And here's why: Your subconscious mind will make decisions for you on an ongoing basis that will move you closer to your goals. And studies show that we make about 95% of our decisions completely unconsciously, so we don't even realize it.

So if you are not having the success in business and life that you dream of, the cause is that you are continually giving your subconscious the wrong goals.

Intervene in the subconscious

Don't worry: you are not alone. It's the same for all people, teams and entire companies: those things that correspond to subconscious goals will always come true.

The consequence: In order to be more successful and achieve something different than before, you have to intervene in this subconscious control process. This usually requires intensive work, preferably with an external expert (coach, sparring partner).

How do you achieve more success?

Here are three simple steps for doing so if you want to change the direction of your team or business:

1. Awareness. Realize for yourself and your team that you are exactly where you are today because of your subconscious goals. Note what those goals might be. Example: If you are not growing enough, then your subconscious goal might be "maximum stability." If you are always competing on price, then the goal might be "don't stand out too much at all." These subconscious goals are usually very uncomfortable.
2. Replacement. Replace the identified subconscious goals with ones that bring your team and company closer to the desired state. In the example above with price competition, this could be "always attract positive attention" (and charge appropriate prices for it). Starbucks has risen to become the world's largest coffee house chain with this philosophy. At the beginning, the coffee there cost five times as much as that of the "competition.
3. Anchoring. You need to anchor these new (unusual) goals consistently with everyone involved, and without deviation. That's tough. But it is: Every big change is hard at the beginning. The good news: as soon as this anchoring takes hold, nothing can stop you and your team.

The most successful individuals, teams and companies have different goals anchored in their subconscious, their culture, than the average. You can do the same - if you want to!

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

Switzerland is one of the countries that benefit most from globalization and the European single market. And trade, as Switzerland's largest employer and trainer, is right in the middle of this development with 680,000 employees.

Keynote speaker Prof. Dr. Dr. Hans-Werner Sinn, Germany's best-known economist and one of the defining figures in economic and social policy debates, explained today's global economic situation and outlined possible future developments.

EU agricultural deal with Trump and Brexit

For example, the US has long since lost economic dominance to China - thanks to the fact that China is the largest creditor of US government bonds. The sale of these securities is expected to have a strong impact on the American economy. As soon as the trade agreement between the USA and China is concluded, Trump will turn his attention more to the EU. This recommends Prof. Sinn, who is counted among the world's best economists, to secure free trade on industrial tariffs and to grant the USA facilitations in agricultural trade. This would lower prices for agricultural products in the EU, which would be good for consumers; moreover, this deal would protect the auto industry.

If the escalating trade dispute with the U.S. were prevented, the EU would be better able to counteract the possible turbulence surrounding the Brexit. After all, as Prof. Sinn pointed out on Trade Day, the UK's exit will greatly change the EU - after all, the trade volume of the fourth-largest EU member is equivalent to that of 18 of the 28 EU members. With Brexit, the current balance of power between the north and south of Europe would shift significantly in favor of the poorer south.

Country club for emissions trading

Sinn estimates that economic problems can be expected between fall 2019 and the second half of 2020, which could also affect Switzerland. After all, the EU is Switzerland's most important trading partner. Prof. Sinn warned: "Protectionist forces arise in difficult times. That's when you should become politically active and put barriers in the way of protectionism." The importance of trade should not be underestimated in any way, he said, because "global economic prosperity comes from trade and the division of labor in trade. Free trade is the basic prerequisite for general prosperity." Trade makes it possible to buy goods where the energy is available, for example, to import agricultural products from sunny countries instead of growing them in greenhouses with environmentally harmful fertilizers and a lot of energy at high cost. Prof. Sinn has been working intensively on the subject of energy for many years. He sees the solution to the climate crisis in a follow-up project to the Paris Agreement, which also provides for sanctions in the event of violations. In terms of implementation, global emissions trading under the supervision of the UN would be expedient. Country solutions, on the other hand, would have too little effect, according to Prof. Sinn. Instead, the leading economist supports the proposal of the American Nobel Prize winner William Nordhaus: In a preliminary stage or transitional phase to global emissions trading, a club of countries could be created that would engage in multilateral emissions trading. If a country that did not belong to this club wanted to export to the club countries, it would have to pay drastic tariffs.

Framework agreement: Set the course now for Switzerland's prosperity

In the subsequent panel discussion, moderated by Marc Lehmann, head of the daily talk show at SRF, the framework agreement was one of the key topics. Elisabeth Schneider-Schneiter, President of the Foreign Policy Committee APK and National Councilor CVP, appealed to the companies. They should make it clear to politicians and the population how good framework conditions for imports and exports ensure the continued existence and success of trade. She would like to see unity from the Federal Council: "The Federal Council must decide whether it wants to go down the bilateral path. In recent years, it has been torn on this issue. Let's get this EU dossier wrapped up now - that way we'll create legal certainty for Swiss companies." Christa Markwalder, APK member and National Councilor FDP, stressed that the majority of the Swiss population is already very sensitive to the need for good relations between Switzerland and the EU: "Switzerland has a foreign trade quota of 93%. Every day, goods worth CHF 1 billion cross the border. Market access and openness are the most urgent issues so that we can maintain and develop our prosperity. On the other hand, we have to do our homework in Switzerland: Reduce bureaucracy, curb regulatory frenzy and use digitalization intelligently." Both National Councilors wanted the Federal Council to take a similarly clear stance as it did with the Schengen Agreement. There, the Federal Council stood before the people and clearly signaled that this was the right solution for Switzerland.

Andreas Aebi, President of the APK and SVP National Councillor as well as farmer and travel entrepreneur, also backed free trade and, for example, a new free trade agreement with the USA. For him, however, the framework agreement with the EU affects Switzerland's sovereignty, which is why he and his party reject it.

Courage for the next step

Marco Düerkop, trade counselor from the European Commission's delegation in Switzerland, said on the sidelines of the event that from the EU's perspective, the framework agreement is the next step in making the bilateral agreements future-proof. "This is the wish we have expressed for several years. Brexit reinforces this concern. After all, we are not only linked to Switzerland by common values, but also by a very special partnership. Switzerland is in the middle of Europe and, on the one hand, does not want to be a member of the EU, but on the other hand wants to participate in this large single market. There is no other country with which we are linked by contractual framework conditions like Switzerland," emphasized the economic attaché. "Framework conditions like Switzerland have so no other country, Turkey not and Ukraine not. Nor do Norway and Liechtenstein, both of which are integrated through the EEA." Marco Düerkop appealed to Switzerland's courage to take the next step in its decades-long successful relations with the EU.

The president of Handel Schweiz, Jean-Marc Probst, explains in his speech the position of Handel Schweiz on the framework agreement. As is well known, the umbrella organization of trade demands leadership from the Federal Council and an immediate signing of the framework agreement. Jean-Marc Probst also stressed that transparency is no substitute for trust. Rather, in a time of increasing supposed transparency, we all need to learn to trust again. Kaspar Engeli, Director of Handel Schweiz, announced that Handel Schweiz would not only be involved in the discussion on the Framework Agreement, but also in the Fair Prices and Termination Initiatives. The aim is to find solutions that move Switzerland forward instead of blocking it.

Source and information: Trade Switzerland

"Innovations, creations and emotions are the ingredients that have fully motivated me to tackle the 17th edition of the Alpine Symposium after a year's break," explains founder and host Oliver Stoldt. "I want to offer participants experiences on January 14 and 15 at the Victoria-Jungfrau Grand Hotel & Spa that will inspire them both in business and in their private lives." Stoldt is convinced that a sparkling idea, a vision, is at the beginning of all success. There are not only the Jobs, Musks, Zuckerbergs, Gates and Pages, who innovated, inspired and above all led with intensity to global success and even changed the world. Also at the beginning of many successful SMEs and start-ups there is a flash of inspiration, an intuition that is profitably implemented with great perseverance and forcefulness.

Futurist with prospects

Already booked is Chris Riddell, an award-winning global futurist and recognized speaker on emerging trends in the hyper-connected digital world. His global expertise offers unique perspectives and insights for businesses of the future. With a talent for analyzing emerging trends, patterns and behaviors, Chris Riddell's insights are compelling, thought-provoking and inspiring. As a speaker, he provides audiences with the tools and knowledge to transform their digital journey into a success story.

It's Showtime...

Christian Lindemann has been a passionate artist for 20 years, entertaining and fascinating others. With 1'500 shows at Cirque du Soleil he celebrated global success as the "King of Pickpockets". As a speaker, he bridges the gap between the show stages of the world and the everyday stages of life. With creativity, passion, courage, self-confidence and quick-wittedness, he teaches the techniques of an artist to win people over, inspire them and make an impact.

Getting up again after a heavy blow of fate

On her way to her third Olympic Games and the world's best female cyclist of all time, Germany's Kristina Vogel suffered a serious blow in 2018. In a collision with a junior rider, she suffered multiple fractures and injuries and was left a paraplegic. Three months later, she came back to the public with an emotional interview. Since then, she has defied her fate and shared this with the public as a role model. With her infectious energy for life, she stands for faith in oneself.

New presenter

The well-known SRF Tagesschau presenter and experienced foreign correspondent Florian Inhauser will now moderate the two-day event. The Alpine Symposium regularly brings together 950 participants at the Victoria-Jungfrau Grand Hotel & Spa in Interlaken. Among entrepreneurs, CEOs, innovative entrepreneurs and representatives of SMEs, the event has established itself as one of the leading events for knowledge transfer and networking. This has also convinced UPC Business and Xing, which Oliver Stoldt was able to win over as a new Presenting Partner for the Alpine Symposium. As a result, tickets for the Alpensymposium can now be purchased both via the Event website and about Xing be booked directly. On this topic, the New Work Sessions will be held in Zurich on September 25, 2019, which XING and Premium Speakers are organizing and conducting in close cooperation.

The dice have been cast at the Esprix anniversary gala: Campus Sursee wins the Esprix Swiss Award for Excellence 2019. In addition to Campus Sursee, "Tamedia AG, Publishing Services Printing and Logistics", Zurich and "die rodtegg, Foundation for People with Physical Disabilities", Lucerne were also nominated for the award. The "Oscar of the Swiss Economy" is awarded to outstanding Swiss companies. The aim of the award was and is to promote competitiveness in all entrepreneurial areas and to motivate the Swiss and Liechtenstein business community to achieve top entrepreneurial performance through competition. The Esprix Award differs from all other Swiss business awards because it has to be earned hard and often over years.

Lucky winner

Campus Sursee was founded in 1972 to promote vocational training in the Swiss construction industry and is now a leading Swiss training and seminar center for all professionals involved in the construction process. But it is also popular with other industries for its consistent customer focus, its efficiency and its pleasant learning environment. The Sursee Campus Foundation is the owner of Bildungszentrum Bau AG and Seminarzentrum AG. All activities of the Bildungszentrum Bau, the Seminarzentrum and the Foundation are bundled under the umbrella brand Campus Sursee. Most recently, Campus Sursee is establishing itself with the sports arena both in the professional sports sector as a training and competition location and in popular sports as a public sports facility for clubs, schools and the region. And on May 14, 2019, the site was designated a "2000-Watt Site" by the Swiss Federal Office of Energy (SFOE).

Campus Director Daniel Suter was overjoyed at the award presentation in front of around 230 invited guests from business, science and politics at the Bürgenstock Resort: "We have proven that we are among the best and are proud of our team's achievements. The award will strengthen our role model function in the construction industry and our image as a whole," said Suter. "Finally, of course, our customers also benefit from our proven service quality."

Put through its paces

Independent assessors put the nominated companies through their paces over the course of a week. The assessment is based on the principles of the EFQM Excellence Model of the European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM). This helps companies and organizations to improve sustainably and continuously. The Sursee Campus, which had already introduced a management system according to ISO standards, has also been working according to the EFQM model since 2015. Today, the Sursee Campus shows itself to be "excellent" in a wide variety of areas. An important success factor is the employees. "They know our strategy and vision and know how to use personal freedom profitably," says Suter. This freedom results in the realization of impressive projects. The new sports arena, the blended learning courses in the Construction Training Center or the certification as an environmentally friendly 2000-watt site are just a few examples. All of this, in turn, leads to high employee satisfaction and a low turnover rate. Or in Suter's words, "Our employees are proud to work at Campus Sursee."

Source and further information: www.campus-sursee.ch

The number of organizations that have adopted or are thinking about adopting the four-day workweek to promote long-term worker health and productivity is on the rise. Planio[1], a Berlin-based company that develops project management software, introduced a four-day work week for its employees last year. The British medical research charity, Wellcome Trust[2], on the other hand, conducted a feasibility study before ultimately deciding not to adopt the four-day model.

Employees want to make more of a difference

Even if the switch to a four-day workweek is still a long way off for most, the study by Ricoh, that across all age groups, the majority of workers have an expressed desire to be more engaged in the workplace and to increase their productivity through training and technology. Nearly three-quarters of workers (72 %) say they want to contribute more to the design of their workplace. This statement indicates a clear desire among workers to want to make more of a difference.

Continuously educate yourself

But workers in Europe also know that they can't do it alone. Seven in ten workers (70 %) believe they will need to keep learning throughout their career, while 63 percent believe technology should play a central role in helping them work to the best of their ability. The fact that circa four in 10 workers said automation (44 %) and AI (39 %) are likely to help them do their jobs also cools some of the heated discussions about the impact of technology on jobs.

More than two-thirds of workers (69 %) also believe that top companies excel at investing in digital technologies to upskill their employees, emphasizing the critical impact the right tools and training can have on job satisfaction and productivity.

Thanks to technology to the four-day week?

It is noteworthy that across generations*, the studies showed little disagreement on the above points, suggesting that discussions of conflicting views or demands among Baby Boomers, Generation X, Generation Y, and Generation Z are not appropriate.

David Mills, CEO of Ricoh Europe, said: "Managers should feel encouraged by these results. Workers are united by their strong desire to make a difference and achieve more at work. This finding is the first step in improving the stagnant productivity that has plagued businesses in Europe, particularly since the financial crisis in 2008. Our study underpins that the significant productivity challenge of improving[3] cannot be mastered by putting pressure on workers or by half-heartedly pursuing innovation. Instead, helping employees learn new skills and deploy technology-driven efficiencies can lead to significant productivity results - and perhaps even a shorter workweek."

Sources:

[1] https://plan.io/blog/four-day-workweek/
[2] https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2019/apr/12/wellcome-trust-drops-plans-to-trial-four-day-working-week
[3] https://www.economist.com/buttonwoods-notebook/2017/01/11/the-curious-case-of-missing-global-productivity-growth

As part of a keynote speech on the topic of "Working world 4.0 in the environment of digital transformation", Prof. Dr. Marc K. Peter from FHNW Olten presented the initial results of a study conducted in 2019. This is an in-depth study of the "SME Transformation" survey already published by the speaker in 2017. With around 1,200 participants, the study "Arbeitswelt 4.0" is the largest study on this topic in Switzerland to date. It focuses on the field of action "Digital Leadership & Culture" under the consideration of new approaches in leadership, culture and work - all areas that play a role within the digital transformation. The team led by Prof. Dr. Marc K. Peter is based on the thesis that the triad of "People - Place - Technology" is at the heart of successfully shaping the working world of the future. The main issue is the meaningful and effective interaction of these three areas. With this in mind, a questionnaire was drawn up and the survey conducted in spring 2019.

Developing the working world of the future: Employees not involved enough

How do the respondents understand the working world 4.0? The dominant terms from the responses are digitization, new forms of work, but also associations such as flexibility with regard to working hours and place of work, networking and change in general. Employers say of themselves that they are either "right at the beginning" (43 %) of Working World 4.0 or "in the middle of it" (45 %). "So there is still a lot to do," concludes Marc K. Peter.

This is also shown by the answer to the question about the involvement of employees in the implementation of Working World 4.0: Only 27 percent of respondents answered "yes" here. This means that 73 percent of employees are not involved in the change process - or the company does not consider this necessary! A finding that should give pause for thought.

Intergenerational collaboration

The respondents see innovation (66 %) and communication (64 percent) as the key drivers of the working world of the future. The greatest barriers are seen as a lack of expertise (42 %) and a leadership or organizational structure that is no longer up to date (41 percent). This result clearly shows how necessary a cultural change is in order to be able to realize Working World 4.0 at all. As a recommendation for action, the study authors mention the conscious and proactive inclusion of Generation Z in this process. It is important to harness their potential in order to promote cross-generational acceptance and collaboration.

Digitalization as a stress factor

In addition to the study results, Marc K. Peter pointed out further challenges in connection with the working world 4.0: Advancing digitalization is leading to more stress. According to the Job Stress Index of the Health Promotion Switzerland almost half of the workforce is currently in a sensitive area with regard to stress. Not only is it up to management to take targeted preventive measures, but the world of work 4.0 can also make a positive contribution here, for example by strengthening flexibility and collaboration. However: New areas of tension and new demands on corporate culture cannot be avoided here either.

The detailed results of the study as well as a practical guide will be available to the Swiss business community from fall 2019. More information

Boss Info Holding, which is already represented at 7 locations in German-speaking Switzerland, is expanding further and is now also taking over ProFinance, which is also active in German-speaking Switzerland. Yves-Alain Dufaux will continue to serve as CEO and Chairman of the Board of ProFinance. All ProFinance employees will remain at their current location in Langenthal BE with the same functions and responsibilities. Since 1998, Boss Info AG has built up the status of integrator in Switzerland with the largest number of installations of the overall business solution Microsoft Dynamics. In addition to the entire Microsoft product range, ICT infrastructure / systems engineering, web applications such as webshops and portals as well as training courses are further mainstays of Boss Info.

The merger of the two ERP specialists enables both companies to benefit from synergies in the operational processing of the SME market in German-speaking Switzerland. ProFinance's solutions optimally expand Boss Info Group's overall ERP offering, according to a statement to the media. Together with ProFinance, Boss Info Group can continue to offer comprehensive ERP solution environments also for smaller companies at an optimal cost/benefit ratio. In addition, Boss Info continues to pursue its growth strategy with this step.

"As a Swiss SME with our more than 20 years of experience, we are proud to serve as a Swiss Made Software to keep the software engineering as well as the product management of all our ERP products in Switzerland. This is the only way we can ensure the justified high quality demands of our SME customers.", says about this Yves-Alain Dufaux, CEO of ProFinance, on his motivations about the merger with Boss Info. Like Yves-Alain Dufaux, Simon Boss, founder and CEO of Boss Info AG, also attaches great importance to supporting his customers in their business challenges with state-of-the-art tools: "I am firmly convinced that the two ranges of services offered by our companies complement each other ideally. Furthermore, the corporate cultures of the two companies enrich each other."

The Service Provider of the Year DACH and Russia award is a milestone for the IT company from Oftringen with core competencies in cloud computing, IT services and SAP. CEO Peter Merz: "We are very proud of this award. For us, it is confirmation that we are on the right track with our hybrid cloud model." The HPE Discover event sets standards in terms of organization and image promotion for all IT companies. "It is a great honor for us to receive such an award from a partner like HPE. So it goes without saying that we also give it the right attention," explains the CEO. Why does HPE award the IT company GIA Informatik? Peter Merz says: "With this award, HPE recognizes our efforts to provide our customers with a secure, reliable and very high-performance private cloud. In our data centers, which are located in Switzerland, we have built a modern platform using current HPE technologies." CEO Peter Merz will be on site in Las Vegas to accept the award with his own hands.

Source: GIA Informatik AG

The market for non-publicly traded debt financing has gained increased attention in recent years. The Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts examined for the first time
comprehensively and systematically the significance and potential of private debt in Switzerland. For borrowers, private debt represents an alternative source of financing to the classic
bank financing. It is an interesting asset class from the perspective of the money lenders.

What is Private Debt?

The term "private debt" is generally defined in various ways. In the broadest sense, private debt encompasses any debt financing of companies via a non
publicly traded market. This therefore includes, in the broadest sense, all forms of bank loans, loans by non-banks, promissory note loans, special financing,
Consumer loans, private real estate financing, etc. Unlike the public market, private-debt instruments are typically illiquid. Therefore, the lenders intend to
usually to maintain the commitment until the end of the term. Furthermore, there are usually no public market prices for these instruments. Often, the term private debt is understood in a narrower sense and is limited - as also in the context of the study mentioned here - to non-exchange-traded debt financing of companies by non-banks.

Market volume in Switzerland is around three billion Swiss francs

Number crunching in a non-public market is difficult. Based on numerous interviews with relevant market players, the authors developed a classification of the
Swiss market (see chart). The volume of the private debt market is estimated at around three billion Swiss francs. Individual larger private equity transactions have a strong influence on private debt volumes. However, the authors also observe numerous small transactions, for example in crowdlending, which also contribute to the increase. Internationally, the private debt market is also experiencing high growth. The current volume invested in private debt funds worldwide is estimated at over USD 750 billion. In 2018 alone, it is estimated that more than USD 100 billion in new capital was raised.

Niche market with potential for new business models

Compared with the lending volumes of banks or public debt capital markets, the private debt market in Switzerland continues to operate in a niche. For Thomas K. Birrer, professor at the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts and co-author of the study, the banks will remain clearly the most important credit providers for Swiss SMEs: "We expect, however, that especially in the case of
Financing via digital platforms continues to show high growth rates. The authors also see great potential in business models that combine the advantages of traditional bank financing with those of online platforms. Such platforms will also enable the inclusion of funds and institutional investors in the financing of loans for companies. Thomas K. Birrer says: "We assume that the diversity of credit offerings for companies in Switzerland will increase.

Willingness to invest in private debt exists

Institutional investors are invested to varying degrees in the private debt asset class and hope, firstly, to achieve higher returns by investing in such assets, secondly, to make good investments in the longer maturity segment and, thirdly, to achieve diversification effects. The good experience to date is also the reason why there is a willingness to increase the allocation to private debt. Nevertheless, as with other investments, the respective risks must be considered and efficient access to suitable investment opportunities must be established.

Switzerland is a part-time nation: 37% of the Swiss workforce work part-time. In a European comparison, this means second place behind the Netherlands. In 62% of Swiss families, at least one parent works part-time, according to the latest figures from the Federal Statistical Office. Swiss Life wanted to know in more detail how self-determined Swiss families are in dealing with the issue of part-time work and conducted a representative survey of 912 parents in households with children up to the age of twelve. The results are representative of the target group surveyed.

Only 8% of Swiss parents want to work full-time

Family and a full-time job often seem to be a necessary evil for Swiss parents. Only just 8% of them would work full-time if they could choose freely. For fathers, the figure is somewhat higher at 13%, and for mothers it is as low as 4%. The reality is different: In fact, 76% of the fathers surveyed and 11% of the mothers work full-time today. The desire for a reduced workload is matched by the fact that only 12% of the parents state professional success as an important goal for the next ten years. They consider leading a happy family life (64%) and having enough time for their own children (54%) to be much more desirable.

Swiss Parents Decide Self-Determinedly for Part-Time Work

Those Swiss parents who work part-time have generally made a conscious decision to do so. Only 5% work part-time because they could not find a full-time job. As a reason for the decision to work part-time, 94% of mothers state that they are concerned about childcare and running the household. A better work-life balance is hoped for by 34%. Among fathers, the main reason for part-time work is also childcare and household chores (61%). Almost equally important for them, however, is work-life balance: 59% of fathers cite this as an important reason for part-time work.

Part-time parents feel less stressed at work and experience more appreciation

Part-time work not only leaves more time for the family, it also seems to be linked to other positive factors. While 28% of parents with a full-time job feel highly stressed at work, the figure for part-time parents is only 15%. And the perceived higher stress in the full-time workload is not rewarded by more appreciation - on the contrary: just under half (46%) of the parents with part-time jobs say that their work gives them appreciation. Among parents with a full-time workload, the figure is only 37%.

Money, not career, is the main reason for a full-time job

Around three quarters (74%) of parents with full-time jobs cite the higher income as an important reason for their workload. Only 24% of them work full-time for the fun of it. It fits into this picture that financial self-determination is very important for Swiss parents. Financial independence ranks second on their list of priorities after their own family - ahead of friends and career.

Part-time work: effects on budget and own pension situation hardly known

Part-time work has financial consequences. All the more surprising: only just 39% of Swiss parents have already calculated in detail how part-time work affects the household budget. Even fewer, namely 27%, have already given serious thought to how their workload will affect their retirement provision. It is surprising how many parents would like to work part-time, but have never calculated such a scenario.

New online calculator offers support for financial part-time check

In addition to salary, part-time work can have an impact on a whole range of other factors, such as childcare costs, tax deductions or tax progression. To help you keep track of this, Swiss Life has developed the Online part-time calculator which can be used to easily show the effects of different scenarios on the household budget. For families, the calculator is a first step on the path to the right part-time mix and more financial confidence for their self-determined lives.

Source: Swiss Life

Both because of existing maternity and the possibility of pregnancy, women can be disadvantaged in the labor market. This is shown by a study published in connection with the women's strike these days. On the one hand, employers may perceive women of fertile age as "at risk" of pregnancy. On the other hand, employers fear that if they hire mothers, they will be responsible for childcare more often than men due to the conservative distribution of roles and may be absent more often, for example due to sick children.

Large-scale study in German-speaking countries

Ana Fernandes from the Bern University of Applied Sciences in Economics, together with Sascha O. Becker from the University of Warwick and Doris Weichselbaumer from the University of Linz, investigated how these factors influence the hiring practices of companies in the German-speaking labor market with a large-scale correspondence study in Germany, Switzerland and Austria. The researchers sent out around 9,000 fictitious applications for advertised full-time and part-time positions. In the resumes, they provided different information on marital status and number of children for the alleged applicants, but kept the age and previous work experience the same for all of them.

Even potential pregnancy prevents employment

The result makes one sit up and take notice: Women who are married, childless and work part-time are less likely to be invited for a job interview than single women. The reason for this: employers consider married people to be particularly "at risk" of becoming pregnant. At the same time, mothers of two young children are less likely to be asked for an interview than mothers of two older children, because employers fear that younger children will get sick more often and that female employees will be absent more often. The researchers attribute the differences found between full- and part-time outcomes to two factors:

1. Part-time work is much more common in German-speaking countries than in the EU, for example.
2. Part-time work is strongly rooted in the values of these societies, which perceive work and motherhood as less compatible than other European countries.

Completed family planning as an advantage

When female candidates apply for part-time employment, employers see this as a motivation for wanting to balance work and family. As a result, female applicants with a higher probability of pregnancy are disadvantaged and female applicants who signal that their family planning is complete are preferred.

Female applicants for full-time positions, on the other hand, signal that they have secure childcare regardless of their family situation, since they would otherwise not be able to reconcile the full-time position with it. Thus, female applicants for full-time positions with the same information on marital status and number of children as female applicants for part-time positions are not disadvantaged.

Conclusion of the study

1. Married but childless women applying for part-time jobs are least likely to be invited for an interview compared to other part-time applicants with different family types.
2. Women with two older children who apply for part-time jobs have the greatest chance of being interviewed compared to other types with different family compositions. This is a surprising and almost
   paradoxical result, because these jobs are typically considered particularly family-friendly.

In keeping with the theme, BFH Economics is hosting the "Discrimination in the Labor Market" conference on August 30 and 31. As part of this academic event, a roundtable discussion will be held entitled "The Cost of Outside Childcare and the
Labor market participation of women". Scheduled guests are Claudine Esseiva, City Councillor Bern (FDP), Dr. Sylvie Durrer, Director of the Federal Office for Gender Equality FOGE and Irenka Krone-Germann, Founder and Managing Director of Part-time Optimizing.

Source: Bern University of Applied Sciences

Data usage is on everyone's lips. The impact this will have on SMEs, startups and society was discussed at the Startfeld Innovation Forum on June 13, 2019. Startfeld is the name of the network for innovations and startups around Säntis. In all phases of innovation, Startfeld supports ambitious founders as well as established SMEs that are open to impulses and drive new things forward. The sponsors of Startfeld are Empa, the University of Applied Sciences St.Gallen, the City of St.Gallen, the St.Galler Kantonalbank and the University of St.Gallen.

Hunt for data...

At this year's Startfeld Innovation Forum, top-class speakers focused on topics such as the emergence of a drone competence center in St.Gallen, the role of Internet of Things (IoT) in SMEs, automation of processes through Big Data, or the uncovering of business potential through artificial intelligence (AI). The program included application-oriented workshops to complement the presentations. Thus, the participants at the Startfeld Innovation Forum were not only able to hunt and collect data, but also to derive the greatest possible benefit from it.

On the pulse of time

The Startfeld Innovation Forum was again organized by the Enterprise Development Group (EDG) and the St.Gallen innovation network Startfeld. Dr. Cornelia Gut-Villa is pleased: "We have achieved a new attendance record at this year's event. The conference topic engages executives from SMEs as well as innovators and founders. We are very pleased that Startfeld has developed into a community where founders, creatives and entrepreneurs meet to work on solutions for the future."

Do not make mistakes to learn by yourself

Prof. Dr. Gunter Dueck, author, mathematician, philosopher and ex-IBM CTO, who is known for his humorous, satirical and critical blunt speeches and books, presented his own surprise crashes shortly before the end of the Startfeld Innovation Forum. He had the right data and insights, but nobody wanted them. That's why he advocated training, coaching and mentoring for innovators. According to Dueck, many innovators don't know or take to heart that mistakes don't have to be fundamentally self-inflicted to learn. Dueck captivated the participants with his speech.

World change through Web 3.0

A total of seven workshops were held in the afternoon on practical topics. Workshop leader Bettina Hein has successfully founded several companies in the software industry and lived in Boston until a year ago before returning to St.Gallen. The co-founder of START Global, which organizes the START Summit, introduced the participants to Berners-Lee Open Source Framework called "Solid" in her workshop. This gives Internet users back control over their data and breaks through data silos.

The next Startfeld Innovation Forum will take place on June 4, 2020.

Source and further information: Start field