When it comes to digitizing customer relationships, much more could be done. The potential for innovation is particularly great in the insurance industry (including health insurers), but banks also have some catching up to do in some areas. These are some of the key findings from a survey conducted in Switzerland and Germany by the market research company GFK on behalf of the digitalization specialist ti&m. For this purpose, around 1,500 German-speaking Swiss and people in Germany aged between 15 and 75 were surveyed online in October 2017.

Online banking at the top

The frontrunner among digitized services in Switzerland is online banking: 91 percent of survey participants use a corresponding service. Online ticketing (75 percent) and online payment (73) also enjoy high acceptance. The positioning of these services, which have been available for some time, shows that processes cannot be transformed overnight. Their implementation takes time and patience. Digital customer contact between citizens and the administration is somewhat less advanced: at least three out of five respondents complete their tax returns online and 54 percent use an online counter for transactions with public offices. Even less use is made of the insurance industry's digital services, such as online processing of claims notifications (42 percent) and benefit statements (39 percent).

Insurers lagging behind in innovation

In addition to the pure use of the services, the study also examined the extent to which the services subjectively simplify customers' everyday lives and how satisfied they are with the current implementation. A comparison of these values clearly shows where the greatest potential for digitization is hidden. According to the study, mobile banking and payment as well as personal finance management offer the best growth opportunities. The insurance sector is lagging far behind in terms of innovation: Here, many customers would like to see additional offerings, which are still largely lacking today.

Further potential for improvement is revealed in cross-industry digital customer service topics such as onboarding (i.e., new customer intake), customer portal, chat, and making appointments. The biggest gap between desire and reality is found in e-voting. Over seventy percent of survey participants would like to vote and elect online, but only four percent are able to do so - this indicates a clear mandate to policymakers.

On the whole, high satisfaction with regard to customer relations

The survey also shows which providers score well with customers. Customers of St.Galler Kantonalbank are the most satisfied with online banking, but this financial institution does not (yet) offer mobile banking. When it comes to mobile banking, Zürcher Kantonalbank and Raiffeisen come out on top ex aequo. When it comes to online claims reporting to insurance companies, customers of Die Mobiliar were the most satisfied, while Visana's solution seems to be the most convincing when it comes to online billing for health insurance benefits. Overall, it can be seen that customers are largely satisfied with the digitized offerings - but there is still room for improvement everywhere in terms of digitized customer relationships.

The study also makes it clear that there is a discrepancy between the sexes in the use of online services: All the services studied are used more by men than by women. "Up to now, digitization seems to be mainly a popular buzzword among strategy consultants," says Thomas Wüst, founder and CEO of ti&m. "The study finally dares to get up close and personal with the users and beneficiaries of the new digital services. And it separates the wheat from the chaff, because it shows what is useful, necessary and desirable - from the customer's point of view."

Source: www.ti8m.com

Improving agility is a top priority for SME leaders in Europe looking to take advantage of a digitally-enabled workplace. According to a recent study commissioned by Ricoh Europe, the majority of SME executives surveyed in Switzerland (87 %) said they are actively focusing on improving business agility in 2018.

Technology for more agility

More than half of survey respondents (57 %) are adopting new technology specifically to respond more quickly to trends and opportunities, while 76 % say they would fail within 5 years without the benefits of updated workplace technology. Decision makers in small and midsize businesses clearly prefer technology that directly addresses key employee needs. They believe automation (63 %), data analytics (51 %), document management (51 %) and video conferencing (59 %) will have the strongest positive impact on their business.

Javier Diez-Aguirre, VP Corporate Marketing, Ricoh Europe comments: "The European SME community is extremely ambitious. Due to challenging market conditions, business leaders are rightly keen to discover new opportunities early and take maximum advantage of them. They know that staying agile is essential to profitably capitalize on changes in the marketplace, and they appreciate the role of technology in doing so. Of course, agility is high on the agenda of small and medium-sized enterprises, and business leaders don't just see it as an issue for larger competitors."

Pragmatism instead of hypes

The benefits of smarter workplace technology in terms of productivity and innovation are seen as a critical factor for business success. 72 % of respondents said their company's ability to succeed is based on technology and showed strong confidence in the value of a digitally-enabled workplace.

Diez-Aguirre adds, "SME leaders are not blinded by the hype around technologies like virtual reality and blockchain. Instead, they are choosing carefully and prioritizing investments in tools that have a real positive impact on the bottom line. Those that haven't already must carefully consider how technology can allow their employees to work faster and smarter, making their businesses more agile. Otherwise, they may soon find they are facing extinction as the market evolves without them."

Source: www.ricoh.ch

The debtor, who ordered equipment for the finishing of roll materials such as paper and metal foils (in the Part 1 of this continuation story), but did not pay the invoice despite a reminder, refuses to make the corresponding payment to the creditor. The creditor transfers the case to the collection agency by way of assignment of the claim, whereupon the collection agency contacts the debtor with the aim of achieving a viable result.

From contact to acknowledgement of debt in six steps

1. The debtor is in arrears. He promises the collection company that he is also interested in a solution and asks it to give him the creditor's phone number. "But such contact is no longer necessary," says Jason Glanzmann, director of serviced portfolios at Intrum. "As the creditor's representative, we are now the point of contact. We mediate between the debtor and the creditor. The procedure is agreed upon in advance."
2. How can I then avert the claim against me, the debtor asks himself. The answer: after the debt has been handed over, the Collection service provider a letter is sent to the debtor. There it is stated that the debtor has not paid for the said goods and the creditor requests him to pay the outstanding amount. All payment options are noted in this letter:
   A) He may pay the amount due either with the payment slip enclosed in the letter.
   B) Or he can use the bank details indicated in the footer via e-banking.
   C) In addition, the debtor has the option in "Intrum Web" to pay the amount with his credit card.
3. The debtor is unable to pay the debt immediately and at once. Therefore, he proposes to make an individual payment agreement. "We offer a hand for solutions. If the financial circumstances do not permit payment of the entire invoice amount, we also consider installment payments," emphasizes Jason Glanzmann.
4. At present, the debtor is actually not in a position to settle the total claim with a single payment - only the Installment he sees as a possible way. To express this wish, the defaulting debtor must contact the collection agency - either by phone or via an online form. He should then state by when he can pay the debt - in full or even partially in installments.
5. The debt collection company agrees, as payment by installments is still a sensible way for the creditor to receive the outstanding amount. But the debtor is puzzled and complains why he now has to pay an installment surcharge. "The reason is clear: An installment payment means payment relief for the debtor, but additional expense for us. We have to charge the debtor for this additional effort. In return, he receives a longer payment period than with a one-time payment, so that payment is also realistic," Jason Glanzmann emphasizes.
6. To ensure that these individual payment arrangements are in writing, the debtor should sign a debt acknowledgement. "A debt acknowledgement serves to confirm our specific agreement. In it, the debtor affirms that he accepts the claim and the renegotiated payment modalities," Jason Glanzmann elaborates.

Who is the polluter and who pays the costs?

You will find out whether the debtor settles the outstanding claims and what course the aggrieved company takes in the further course of this continuation story. The fifth and next part deals with the topic of "costs and polluter pays justice".

Contact for more information: Intrum Inc, sales.ch@intrum.ch, +41 44 806 85 57, www.intrum.ch

Click here for part 1

Click here for part 2

Click here for part 3

Launching an innovation lab specifically for the office sector? This was precisely the vision of Björn Ischi, an industrial designer from Biel. Ischi has been advising the office furniture manufacturer Bigla Office for some time, and when he began to support the Biella company in product innovation, the idea became concrete. Not least because the office world is changing due to digitalization and new forms of work such as co-working. Why not actually network companies from the same industry and use the resources of economic strengths and shared know-how and apply them to new and innovative products? To make this idea of innovation visible and tangible, a space was created for it and the "InnOffice Lab" was born.

The InnOffice Lab

The InnOffice Lab consists of the companies Biella from Brügg and Bigla Office from Biglen. Both are traditional Swiss manufacturers of products in the office sector. Biella is the market leader in the manufacture of office supplies and Bigla Office produces office furniture. Together, the companies bring over 200 years of experience in the industry. These resources are now being put to targeted use for customers in the in-house InnOffice Lab on Biella's premises.

In order to shorten structural and work paths, internal processes are to be redefined and merged. Workshops are used in product management to work specifically on a topic, such as digitization or the office of the future, in which new products are created. "The existing innovation processes are expanded through deliberate methodology such as design thinking and is intended to lead abstract ideas more quickly to market-ready products," says Ischi, explaining the procedure in the new innovation lab and adding, "With product presentations, prototyping and live testing on site, speditive influence can be made in the optimization."

Markus Heinzle, Managing Director of Biella Switzerland, fully supports the idea: "The InnOffice Lab should be a successful and efficient platform that the employees of both companies can use to their advantage. They will be able to intervene in product development and optimization right on the spot, while at the same time incorporating knowledge from their own field." Eduard Bähler, Managing Director of Bigla Office, was also enthusiastic from the start: "With the InnOffice Lab, we can develop and improve products in collaboration with our customers. As a result, we are more focused and customer-oriented on the road."

Meet experts in the innovation lab

Both companies are currently using the Innovation Lab for their internal product and business development purposes. Ideas for external use exist. As soon as the InnOffice Lab is established internally, it is planned to open the doors with events and presentations for SMEs and the public under the motto "Meet the Expert". With targeted topics such as "Future Trends", "Co-Working Space" or "Filing with System", inspiration, discussion and networking should be created. Individual solutions could be developed for companies and tested directly by test persons. These and other interesting topics will then be presented to a broad audience.

www.biella.ch

www.bigla-office.ch

Ivo Muri and his family want to devote themselves entirely to time research in the future and are planning to set up their own institute. After more than 20 years, they are therefore selling Zeit AG to Stefan Hermann, who will integrate the company into his networked corporate structure. Stefan Hermann has been anchored in the IT industry for over 20 years and has founded several software companies during this time. The group includes the Sursee-based companies Base-Net Informatik AG, Base-Net Education AG and Base-Net IT Services AG, as well as PEAX AG, which is domiciled in Lucerne. Together with Zeit AG, the group of companies employs over 180 people.

Still independent company with new management

Zeit AG will continue to operate as an independent company, according to a statement on February 12. The integration into the group of companies results in a large number of synergies at the product level, the company adds. The Base-Net companies develop software for banks, insurance companies and schools, and also offer professional cloud services. PEAX specializes in digital services and networked overall systems. Together with the core competencies of Base-Net and PEAX, Zeit AG's products will be more strongly networked, and a unique combination of technology and expertise will be created, the communiqué continues.

The role of Ivo Muri's successor as CEO will be taken over by Stefan Müller. Stefan Müller has been active in the IT industry for over 20 years. According to the company, he has great entrepreneurial know-how, a wealth of experience as a committed leader and is familiar with the latest technologies. After holding various positions at Homegate, Axon Active, Base-Net and PEAX, he is looking forward to leading Zeit AG into an exciting and sustainable future, according to the statement.

Ivo Muri continues to be active as a time researcher

Ivo Muri founded Zeit AG in 1994. Today, his time recording systems are used extensively and have been able to establish themselves as the Swiss market leader. In addition to his entrepreneurial commitment, Ivo Muri is passionate about researching the meaning of time in our society. In his book publications, among others, he has impressively shown how much our understanding of time is tied to the clock and money - and contrasts this understanding with alternative concepts in his reflections. The recently launched series of impulse events www.zeitzeichen.ch serves him as a vessel for the transfer of insights from time research. Together with his wife and his two daughters, who were already active in Zeit AG, he will found a time research and consulting institute called "NOMOS der ZEIT". This will be domiciled at Geuenseestrasse 5 in Sursee from March 1, 2018.

Group of companies:

• www.zeitag.ch
• www.basenet.ch
• www.peax.ch
• www.peax.business

Compared with other industrialized countries, Switzerland is known to perform above average on many economic indicators. It has high competitiveness, low unemployment and low national debt. In terms of productivity, however, Switzerland is only average. Productivity growth has not only weakened in recent years, it has also been well below that of other industrialized countries. This is all the more astonishing when one considers that the influence of digitization on the world of work and society has steadily increased. The progress of digitization in recent years still seems to have had little impact on productivity statistics. One main factor for this is that they have mainly made themselves felt in the consumer sector. On the other hand, there has hardly been any widespread use of the latest digital technologies on the corporate side. Furthermore, some digital technologies are probably only at the very beginning of their development.

Index measures digital innovation capability

Despite declining productivity growth, there is little doubt that digital technologies currently offer the greatest potential to increase productivity and thus the prosperity of the population in the long term. The decisive factor, however, is how capable Switzerland and the companies based here are of innovation and how well equipped they are to exploit this potential.

To measure this, Deloitte has developed the "Digital Innovation Capability" index in collaboration with BAK Economics. This shows how Switzerland compares with other OECD countries in terms of the development, application and commercialization of digital technologies. Three pillars are at the heart of the index: talent, startups, and investments and patents.

Switzerland in 8th place - good, but not good enough?

Overall, Switzerland performs relatively well according to this index. With 51 points, it ranks 8th out of 35 OECD countries measured (see table). In other words, Switzerland performs above average, but there is still relatively much room for improvement. Above all, the gap to the first-placed USA is large. These results thus show a somewhat different picture than the well-known and much-cited innovation and competitiveness rankings, in which Switzerland has been at the top for years.

Talent: Switzerland performs very well

In terms of the first main pillar, talent, Switzerland is among the leaders. Not only does Switzerland have access to a good pool of workers, the outlook for the future is also encouraging. The study sees the reason for this in the quality of the Swiss education system. Thanks to this education system, the renowned universities and a high level of attractiveness for foreign workers, Switzerland achieves second place among all OECD countries.

According to the study, there is a need for improvement above all in STEM education (mathematics, information technology, natural sciences and technology) and in the teaching of digital skills in basic education. In terms of the number of STEM graduates, Switzerland is only OECD mediocre. Young people should be more enthusiastic about technical professions and cooperation between schools and companies should be strengthened, postulate Deloitte and BAK Economics with reference to measures already taken. In terms of the basic digital skills of employees, the index shows Switzerland only just above the OECD average. One of the reasons for this is probably the fact that ICT skills are not yet sufficiently embedded in basic education. The authors of the study call for action here, on the one hand by strengthening the understanding of technical subjects in schools in general, and on the other hand by giving IT more weight as a subject.

Start-ups: Lack of affinity for start-ups, relatively good infrastructure

The second pillar of the index, Start-ups, measures a country's entrepreneurial activity and its affinity for entrepreneurship. Here, Switzerland scores mediocre - at 17th place, it is exactly in line with the OECD average. The main factors here are the lack of affinity for start-ups, the relatively low level of start-up activity and regulatory hurdles in the process of setting up and insolvency of companies. Positive factors are the digital infrastructure and the international orientation of the startups.

Reto Savoia, Deputy CEO of Deloitte Switzerland, says: "Switzerland has some catching up to do when it comes to startups. The population's affinity for entrepreneurship is lower in this country than in Anglo-Saxon countries such as the USA, Canada and New Zealand. There are starting points here, especially in the social perception and status of entrepreneurship. Here, entrepreneurship and startups must be addressed as valid career options and students and trainees must be prepared accordingly. Also crucial is help in starting a business, whether through a link between university and company, university start-up support or private accelerators. Switzerland has already greatly improved its position here, but lags behind the world's best offerings."

Investments & patents: High investments, deep networking

The third pillar of the "Digital Innovation Capability" index measures investment in innovation, once in the form of capital investment and once in the form of investment in digital knowledge capital, the latter measured via patents. Switzerland is in the top 10 in terms of investments and patents. ICT investments are very high, but the value added by the ICT sector is relatively low. The number of digital patents per capita is also relatively high in an OECD comparison. In contrast, digital technologies still do not penetrate the patents of other technologies sufficiently.

"In terms of the number of digital patents per capita, Switzerland can place itself in the top 10. By contrast, the broad impact of digital technologies is far below average; the application of digital technologies in other technology fields - the so-called penetration rate - is far behind the leaders in this field," says Marc Bros de Puechredon of BAK Economics, adding: "The most important finding for Switzerland is that it can keep up internationally in the individual technologies, but has weaknesses in technology interconnection. It cannot contribute its existing digital competencies to the development of other technologies to the same extent as most of its competitors. The challenge for Switzerland will therefore be to drive forward the networking and interconnection of its technological capabilities."

Swiss companies must become more digital

Switzerland's innovative strength is primarily due to traditional industries with strong roots in Switzerland, such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals and machinery. When it comes to digital innovations, however, Switzerland is not at the forefront, as the index shows. A look at a current list of the world's most innovative companies, based on a survey of corporate executives, confirms this thesis: there is not a single Swiss company among the top 50. The top spots are occupied by digital players such as Apple, Google, Airbnb, Netflix and Uber. Much-noticed innovations have emerged primarily in the digital sector and especially in the business-to-consumer area.

Reto Savoia comments: "Ultimately, the decisive factor is how strongly companies based in Switzerland focus on the development and application of digital innovations and the optimization of their processes. With the right incentives and framework conditions, the state can have a not unimportant but ultimately only indirect influence on digital innovation capability. Companies therefore play a central role when it comes to improving Switzerland's position in the 'Digital Innovation Capability' index. Swiss companies have long recognized the importance of digitization, of course. Nevertheless, the potential seems to be far from exhausted at most companies."

www.deloitte.ch, www.bak-economics.com 

In its new study "Collection Complexity Score and Rating", credit insurer Euler Hermes shows how complicated it is to collect money for outstanding invoices in the world's 50 most important trading nations. To do so, Euler Hermes experts assessed the level of complexity of international debt collection procedures based on three main factors: payment practices, local court proceedings and insolvency procedures in the countries concerned. This results in a ranking designed to help companies navigate their international trade activities.

Local collection procedures nothing transferable to foreign countries

Although Switzerland ranks among the countries with the least uncertainty in the payment of receivables due, Swiss companies cannot transfer this framework to their foreign operations. Local law applies in collection procedures, which can differ significantly from Swiss practice.

Western European countries in the lead

With a global average score of 51 on a scale of 1 (no degree of complexity) to 100 (high degree of complexity), Western Europe tops the scale with the simplest collection procedures. Sweden, Germany and Ireland in particular have the lowest level of complexity, with scores of 30, 30 and 31 respectively. Sweden leads the ranking with the best payment practices, the simplest court procedure, and the most effective insolvency law.

In absolute and relative terms, Europe is home to most of the countries categorized by Euler Hermes as having the lowest collection complexity. 14 out of a total of 16 European countries surveyed are categorized as "less complex", while Greece and Italy are the exceptions with high collection complexity.

Legal costs in Switzerland: advance at the expense of the companies

The Euler Hermes study shows that the largest economies, the most dynamic markets and the most solid countries are not characterized by business-friendly conditions in all areas. There are also difficult aspects of the debt collection process in Switzerland. "Following the standardization of the Code of Civil Procedure, companies now have to advance the court costs. However, many SMEs cannot afford the high court costs and are therefore unable to enforce their rights," says Stefan Ruf, CEO of Euler Hermes Switzerland. This is particularly problematic for the large Swiss exporters, mostly medium-sized companies, according to the credit insurer. Unpaid invoices could quickly threaten the existence of such companies. "That's why a comprehensive assessment of the contractual partners from the outset is a more reliable basis than relying on standard dunning procedures - especially in countries with complex framework conditions," Ruf continues. And he notes, "Generally speaking, if the money hasn't arrived after 60 days, it's high time to call in debt collection experts with international experience." Depending on the canton, court costs can also vary greatly:

• Dispute value CHF 20,000: costs between 8,000-50,000
• Dispute value CHF 100,000: costs between 20,000-100,000
• Value in dispute CHF 1.5 million: 125,000-500,000

Bringing up the rear in debt collection: the Middle East

At the other end of the scale, the Middle Eastern countries Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates rank as top performers in the complexity of debt collection procedures. With a score of 94, the international procedure in Saudi Arabia is three times as complicated as in Sweden. 78 out of 100 complexity points on the debt collection scale means third place for Malaysia, followed by China (73), Russia (72), Mexico (70), Indonesia and South Africa (67).

Source: www.eulerhermes.ch

The Industrial Gases Association Switzerland IGS has elected Dr. Ing. Hans Michael Kellner as its new president. Hans Michael Kellner is Managing Director of Messer Switzerland AG based in Lenzburg, one of the leading suppliers and manufacturers of industrial gases. 

Industrial Gases Association Switzerland emphasizes the importance of gases

The association's main goals for 2018 are to ensure the highest safety standards and to present a unified front to regulators and all gas users. "Standardization makes the processes in our highly regulated industry easier and clearer. In addition, gases, in our opinion, are given far too little attention, especially since Switzerland would come to a complete standstill if no gases were available," Dr. Kellner continued.

Little known to the general public, the Industrial Gases Association Switzerland IGS unites all industrial gases companies in Switzerland, which together generate annual sales of around CHF 450 million. "Highly qualified employees from all leading gas companies in Switzerland work for the IGS. SMEs, hospitals and private individuals benefit equally from the concentrated expertise on topics such as safety in the handling of gases," says the new president, Dr. Hans Michael Kellner.

Underestimated importance of the association

The professional handling of gases is essential for survival, which many people are not aware of until now. The main tasks of the association include:

• Advice on gas safety for members and non-members (storage, handling, transport, etc.)
• Promotion of education and training
• Exchange of information and cooperation in safety-related matters, also with authorities and official agencies
• Participation in Swiss and international committees in which legal norms, guidelines and other regulations are developed or implemented.
• Development of recommendations for members and third parties

No more blown balconies

In 2018, the association is creating a new website that will present the many applications of gases and how they are handled to the general public. "We want to ensure, for example, that private users handle gas cylinders correctly at their barbecues and that we don't have to read news of blown-up balconies in the future," Kellner continues. Gases are perfectly safe if you follow a few simple rules.

Further information: Industrial Gases Association Switzerland IGS, Bahnhofstrasse 37, 8032 Zurich, phone +41 (0)44 225 15 25

The company RGB Consulting in Degersheim and Gossau offers, in addition to the classic fiduciary activity, services in the consulting and social sector, such as, for example, Springer assignments for vacancies in all municipal departments. Co-owner Reto Gnägi (see interview below) will be a panelist at the Forum.Integration in the Pfalzkeller on March 12, 2018, an event organized by Dreischiibe, Procap, Profil - Arbeit & Handicap and Obvita, and Suva for the tenth time. The forum aims to raise awareness among employers about the integration of people with disabilities and to show best practice examples of how to create and maintain jobs for employees with physical and mental disabilities. The forum is supported by Migros Kulturprozent, Die Post, SVA St. Gallen, Gewerbe St.Gallen, Wirtschaft Region St.Gallen, Bühler Group, Raiffeisen, Schweizerischer Arbeitgeberverband, and IHK St.Gallen-Appenzell.

Reto Gnägi, how did you come to hire your employee with a handicap?

Reto Gnägi: Obvita, the organization of the East Swiss Association for the Blind, approached us. Michael Binkert had completed a commercial apprenticeship there. The young man had originally studied mechanical engineering, was operated on for a brain tumor and had to undergo chemotherapy. After the operation, he only has a visual test of ten percent. After the retraining, the aim was to assess his performance in the primary labor market.

Why did you finally hire him permanently?

After the internship with us, he applied without success. We thought it would be a good idea for us to try integration. We are active in the social sector ourselves, for example by working at social welfare offices and taking care of individual cases there (see below). Michael Binkert has been with us on a permanent basis for a little over a year now. He is paid within the limits of his capacity. The IV finances this.

Otherwise, the IV clarifies the capability.

Correct. But we are closer to the realities on the first labor market and have been able to objectify the performance better. The IV would like to institutionalize this procedure. A new, practice-oriented procedure emerged.

They were coached by Obvita.

Yes, Obvita provided the tools - such as the device that reads the documents to our employee. We received glasses that allow us to visualize how our employee perceives the environment. It is important to provide support in terms of care - how to deal with a person with a handicap when things are not going so well. For this purpose, location discussions took place in each case.

There were stumbling blocks?

Our employee had to undergo another operation and further radiation treatments, which set him back. He is very tired at times and suffers from migraines, so he cannot work. The team needs empathy, some patience and social skills. These are the things I ask of employees in other ways as well.

Can you paraphrase your employee's job description?

He handles all the mail, is in charge of accounting, and writes work reports and correspondence. His portfolio corresponds to that of a normal KV employee. The only difference is in terms of performance.

Did any areas stand out where he is particularly good?

We expected that going to the post office would be much more difficult. He also copes very well with using the digital equipment, such as the copier, even though he is almost blind. And he finds his way around our offices very well, even though they are spread over three floors.

How do you assess the situation today?

Michael Binkert has a high level of satisfaction. Until the IV had decided, our employee did not know where he stood financially. This was very stressful. The fact that he was initially set back in his career goals and then experienced that no one needed him when he was looking for a job was something we were able to absorb with appreciation. He blossomed and regained his self-confidence. Today, our employee is fully integrated into the team and is perceived as such.

What about your satisfaction?

We can work with a person who has gone through this on a one-to-one scale. In the social sector, we are always confronted with people with such fates. We can now pass on our experience there. We are more authentic.

Goodwill is needed for professional integration.

Our attitude does not require special admiration. Others carry out team building for such experiences. These are things that cannot be measured materially. We have the feeling that we also fulfill a social task.

Nevertheless, there is still too little professional integration.

The need is greater than the offers. In some cases, integration is abandoned because of prejudices. There is a fear of having to dismiss someone if it does not work. We look at it differently. If you integrate people with disabilities more, you give them a lot in return, and they give you a lot in return. It is then really a win-win situation.

How could employers be motivated to increase vocational integration?

In the beginning, it needs the coaching and support of a professional organization to discuss and clear up open questions and difficulties. Then many more such jobs would be available and feasible than one would think.

Without industry differences?

Where someone can work depends on the disability. Not all industries are the same, and not all are suitable for people with all handicaps. But there are opportunities in every industry - just not for the same people with disabilities.

More information:

Forum.Integration at the Pfalzkeller, "Entering the workforce - practical examples show hurdles and success factors for people with impairments," Monday, March 12, 2018, 6 to 8 p.m. Registration: www.forumimpfalzkeller.ch or info@forumimpfalzkeller.ch

At the forum, four current film portraits provide an insight into the situation of people with disabilities at their workplace. The Eastern Switzerland Integration Prize will also be awarded for the second time. The nominees are Alterssiedlung Kantengut, Chur, Alterszentrum Am Schäflisberg, St.Gallen, Bäckerei-Konditorei Beck Beck, Wittenbach, the municipality of Herisau (technical services, fire department), Genossenschaft Migros Ostschweiz, Hotel Wolfensberg, Degersheim, Kliniken Valens, Valens, Reha Seewis, Seewis Dorf, and Werkhalle Schmid, AG, Schwellbrunn, with Martin Klöti, member of the cantonal government, as laudator. The event will be moderated by long-time SRF Federal House editor Hanspeter Trütsch. mw.

To the author:

Michael Walther is a journalist in Wattwil SG.

Lidl Switzerland, last year's leader, maintains its position with 2402 part-time positions advertised. These were increased over the year 2017 to Part-time career.ch around 201,000 times. The city of Zurich follows in second place (1753 part-time jobs advertised), which already performed very strongly in the previous year and has improved its ranking by another 5 places. Manor ranks 3rd (1566). The two companies from the healthcare sector, the Hirslanden private hospital group and Zurich University Hospital, which shared 2nd place last year, now occupy 4th and 5th place. Credit Suisse and SBB can both make up 3 places. They occupy 6th place (1099) and 7th place (1091). The canton of Zurich (8th place - 941) and Swisscom (9th place - 904) also make up further ground and are in the top 10 for the first time. Aldi Suisse lands in 10th place.

"Part-time work has become a matter of course".

This year, Zühlke Engineering AG has made it into the top 30 of part-time employers for the first time (rank 28 - 386). Part-time work and other flexible working time models have become indispensable at Zühlke. As an implementation partner for product and software solutions as well as process optimization, the company is constantly dealing with changes that drive society forward. "We are successful when our customers are successful and the key to this lies in our employees" says Aglaia Trapp, Head Employer Branding at Zühlke. The demand for part-time opportunities has grown steadily over the years and this has been responded to accordingly. "Our positive experience with part-time positions confirms this time and again. After all, the decisive factor for performance is commitment, not the workload." Various positions in Zühlke's squad are also filled on a part-time basis. The high proportion of men with part-time jobs is also worth mentioning. Of the approximately 560 employees, 35% work part-time, of which 67% are men and 33% are women.

Promotion and relegation

With an increase of 193 places, the Tertianum Group is the climber of the year and currently occupies 17th place. The Kantonsspital Baden, as well as the Spitalverbund Appenzell Ausserrhoden also make a considerable leap forward, with an increase of 129 and 94 places respectively. Siemens Schweiz AG, following on from last year's positive development, improved its ranking by a further 55 places. The top newcomer is ABB Schweiz AG, which is ranked 15th in the current ranking. But Swiss Medical Network SA (34th), BLS AG (68th) and Pflegezentren Stadt Zürich (73rd) should also be mentioned here as newcomers.

The slump in advertised part-time positions in the retail sector is particularly striking. The supermarket chains Denner AG (-58 positions), Migros (-34) and Coop (-24) all slipped significantly in the ranking. When asked, only Coop was able to provide a statement. Andrea Bergmann, media spokesperson at Coop, explains that "many part-time positions are filled internally, for example by employees who want to work a reduced hours after maternity leave" and are therefore not advertised. Family-friendly working conditions are important to the company. "The continued employment rate after maternity is 80% for us," which is indeed a good record.

Recently, there has been repeated discussion in the media about whether the increasing number of self-scanning and self-checkout checkouts will lead to job cuts. The companies claim that this will have no effect on the number of jobs. The Unia trade union is nevertheless skeptical about this and comments on its homepage. "If the customer replaces the cashier, there is a threat of creeping job losses. Even if some cashiers take over other tasks in the company, it stands to reason that others will no longer be replaced in order to achieve savings."

Part-time positions are becoming increasingly popular

Employees' demands on employers are changing. According to many HR experts, flexible, individual and mobile working time models are needed to recruit good specialists and managers in today's labor market. Many companies have recognized the problem and are actively working on a cultural change. This is also shown by the significant increase in the number of part-time positions. In 2015, for example, around 8,700 part-time positions were advertised among the top 10 part-time employers; in 2016, there were already around 12,000 part-time positions. In 2017, there was a further increase with around 13,100 part-time positions. Many companies have started to systematically advertise their positions with a 80-100% workload in order to increase the range and attractiveness. It also offers women, in particular, the opportunity to pursue more highly qualified jobs on a part-time or job-sharing basis.

Driving cultural change

Siemens Schweiz AG, one of the top climbers in the ranking, sets a good example here. For several years, part-time work and other flexible working time models have been explicitly promoted within the company. "Promoting a future-oriented work culture is a major concern for us," says Garry Wagner, Head HR at Siemens. "We are convinced that this will sustainably increase the motivation of our employees and the success of our company." The options for working time models are individual and are adapted to the needs of the employees. Andy Keel, initiator of Part-time career.ch and TEILZEITMANN repeatedly emphasizes that "real cultural change in the company only succeeds if top management is behind it and top down is also promoted". This is also confirmed by Garry Wagner, who reports on examples of implementation at Siemens: "Top management repeatedly declares its support for flexible working time models at events and in messages to the workforce. We have made role models visible in employee portraits who live flexible working time models. In culture change events, managers and employees at our company are given the opportunity to exchange views on the topic across divisions." In the future, the company also plans to offer tailored management workshops to promote flexible working time models.

Part-time positions especially in retail trade

Retail, public administration/services and healthcare are the most strongly represented sectors in the ranking of the 100 top part-time employers 2017, again confirming the trend from the previous year. Service companies and public administrations are advertising more and more part-time positions and for the first time are the most strongly represented sectors in the ranking of the 100 top part-time employers of Part-time career.ch.

In 2017, Andy Keel launched what is probably Switzerland's first gender diversity consultancy under the name DOIT-smart. This is because he is convinced that "increased diversity in management has positive effects on corporate success and reputation." The consulting approach of DOIT-smart starts exactly here. It advises and accompanies companies in the implementation of gender diversity strategies to increase the proportion of women in management positions. With concrete measures and suitable products, the entire personnel lifecycle of the company is thus improved.

You can find the complete ranking here

For more information, please visit: http://www.teilzeitkarriere.ch/top100.html

The company is constantly upgrading its equipment to increase cyber security. The latest achievement in this arms race are so-called "deception technologies". These pose as an actual existing IT resource (such as servers, accounts, etc.) and aim to trap potential attackers. Once they become the target of an attack, this immediately leads to the alerting of security teams. The goal of such systems is to increase the likelihood that internal security teams will detect intruders on their networks. Meanwhile, there are already some robust and sophisticated technologies on the market that are a good option when a modern "cyber hunting program" is too costly. Furthermore, these systems are aimed at companies that want to use additional detection methods alongside existing security processes. However, since this approach has not yet gained widespread acceptance, there is as yet no empirical data on how sophisticated attackers might react to such systems.

Artificial intelligence already delivers results

Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning in particular have developed significantly in recent years, including in the area of security. Solutions are now available that deliver impressive results when properly tuned. While there are currently still a large number of vendors that do not offer a significant improvement over new technologies, this will change in 2018. In addition, the new EU General Data Protection Regulation (EU GDPR), which comes into force in May and will bring heavy penalties for non-compliance, plays an important role. Companies should therefore establish a uniform set of rules with which they can meet current and future compliance requirements.

Three steps to improve cybersecurity

But even though artificial intelligence may already be doing a lot for cybersecurity, companies can still do a lot themselves to protect themselves from the new security threats and ensure greater data security.

1. Inventory of applications: To build a security architecture that takes into account enterprise risk and allocates resources effectively, it is necessary to determine what needs to be protected, where these assets are located, and how important they are to the enterprise. This requires close collaboration between business units.
2. Reduction of the attack surface: Modern security concepts have long assumed that attackers penetrate internal systems, because today firewalls or IPS systems can no longer keep them outside the network. To reduce the number of accesses by cyber criminals, an organization's total attack surface should be reduced to a minimum. This includes processes such as patch and vulnerability management, but also security models like Software Defined Perimeter or Beyond Corp.
3. Governance: In many companies - especially in small - little investment is made in governance. It should help understand the risk to the business, prioritize the necessary safeguards, make investments, and create strategic plans. At the same time, it should require maintenance according to established policies and measure the effectiveness of operations. With an incident management plan in place, organizations are able to respond quickly to a security incident.

Source: Rackspace

The company's executive suite is like a swarm of bees. Executives are rushing from one meeting to the next, and employees are ducking their heads to avoid being caught in the impending storm. The reason for the hectic activity: the current quarterly results. Completely unexpectedly, the company slipped into the red. So those in charge are now rushing from one meeting to the next to discuss what to do in this tricky situation.

But the hectic back and forth is not productive. Because the question keeps coming up: How did it get this far? And, at least indirectly, the question: Who is to blame? Just when all those responsible should be acting effectively together, they get caught up in mutual recriminations. Or they use the situation to settle old scores. What's more, very few people are playing with their cards on the table, because they are afraid: If I'm not careful, I'll be pilloried.

Crises are often recognized and named late

This is also the reason why many crises are only recognized and named when it is already too late. Because no one dares to say openly: "If things go on like this, we'll end up in a crisis." Because everyone fears; Then everyone else will fall over me. So they prefer to keep their mouths shut and hope that things won't get so bad or that someone else will open their mouth and take a beating.

This is why bad figures are often covered up and quality deficiencies concealed until the first major customers withdraw their orders. That's why managing directors often hesitate with painful decisions until the bank pulls the ripcord. And that's why projects are still pursued even when it's long been clear to everyone: We'll never achieve the project goals. Accordingly, it is important to create a structure and culture in companies that enables risks and problems to be identified and named at an early stage.

External moderation often helpful

And if a crisis does occur, those responsible should first be aware of it: Crises can be managed - if you keep a cool head. However, those involved in crisis situations often fail to do just that, because they themselves are more or less affected. That is why it is advisable to call in an external moderator in such situations. The moderator creates the necessary framework conditions at the crisis meetings so that those responsible can overcome the crisis together.

To do this, they should analyze together in the first step: What alternative actions do we have in the current situation? These are usually more numerous than they appear in the initial panic. Especially when solutions are considered that were previously taboo in the company - because they run counter to the usual approach. Or because they challenge established structures and privileges. Or because they contradict (at first glance) the company's self-image.

Also discuss unusual solutions

Once the possible solutions are on the table, they need to be evaluated - starting with the question: What will help us best in the current situation? Here, too, external moderation is often helpful. This is because certain solutions are often not discussed seriously, even in crisis meetings - because those present would have to change their behavior or give up certain privileges in order to do so. If no one dares to suggest something like this, an external moderator can provide an advantage. For example, by asking: "Under what conditions could this solution be realized?" Then suddenly statements like: "If the decision-making powers of the sales department were expanded." Or: "If the requirement xy would no longer apply."

Only when the possible solutions have been evaluated in terms of their feasibility and their advantages and disadvantages can the parties involved reach agreement: We take the following action.... At the same time, they should agree: Who does what by when? When do we check whether the measures are having the desired effect? And: How do we measure this? This is the only way they can take countermeasures in good time if the measures do not have the desired effect.

Learning for the future

Only when the crisis has been resolved should those responsible sit down again to discuss the questions that were so burning on their minds at the beginning: How did the crisis come about? And: Why didn't we recognize it earlier? Because now they can address these questions in a much more relaxed manner - because the pressure to act is no longer so high. That's why there is also less blame and personal hurt.

In addition, such a meeting should discuss what has worked and what has not worked in overcoming the crisis. In this way, the necessary conclusions can be drawn from the shared experiences and the required (structural) changes can be derived so that the company does not slip into similar crises again.

To the author:
Klaus Doll, Neustadt an der Weinstraße, works as a business and executive coach for companies (Internet: www.doll-organisationsberatung.de).