent entity) or the company was transferred to a third party. According to the study authors, in the current difficult economic environment, debt restructuring could be an excellent tool for rescuing competitive companies suffering from the Covid 19 shock.

In 2020, only 34 companies entered into a debt-restructuring moratorium

In the period from January 2020 to the end of September 2020, 34 companies were granted forbearance. If this number is extrapolated for the year, it corresponds to 45 cases and a decrease of 30% compared to 2019. This decrease can be explained by the Swiss government's COVID-19 support measures for companies. Compared to the 2,760 bankruptcies in the same period, the debt rescheduling instrument was only used in around 1.2% of all bankruptcies.

In addition to the ordinary procedure, only 22 companies used the simplified  COVID-19 Probate proceedings. This is a low-cost procedure that was in place until October 19, 2020 to protect small businesses from the COVID-19 shock. This shows that an initial wave of insolvencies was effectively avoided for the time being by the Swiss government's other COVID-19 measures. These measures included government-backed COVID loans, the relaxation of short-time work compensation and the temporary suspension of the notification of over-indebtedness under Art. 725 of the Swiss Code of Obligations (CO).

What are the requirements for probate proceedings

The formal and material requirements for provisional debt-restructuring moratorium are deliberately kept low by the legislator. A provisional restructuring plan must be submitted. However, there are no legal requirements as to what the restructuring plan must contain in the application for debt-restructuring moratorium. In practice, the provisional restructuring plan usually contains an overview of the measures and objectives of the intended restructuring process. An application can only be rejected if there is obviously no prospect of reorganization. In this case, the probate court opens bankruptcy ex officio (Art. 293a SchKG). In practice, the challenges are less apparent in the formal requirements than in the costs involved in a debt-restructuring moratorium, which must, however, be considered in the light of all creditor claims and the loss of jobs.

The SKF company was founded in Sweden in 1907. As early as 1920, the company opened its Swiss branch in Zurich's Bahnhofstrasse to distribute ball and roller bearings and other machine elements for the Swiss market from here. But there is now more than just ball bearings from SKF in Switzerland: for example, in 1987 the company acquired Jacob AG, a specialist in linear drives, and in 2008 integrated Actuation Systems Liestal, formerly Magnetic, a leading manufacturer of electromechanical actuators, into its Swiss sales structure. Thus, the business activities of the Swiss SKF were significantly expanded.

Swiss headquarters in Schwerzenbach

Swiss SKF has been managed for more than three decades from the office and former warehouse in Schwerzenbach, which was thoroughly renovated, rebuilt and modernized in 2019. The 40 employees are primarily involved in nationwide sales and technical consulting for customers. "Over the past 100 years, SKF Switzerland and its employees have earned the trust of customers time and again with technical expertise and great commitment," emphasizes Erik Nelander, President Industrial Sales Europe and Middle East and Africa at SKF Group Management. "In doing so, they have made an important contribution to the success of the company as a whole. For this, our heartfelt thanks!"

100 years of ball bearings from SKF Switzerland: donation instead of celebration

Jochen Diehm, Country Manager of SKF Switzerland, is pleased to celebrate 100 years of SKF in Switzerland. "I would like to take this opportunity to thank all our customers, shareholders and supporters. They have been and continue to be integral to our success. We look forward to many more years of positive collaboration." He adds, "Since an official ceremony with customers and representatives of local authorities and associations is not possible, we will support the caregivers and relief efforts related to the Corona pandemic with a donation. Our thoughts are with all those directly or indirectly affected by COVID during this difficult time."

Source: SKF

The Distance Learning University of Applied Sciences Switzerland is expanding its directorate from five to six members. As of November 1, 2020, Prof. Dr. Markus Dormann has taken up the new position as Director of Continuing Education. Dormann joined FFHS in 2019 as department head of e-didactics. He studied sociology and business education in Bamberg and subsequently conducted research, particularly on the use of digital media in education and training. As an independent consultant and trainer, he also worked for numerous national and international companies, for which he contributed his research results in lectures and workshops.

New Administrative Director of the FFHS

As of February 1, 2021, Arsène Jossen will join the FFHS as Administrative Director. He replaces Johannes Bühler, who is retiring from the directorate and will continue to head the Finance and Controlling department at the distance learning university. Arsène Jossen worked for UBS and the Walliser Kantonalbank in various functions. At WKB, he headed the recovery department for the Upper Valais region for several years and is currently head of the Brig regional branch. Jossen holds an Executive Master of Business Administration degree in Corporate Management and lectured at the FFHS in Accounting, Controlling and Finance.

New Department of Construction, Real Estate and Facility Management

As of November 1, 2020, the FFHS has a new Department of Construction, Real Estate and Facility Management. The department will be headed by Yvonne Ganz, who has been working as real estate manager at the Distance Learning University of Applied Sciences Switzerland since 2017. Ganz is an architect ETH and has many years of experience as a lecturer in real estate management and management-oriented business administration. In her role as real estate officer, she developed the FFHS real estate strategy, is project manager of the Zurich campus (Gleisarena), and is a technical advisor to the FFHS on the campus project in Brig. Both campus construction projects will open next year.

Source: Distance Learning University Switzerland

Award winner Jörg Eugster (60) is the founder of various Internet start-ups, internationally sought-after Speaker and bestselling author. He is proud to have received a letter of thanks from German Chancellor Angela Merkel. He received it for his nonfiction book "The day after tomorrow - A journey through time to our digital future". received. Jörg Eugster - known for the color turquoise as his external trademark (right down to his socks...) - has now been awarded a prize by the industry association IAB Switzerland for his life's work to date.

Jörg Eugster as ambassador for the future

In his bestseller published in 2017, the author transports the readership to the year 2030. It is obvious that in this digitized future, a pandemic would be much more manageable than it was in the spring of 2020. Easy to read, the book presents topics such as the Internet of Things, Artificial Intelligence and Virtual Reality, among many others. The focus is on the business world of tomorrow and how companies can prepare for it. The book ends with an outlook into the year 2050, which will be the focus of his next book.

Digital DNA

"Our winner is a person with a digital DNA." This was stated by Ueli Weber, representing IAB Switzerland, in his laudation for the winner of the Digital Lifetime Award 2020. The award ceremony took place online on November 25, 2020, due to corona. Weber, CEO of the market research company Media Focus Switzerland, referred among other things to the entrepreneurial achievement of Jörg Eugster. The Appenzeller had founded and successfully sold the online platforms Jobwinner, Swissfriends and Webcams.travel. Today, he is active as a board member in various companies.

Free knowledge

In 2005, Jörg Eugster first put his digital knowledge on paper with the publication "Wie fischt man Kunden aus dem Internet. After three editions with a total of 32,000 copies, Eugster decided to keep the print product alive as an online platform. This was done under the name "wifimaku". In 2018, Eugster made this platform, on which 20 other authors had worked for free, available to the industry association IAB Switzerland. "I did this for free. I just wanted the knowledge in online marketing to reach as many people as possible," explains Jörg Eugster.

Keynote speaker who sees the opportunities of digitization in particular

From being a sought-after online marketing expert, he has increasingly become an enthusiastic ambassador for the digital future, speaking about his practical experiences in front of large audiences at congresses and summits. However, unlike many worriers, Jörg Eugster, as a passionate digitalization optimist, does not stoke fear of robots and artificial intelligence - quite the opposite. He loves to bring the huge potential of the digital revolution to the world as a publicist and speaker and to infect people with his enormous digital enthusiasm.

As a keen observer, he continues to follow interesting digital developments around the world and regularly reports on them on his blog https://eugster.info/blog/.

Now that the reality show of the US election has come to an end (with a satisfactory outcome for most Swiss), it is interesting to look at what we can learn from it for our leadership. And by that I don't mean the actual content of the discussion (which had been pushed into the background anyway), but the circumstances that made the course of events so exciting for many. Because I was not the only one who found it almost pleasant that the topic of Corona was pushed to second place in the news for a few weeks. We can learn a lot from this for our communication and our influence, especially as leaders.

Hardly anyone cared about the US election

Because whether you found all the fuss necessary or annoying, there's hardly anyone who didn't care at all. And that's why the question arises as to what's so fascinating about it. Because the mechanisms that determine your influence hardly have anything to do with the content, but very much with other parameters.

Here's the thing: to achieve any change in your company or team, you depend on the commitment of your people. So what levers can we take from the American campaign into our leadership repertoire?

We can take these levers from the U.S. election campaign

1. Target clarity. The goal in the American presidential campaign is very clear: to get the majority of the electorate as the sum of the individual states. It is not important at this point whether the method for doing this is the best, but whether the goal is simple and clear. Here's the question for you: how clear and simple are your goals if you want to achieve change with your team? Most people I know tend to drive in the fog. Instead of one, there are often 27 different goals. That's how you lose your people.
2. Emotional connection. Achieving the clear goal in the U.S. election campaign is extremely emotionally charged. Whether we think it's exaggerated or not, it binds people's attention. And that is precisely an important aspect of achieving goals: we need the emotional energy of those involved. Too often, I see far too little passion and thus energy even in the implementation of strategies.
3. Will to win. You may think the doggedness of some players in the American election campaign is dangerous (as I do), but I tend to see the opposite in most companies: indifference about the future. "It will work out somehow" is not a conducive thought if you want to achieve great things. People very much like to follow leaders with a clear will to win.

As you can see, there are many things you can learn from controversial events and apply to yourself. Remember this the next time you want to implement strategic initiatives or other change.

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

Between 2016, when the shortage of skilled workers was measured for the first time as part of the Skilled Workers Shortage Index Switzerland, and 2019, the shortage of skilled workers has increased every year. In 2020, the index decreased for the first time, by 17%. This is shown by the Skilled Worker Shortage Index of the Adecco Group Switzerland and the Job Market Monitor Switzerland of the University of Zurich. COVID-19 has changed the situation on the Swiss labor market very quickly. In most professions, the number of vacancies is decreasing, while the number of job seekers is increasing. Nevertheless, there is still a shortage of skilled workers in various professions. "The first wave of the Covid-19 pandemic unsettled companies. They were hesitant to hire new staff or, at times, did not hire at all. In the second wave, by contrast, they can build on their experience. They are now recruiting more staff again despite the restrictive measures," comments Monica Dell'Anna, CEO of Adecco Group Switzerland.

Travel restrictions cause mobility of skilled workers to decline

The demand for skilled workers is not falling everywhere. Luca Semeraro, Head of Professional Recruitment, explains: "The Corona crisis has done little to change the shortage of skilled workers in professions such as engineering, IT, technology or medicine. We experience on a daily basis how intensively companies are looking for specialists in these areas. In some cases, it is very difficult to recruit suitable personnel. For example, the regional mobility of specialists has decreased due to the uncertainty caused by travel restrictions. But even in professions that are generally not affected by a shortage of specialists, there is a shortage of many specialists in some areas." Corinne Scheiber, responsible for Adecco Medical, specifies, "Well-trained nursing professionals, especially those specializing in intensive care, are currently in high demand."

In occupations where the oversupply of skilled workers was already particularly high in 2019, the situation for job seekers is becoming even more acute as a result of the Corona crisis. More and more job seekers are meeting fewer and fewer vacancies. "The unemployment rate is high right now. In customer-oriented service occupations such as hospitality or sales, the situation has become particularly acute compared to last year. It is currently difficult for job seekers in these professions to find work again. This is because the number of vacancies has decreased and competition from the increasing number of other job seekers is high," says Helen Buchs from the Job Market Monitor Switzerland at the University of Zurich.

Skills shortage despite Corona

The need for skilled workers remains particularly high in the professions of human medicine and pharmacy. They will continue to experience a high shortage of skilled workers in 2020. These occupations recorded a large increase in vacancies before the "lockdown" in March 2020 and maintained this level afterwards. Thus, while there are more job seekers in these professions in 2020 than there were in 2019, there are also more vacancies. According to Corinne Scheiber, "Doctors are still in high demand. Among other things, the population is getting older and there is therefore a need for sufficient medical staff, regardless of economic crises. At Adecco Medical, for example, we are seeing an increase in requests in the fields of geriatrics and gerontopsychiatry, as well as in emergency medicine."

Digitization means that more and more information technologies are being used on the labor market and therefore IT skills are needed. This is reflected in the still great demand for skilled workers in IT occupations, where there is a shortage of skilled workers despite the Corona slump. Semeraro comments, "The results of the Skilled Worker Shortage Index Switzerland 2020 underscore the assessment of the ICT Vocational Training Switzerland association: the number of ICT jobs is significantly higher than the number of corresponding unemployed. The pace of change in IT is rapid. Companies are always on the lookout for new qualifications. Job seekers are often a small step behind."

Demand for skilled workers in the service sector down sharply

It is noticeable that there is a large oversupply of skilled workers in various professions with rather low qualification requirements in the service sector. Compared to 2019, the number of vacancies has continued to decrease and unemployment has continued to increase. The Corona crisis is therefore hitting these professions particularly hard. As expected, the number of job seekers in hospitality occupations is also rising, while at the same time fewer new staff are being sought here.

The greatest oversupply of skilled workers in 2020 will be in the commercial professions. These professions have suffered particularly from the Corona crisis. Indeed, the number of vacancies has decreased significantly. Semeraro says: "The Corona crisis has once again boosted the automation and digitization processes in the commercial and administrative professions. In addition, new recruits are being cut here in emergency situations, because jobs in the commercial area usually do not lead directly to income. But outsourcing and general downsizing are also likely to play a role in the oversupply."

The oversupply of skilled workers is also very pronounced in the cleaning, hygiene and personal care occupations. Unlike other occupations at the bottom of the ranking, however, the oversupply has not changed much as a result of the Corona crisis.

German-speaking Switzerland: Shortage of skilled workers index falls by -21%

In summary: In German-speaking Switzerland, the Skilled Worker Shortage Index Switzerland is falling more sharply than in French- and Italian-speaking Switzerland. Nevertheless, the Swiss-German Skilled Workers Shortage Index is above the average for Switzerland as a whole. In engineering in particular, the demand for skilled workers among companies in German-speaking Switzerland remains high, as the number of vacancies here has only fallen slightly. Engineering occupations occupy first place in the ranking. In 2020, commercial and administrative occupations simultaneously recorded fewer vacancies and more job seekers than in the previous year. Because they now have the greatest oversupply of skilled workers in terms of the numerical importance of the occupation, they now occupy last place in the ranking.

Source: Spring Professionals (a company of the Adecco Group)

First of all, there is positive news on the Swiss export situation: According to the Export Forecast of the credit risk insurer Euler Hermes, the export index currently stands at 0.71 points. This value is above the long-term average growth rate of the Swiss export industry. Within the last three months, the forecast has increased significantly, but is still below the previous year's level, reports Euler Hermes. After the deep slump caused by the Corona pandemic in the spring, a countermovement set in from May. As the development of the forecast shows, this continued until the end of September, but tended to weaken. In October, the leading indicator then recorded a slight rebound. Provided that the trend reversal observed in October does not worsen, the Euler Hermes Export Indicator currently suggests that the export economy will grow at an above-average rate in the coming months.

Trend reversal due to poor sentiment indicators

According to Stefan Ruf, CEO Euler Hermes Switzerland, the deteriorating investor and consumer sentiment is responsible for the trend reversal in the October forecast. Rising Covid 19 infections are again weighing on consumer confidence, which is having a direct impact on the service sector. Volatility in the financial markets has also increased again. Ruf further clarifies: "The economy in Europe suffered particularly from the pandemic in the last six months. Now, with the second wave of Covid 19, there is the threat of new trouble. The Swiss export industry will also be affected. The probability of a further slide in economic development is increasing."

Decline in growth expected in fourth quarter

Following the record decline in the second quarter of 2020, Swiss foreign trade recovered significantly in the subsequent quarter. Seasonally adjusted exports rose by 6.5 percent (+9.9 percent in real terms), matching the quarterly level of three years ago in terms of sales. Imports also increased by 11.5 percent (+9.0 percent in real terms). However, after the strong economic recovery in the months of May to September, Euler Hermes expects the export situation to set back significantly again in the final quarter of 2020. Overall, the Swiss economy is expected to contract by 4.7 percent in 2020 (2021: +2.6 percent) and Swiss exports to decline by 7 percent (2021: +5.6 percent). "Even if Switzerland is still resisting a second national lockdown, another economic setback is unlikely to be avoided given heightened contagion concerns and the economy's dependence on exports," said Katharina Utermöhl, European economist at Euler Hermes. "A sustained recovery in economic momentum is not expected until the second half of 2021 - provided a vaccine against the virus can be distributed widely by then."

Export situation in Germany recovers rapidly

What applies to Switzerland can largely be applied to Germany, arguably our most important trading partner. According to the economic outlook published by Deutsche Industriebank IKB, the mood of the economy in our northern neighbor has - not surprisingly - clouded over. Even though the development of the manufacturing sector in Germany has recently proved stable, the current lockdown and above all the economic uncertainties are weighing on expectations. However, these burdens are more short-term in nature, according to IKB. Although GDP is expected to decline again in the fourth quarter of 2020, the outlook for 2021 is still considered too negative in many cases. Increasing vaccination rates and global economic growth initiated by China and other Asian countries should ensure a dynamic economic trend, especially in the second half of 2021, and increasingly replace catch-up effects as growth drivers. German industry was already able to ramp up production again quickly after the lockdown in the spring. Next year IKB expects GDP growth in Germany of around 5 %. The main drivers are likely to be less investment than exports and private consumption. These are ambivalent prospects for Swiss export companies: Depending on which sectors - consumer goods or capital goods - they operate in, things could either pick up again quickly, or the lean period will continue.

World trade indicators develop more positively than expected

Until recently, the development of world trade was encouraging. Whereas in the first half of the year the WTO was still predicting a decline in global trade volumes of more than 20 percent, a slump of less than 10 percent is currently anticipated. Freight prices have recently reached a new record high and container throughput has even exceeded the level it reached before the Corona crisis. The dynamic development of world trade is closely linked to the recovery of the raw materials markets and industry in general. For example, the J.P. Morgan global purchasing managers' index reached a new multi-year high of 53 points at the end of October. Further, most labor markets worldwide recovered in August and September, but no further improvement was observed in October.

Sources: Euler Hermes, IKB Deutsche Industriebank AG

Due to the Corona pandemic, the main construction industry has already lost 1.2 billion Swiss francs in sales since the beginning of the year. Added to this are costs for safety measures and lower productivity. This is shown by the latest quarterly survey of the Swiss Association of Master Builders (SBC). After the easing measures in the summer, there are at least initial signs of a certain stabilization on the market, it continues. With the 5-point plan, public builders could have been motivated to accelerate planning work, approval procedures and awards. However, some public builders are still reluctant to support the economy by awarding contracts, regrets the main construction industry association. Based on the joint construction index with Credit Suisse, it expects total annual sales of just over CHF 19 billion this year, around 7% less than in 2019, which would be the lowest level since 2015.

Residential and commercial construction continue to show decline in sales

Total sales in the main construction sector fell by -11% in Q3 2020 compared to the same period last year. The residential construction division had experienced a sharp correction in Q2, with its sales falling dramatically by -27% to 1.3 billion Swiss francs. Meanwhile, in the current quarter, its sales increased slightly to 1.4 billion Swiss francs, but this still represents -18% compared to Q3 2019.

Signals for recovery in the market

Nevertheless, the first tentative signs of recovery can be discerned in the market. Commercial builders were also more confident from July to September, i.e. even before the second Corona wave. They placed more construction orders again (+11%) and restarted temporarily halted construction projects, so that the commercial construction division was able to stabilize its sales to some extent in the 3rd quarter at -3% after the sharp drop in sales of -17% in the 2nd quarter (compared with the respective prior-year period).

Nearly six percent fewer orders for public civil engineering in the main construction sector

It is also encouraging that the appeals of the five-point plan are having some effect. The plan calls on public builders to clear the way for construction projects without the need for new funds. However, too many public builders are still hesitant to award contracts. Since the beginning of the year, new orders remain -3.5% below the prior-year level. In the important public civil engineering sector in particular, the decline is still large at -5.5%. Cantonal contracting authorities in particular can cushion the recession and preserve jobs by speeding up planning work, approval procedures and contract awards. This means that public builders should process and bring forward orders that have already been planned instead of putting the brakes on them. They must also find ways to process private building applications quickly so as not to block the relevant construction projects arbitrarily.

Source: Swiss Association of Master Builders

Reputation Experience Management (RXM) - a combination of customer experience and online reputation management - aims to unite these two areas, focus on and satisfy customers, and thus look better as a company. The key is to collect feedback from various sources, evaluate it and turn it into actionable insights. As a result, you can improve your own performance, thereby optimizing the customer experience and consequently enhancing the brand's reputation. The following checklist will help you to anchor a professional RXM in your company step by step and sustainably.

1. bring the departments and people concerned to the table

Reputation Experience Management requires the joint commitment not only of the marketing and CX departments, but of almost all areas of the company - from operational customer service to the compliance team and management. Convince all affected departments of the benefits and clarify in advance who will decide on the introduction of RXM and who will be responsible for the program in the company.

2. check the status quo of your online reputation

First, assess how your current online presence is doing. You may already be working on your digital image in some areas. If so, evaluate the effectiveness of the tools you're using and check to see if there are any gaps anywhere. Make sure the Google My Business pages for all your locations are under your management, you are listed in all relevant industry portals and your social media presences are up to date

3. define the goals for your reputation experience management program

Depending on how you are already positioned, it is important to formulate corresponding goals, where your reputation experience management should start. Consider which goals you want to achieve in the short term and which you need to address in the long term, such as a higher star average on Google, an improved image in comparison with the industry or more sales.

4. develop a scoping document

Record all goals and responsibilities in a concept and supplement this with a roadmap for the introduction. Define concrete milestones with corresponding deadlines. This way, management and the affected departments know exactly what is to be realized in which phase of the introduction.

5. choose the appropriate software support

Use the scoping document to determine which platform best meets your business needs. When selecting software, make sure that all RXM components integrate seamlessly and provide reliable, automated online monitoring for multiple sites and websites (if you have them). At the same time, it's important that the solution works with intuitive, easy-to-understand and clear dashboards, and offers powerful analytics and reporting tools.

6. set up your tools appropriately

Consider carefully whether you need a holistic software solution or just individual tools. Keep in mind which functions are important for your goals. It's helpful if the tool can be implemented in a modular fashion, adapted and expanded as needed - because even though you may not need all the features now, your needs may grow in the future. Thinking ahead today can save you more costs tomorrow.

7. start your reputation experience management

If all signs are pointing to "Go!", start your reputation and customer experience management by getting found online - for example, in business directories, on social media and, of course, on Google. Generate customer reviews and respond to them professionally. Evaluate feedback and draw conclusions about your company and your digital presence. Then regularly check whether your processes are working and the measures are having the desired effect. Here, the reporting options within an RXM platform are suitable for achieving a quick gain in knowledge.

Reputation Experience Management helps you do more for your brand

Reputation Experience Management ensures the positive and consistent expression of strong brands. The combination of online reputation and customer experience management guarantees future viability. As a result, companies not only have a strong competitive advantage over competitors who do not engage in RXM, but also benefit from greater trust in their brand and thus from new and stronger customer relationships. Reputation.com's "Reputation Experience Management" guide provides further information - including numerous examples and 5 must-haves for effective RXM. Download now for free: https://bit.ly/33btdzn!

Author:
Marina Hedvizak is Marketing Manager DACH at Reputation.com. She has relevant marketing experience both on the agency side and in companies from various industries, including the automotive and energy sectors. As a marketing all-rounder, she is familiar with PR and event management as well as online and classic marketing.

According to the fourth edition of the Mastercard Index of Women Entrepreneurs (MIWE), released in November 2020, Switzerland is in the top 3 for the first time. The report says it makes visible the socioeconomic contributions of women entrepreneurs and offers insights into factors that promote or inhibit their advancement. MIWE 2020 is based on publicly available data from leading international organizations such as the OECD and the International Labor Organization (ILO) and represents nearly 80 % of the female workforce.

Upswing for female entrepreneurship in Switzerland

In the current edition of MIWE, Switzerland has improved greatly compared to previous surveys. The increase was from 65.2 (rank 11) in 2019 to 71.5 this year. Switzerland owes this rise in part to significantly improved support for SMEs (+37 % from 73.8 to 101.2) and a change in society's perception of entrepreneurs (+45 % from 65.3 to 95) and women entrepreneurs (+26 % from 65.3 to 95). In addition, Switzerland has so far been one of the most successful economies in the world in granting COVID-19 aid packages and emergency aid to companies (rank 6).

Gender-oriented policy promotes women's entrepreneurial success

Ahead of Switzerland in first place, Israel is the world's leading country for female entrepreneurship, moving from 4th place to first in 2019. Israel's top position makes it clear that gender-specific support measures are achieving rapid and significant results. With an ambition to double the number of female entrepreneurs within two years, Israel's success is due to targeted government support for SMEs.

The economies with the best framework conditions for women entrepreneurs in 2020 present themselves as follows:

MIWE 2020 results confirm that female entrepreneurship thrives especially in high-income and developed economies such as Switzerland, Israel, the United States, New Zealand, and Poland, where the level of prejudice against female entrepreneurs is low, access to education and financial support is high, and the entrepreneurial environment is good. Most countries (34 out of 58) show stable MIWE scores ranging from 60 to 70 such as Thailand (66.9), Taiwan (66.6), Colombia (66.3), the Philippines (65.5), France (65.1), Russia (64.6) and Germany (63.0).

COVID-19 leads to setbacks, but also holds opportunities

Women have been particularly hard hit by the COVID-19 pandemic: In the high-income economies studied, such as Israel, Singapore, Switzerland, and the United States, 70 % of women entrepreneurs reported experiencing disadvantages as a result of the Corona crisis. Overrepresentation in industries most affected by the economic downturn and increasing pressures from childcare are just some of the factors that put women in a particularly difficult position.

At the same time, the report sees signs that the pandemic could prove to be a catalyst encouraging decision-makers to take gender-specific measures: Women politicians in particular have shown leadership in crisis management around the world, boosting the reputation of female executives. Moreover, during the crisis, it is evident that women have a high capacity to adapt: 42 % of female entrepreneurs surveyed switched to a digital business model since the start of the pandemic and 34 % identified new business opportunities.

Further promoting female entrepreneurship

Daniela Massaro, Country Manager of Mastercard Switzerland comments on the current situation as follows: "A crisis will always highlight weaknesses in the system and COVID-19 has done that in spades. We see the extent of inequality, but we also perceive positive momentum and progress. The question is: Are we brave enough to seize the opportunity to act accordingly? Or will we stick with a dysfunctional system that will be reinforced by the pandemic? These points should be addressed and considered by decision makers as they take action to move out of the crisis."

Mastercard says it wants MIWE to lead by example in inclusion and diversity, providing an information base that empowers governments, businesses and individuals to take action to implement targeted gender-based support to realize gender parity. In 2020, Mastercard expanded its global commitment to financial inclusion and pledged to bring a total of one billion people and 50 million micro and small businesses into the digital economy by 2025, according to the company's statement. As part of this effort, it said a focus will be on providing 25 million women entrepreneurs with solutions to help them grow their businesses. This will be done through a series of measures that combine funding, mentoring and the development of inclusive technologies.

Source and further information: www.mastercard.com