A total of over 80 companies from the DACH countries applied for the Digital Award for SMEs. This award, presented for the first time this year, honored digital projects in the categories of customer experience, sales solutions, sustainability, and innovation. Due to the lively interest, there will be another award ceremony next year. This will also give Swiss SMEs that were unfortunately unable to pick up an award at the inaugural event a new chance. The Digital Award for SMEs - the official name is "Digitaler Mittelstands-Award", or DIMA for short - was launched by Visable, the provider of the online B2B platforms EUROPAGES and wlw (formerly "Wer liefert was").

Digital Award for SMEs: "Putting Hidden Champions in the Spotlight".

"With the Digital SME Award, we are putting the spotlight on the hidden champions of the B2B industry, because we are convinced that creative and digitally oriented SMEs are more future-proof than many of their large competitors," says Visable CEO and jury board member Peter F. Schmid. "Looking at the submissions we received confirms the impressive innovative power and expertise of the SMEs. To the award winners, DIMA provides the attention and recognition that each and every one of them deserves. We are already excited to see where the journey will take us next year. After all, the B2B industry is in a constant state of flux, becoming more efficient, increasingly digital, and constantly coming up with new solutions. We look forward to awarding these again on the DIMA stage in 2022."

Millimeter-accurate on-demand production

This year's winner in the "Customer Experience" category is FiMAB GmbH & Co. KG. The mechanical engineering company based in Neubulach, Baden-Württemberg, has developed a software-as-a-service (SaaS) platform that enables on-demand manufacturing of control cabinet housings with millimeter precision.

Dr. Dietrich Müller GmbH from Alhorn secured the win in the "Digital Sales Solutions" category with an automated online ordering process for 2D and 3D construction elements, including ad-hoc quotation generation.

Refillable oil containers protect the environment

The award in the sustainability category went to Tipp Oil Manufacturer Ltd. Co. KG in Bergkamen. Tipp Oil takes back its own empty oil containers, cleans them and returns them to the cycle when freshly filled.

CFD Schuck Ingenieurgesellschaft from Heidenheim has set up an artificial neural network for its customers in the field of fluid dynamic prototype development. This makes it possible to predict the service life, energy requirements or production duration of newly developed products. This achievement earned the company the award in the Innovation category.

Further information about the Digital Midmarket Award (DIMA) and all details about the ceremony can be found at www.visable.com/dima.

The SICHERHEITS Congress, as the most important B2B platform for security and fire protection, will accompany the Swissbau trade fair from January 18 to 21, 2022. A total of seven half-day modules will cover current topics in risk management, building and corporate security, and fire protection.

Most important meeting place for security experts

For the exchange of experience and knowledge transfer between practitioners in the field of security activities, the congress has become an indispensable fixed point. Qualified experts are happy to share their knowledge with new and well-known minds in the security community. Access to the congress, which takes place as a face-to-face event in compliance with Covid certification requirements, is subject to a fee and is only available by registration. The total of seven half-day modules can be booked individually or in any number, depending on personal interest. The individual modules are recognized by important institutions and industry associations as continuing education units. Lectures are given in German. In addition, modules 3 and 4 will be translated into French on Wednesday, January 19, 2022.

The 7 modules of the SECURITY Congress

• Module 1: Safety requirements: complex and changing
• Module 2: Healthy and safe planning, construction, assembly, maintenance ...
• Module 3: Security as a service - quo vadis?
• Module 4: Fire protection also reaches a new level thanks to BIM and digitalization
• Module 5: Building security: cleverly connected
• Module 6: Successfully avoid operational interruptions!
• Module 7: Innovative and sustainable in harmony with fire protection

Go directly to the details: https://save.ch/event/sicherheitskongress-01-2022
Registration: https://save.ch/event/sicherheitskongress-01-2022/?section=tickets

Managing information security is successful when responsible persons inform themselves and exchange ideas. SMIDEX Suisse 2021 offered this opportunity to its participants on November 17 and 18, 2021. Around 41 % of Swiss SMEs have already been victims of cyber attacks. Even if the data of smaller businesses is less interesting to cybercriminals, these companies remain attractive targets for them for two reasons: First, to extort ransomware using ransomware, and second, to use them as a gateway for attacks on larger companies that work with these SMEs. With this in mind, the SMIDEX Suisse Exposyum was launched, a live platform for physical security systems and cyber security.

Making life difficult for the hackers

The launch of the new platform for security has been a success. The opening by Rainer Maria Salzgeber (moderator), Nicolas Bürer (digitalswitzerland) and Nathalie Gratzer (project manager for the implementation of the National Strategy for the Protection of Switzerland against Cyber Risks (NCS) at the Federal Office for National Economic Supply), was well received. Nicolas Bürer spoke in his keynote about the opportunities and risks of digitalization. He also addressed the fear that digital transformation would destroy many jobs. But he was convinced: "There will be more jobs because of digitalization. Nathalie Gratzer, in turn, painted a realistic picture of the dangers that threaten us from cyberspace: "They are there, even if you don't see them." But with the right precautions, we still have a chance of making life more and more difficult for the hackers.

Field reports and best practice in IT security

In more than 30 presentations, participants were informed about the current state of cybersecurity not only by CISOs and CIOs, but also by C-level officers of SMEs. Using a recent survey, for example, Candid Wüest (VP Cyber Protection Research at Acronis) showed where companies are currently struggling the most and how this relates to merging cyberattacks. And of course, ethical hackers played an important role in the conference. Sandro Nafzger (CEO & Partner of Bug Bounty Switzerland GmbH) gave an exciting talk explaining why collaboration is key to the success of any digital transformation. There were also talks on best practice: Christoph Monigadon from Berner Kantonalbank showed the way to achieve a real security culture in companies - instead of prohibitions and threats of consequences with trust and a functioning error culture. Or Lukas Ruf from Migros explained how Switzerland's largest retailer ensures business continuity in the event of a cyber incident.

SMIDEX Suisse Exposyum again in autumn 2022

In addition to the speakers, 24 exhibitors entered into dialog with the interested trade visitors and supported them in their safety precautions with great experience.

According to the organizer DeltaBlue AG, there was a lot of positive feedback from the exhibitors and the partners involved. The next version of SMIDEX SUISSE Exposyum is planned for autumn 2022 in the international association.

More information

The Swiss Employer Award is probably the most meaningful award for assessing employer attractiveness. This is because the only thing that counts in this award are the detailed assessments of the company's own employees. The scientifically developed questionnaire consists of around 60 questions and is completed on average by 75% of all employees of a company. This makes the assessments extremely representative and provides a differentiated picture of the working environment in a company.

How employees rate their employers

57 companies received awards this year and the best employers 2021 were selected from their ranks. A further 57 companies received a quality seal this year. These companies achieved a good rating level, but are not among the best employers in Switzerland and therefore did not receive a rank.

Employees rated their employer on all work situation topics relevant to satisfaction and commitment. The following three dimensions of the work situation have the greatest influence on employee commitment in relation to all 165 companies:

1. Corporate strategy, i.e. employees want to know where the company is headed
2. Work content, i.e. employees want to be able to fully apply their knowledge and skills
3. Involvement of employees, i.e. employees want to be involved and have sufficient freedom to make decisions

It is also interesting to note that cooperation within the company and customer orientation have become much more important during the Corona period. This can be explained by the fact that these two topics have become more focused and more difficult to manage during this time.

Heavily burdened employers

In the evaluations, it is noticeable that the workload in many companies has increased even further. In some cases, a vicious circle has begun: Heavy workloads lead to more absences and, as a result, the remaining employees have to take on even more, which increases the burden even further. In some cases, there was not even enough time for recruiting and integrating new employees, which in turn had an impact on cooperation, on the teams and on the mood (spirit). Conclusion: The crisis did not bring about something that was not there before, but at most reinforced something that was already there.

Humility and modesty have grown

"The majority of employees' reaction was very employer-friendly, i.e. understanding, and we often found something like modesty or humility in the organizations. Many employees appreciated still having their job in this rather difficult time and finding support and orientation in their working environment," summarizes Sven Bühler, Managing Director of icommit GmbH, which conducts and evaluates the survey in each case. This is also reflected in the overall satisfaction and commitment. At all companies, the satisfaction index remained at roughly the same level. The sense of belonging to one's own company, the central component of commitment, increased slightly despite or even because of the crisis.

The best employers in 2021 by category

Large companies category (1,000+ employees)

1. Vaudoise Insurances
2. SFS Group Switzerland AG
3. Luzerner Kantonalbank AG

Medium-sized company category (250-999 employees)

1. Ergon Informatik AG
2. zeka centers for the physically handicapped aarau
3. ti&m AG

Medium-sized company category (100-249 employees)

1. IB Langenthal AG
2. Mobimo Management AG
3. Fraisa SA

Category Small companies (50-99 employees)

1. Industrielle Betriebe Interlaken (IBI) AG
2. Arcolor AG
3. SCHURTER Input Systems AG

Rising star of the year

Matterhorn Gotthard Railways

The complete rankings are available here: https://swissarbeitgeberaward.ch/gewinner/

Companies are losing data not only to ransomware attacks, but also to gross blunders by their employees. This was the finding of a study by Veritas, a provider of data security solutions for companies, for which a total of 11,500 office employees in Germany, France, the United Kingdom, the United States, Australia, China, Singapore, South Korea and the United Arab Emirates were surveyed. In Germany, for example, more than half (54 percent) have already accidentally deleted shared data such as Word or Excel documents and presentations. Twenty-three percent of respondents have done this several times a week, and one-fifth do it every day.

No error culture: blame and punishment

The mistakes also happen with business-critical information: According to the survey, 14 percent of German study participants have already deleted personal data by mistake. In 18 percent of cases, HR information was affected - such as details on employees and employment relationships - and in 16 percent of cases, customer data was lost.

"Organizations must not blame their employees for inadvertently deleting this information or accidentally allowing hackers to hijack data," urges Eric Waltert, Regional VP DACH at Veritas. "There is often only a short window of time to recover deleted or corrupted data in the cloud. Managers should therefore educate their employees and train them to report such cases to the IT team as soon as possible so they can take immediate action. It is clear from our study that penalties would be the wrong way to go here."

Employees are ashamed to admit mistakes

The study found that application errors often do not even come to light. For example, 40 percent of survey participants in Germany try to cover up the fact that they accidentally deleted shared data from cloud applications such as Office 365 or Google Docs. 37 percent said that no one had noticed their mistake. In the vast majority (63 percent), however, the errors were discovered. In 16 percent of all incidents, the data was lost forever.

When asked why they did not admit the mistakes, 35 percent of respondents said they were ashamed. 17 percent explained that they were afraid of personal consequences. Seven percent cited the fact that they had already had trouble with their IT department as a reason. These results show that many companies have a poor error culture.

In the case of ransomware incidents, there is even more concealment: only 32 percent of those surveyed in Germany would immediately admit to mistakes that enabled the introduction of ransomware in the first place. 38 percent would do nothing at all and act as if nothing had happened. And 23 percent said that they would report the incident - but without admitting that they had anything to do with it.

Data loss leads to anger and despair

When data shared in the cloud is lost, it can have a major impact on the well-being of employees: 42 percent of the Germans surveyed said they swear when they lose data. Eleven percent have even broken something out of anger, and 15 percent have burst into tears. Losing important work documents is a particularly stressful experience for employees. According to the survey, such an incident is perceived as more stressful than a job interview. Even worse for respondents is the thought of being responsible for introducing ransomware. Only the loss of a cell phone, keychain or wallet would bother them more.

"Employees are now dependent on cloud-based technologies to get their work done," Waltert said. "In Germany, 38 percent of office workers store data in cloud folders that IT has created for them. Twenty-three percent use folders that sync with the cloud, and 19 percent store information in cloud folders that they share with their teams. The more employees access the cloud, the more opportunities individuals have to shift blame from themselves to others. However, without knowing the details of who caused a ransomware attack, how and when, it's extremely difficult to mitigate the damage."

Lack of knowledge about how the cloud works

The survey also showed that many employees do not know whether and how lost data can be recovered. For example, almost all participants in Germany (94 percent) believe that this is possible - either with the help of a cloud copy, their deleted objects folder or via a backup. And eight percent think that their "deleted objects" are still available in the cloud up to a year after the data was lost.

In addition, 41 percent of respondents consider data in the cloud to be relatively well protected against ransomware because the cloud provider ensures that no malware is introduced, Waltert quotes from the study. "This is a fundamentally false assumption that puts companies at risk if not addressed. As a rule, cloud providers also make it clear in their standard services that the company itself is responsible for protecting its data. Storing data in the cloud does not automatically make it secure."

User company: Responsibility and better error culture

According to the study, each office worker accidentally caused the loss of an average of 27 documents last year. This highlights the scale of the problem when using cloud applications. "More than one in two users have accidentally deleted a file in the cloud and been unable to retrieve it. This puts employees in tremendous stressful situations, and they often try to cover up their mistakes out of shame or fear. Some may believe that it's not a problem for the cloud provider to recover the data. But the service provider is not responsible for the security of the data. The responsibility lies with the user company - whether the information is stored in the cloud or on employee devices. With the right measures and easy-to-use tools for recovering lost files, companies can take a lot of pressure off their employees. Blaming doesn't help - backing up data correctly does."

Source: Veritas

Dr. Egon P. S. Zehnder, founder of the well-known, now globally active executive search and leadership advisory firm, passed away on November 16 surrounded by his family. Zehnder is survived by his wife Brigitte and their five children Dominik, Andreas, Sven, Peter and Heidi as well as 16 grandchildren.

Mourning for the company founder

"Our thoughts are with his family," says Chairwoman Jill Ader. "Egon was an outstanding entrepreneurial personality, a brilliant mind who was characterized by exceptional warmth and cordiality." Global CEO Ed Camara also calls it a privilege to have known the Swiss entrepreneur. "Egon laid the foundation of the company where we have found a professional home. We owe him much and mourn with his family."

Egon P. S. Zehnder: A Pioneer

Born on April 12, 1930, at the age of 34, Harvard graduate Egon Zehnder founded a company that over the course of his life developed into a leading global player among executive search firms. Unlike the competition, Zehnder relied early on equal partnership, part of a clearly defined set of values that is still valid today. As early as 1976, he transferred his shares to equal partners, and in 2000 he left the company, to which he remained closely attached. Jill Ader: "His personality shaped one of the core values of our company: generosity." Ed Camara: "Egon's entrepreneurial pioneering spirit made our one-firm model possible. His values have guided and continue to guide our firm, which bears his name."

Source: www.egonzehnder.com

Swiss small businesses are demonstrating flexibility during the Corona crisis. Thanks to modern infrastructure, work can be done in a home office, provided that business activities permit this. Home office use has doubled since the beginning of the Corona crisis, so home office has established itself as a place to work. The downside: while a quarter of the companies surveyed were affected by cyberattacks in 2020, more than a third were in the second survey. This is shown by the latest study on digitalization and cybersecurity in SMEs, which was implemented by gfs-zürich on behalf of Mobiliar, digitalswitzerland, the Alliance Digital Security Switzerland, the University of Applied Sciences Northwestern Switzerland - Competence Center Digital Transformation and the Swiss Academy of Engineering Sciences. The study further reveals: The implementation of technical measures against cyberattacks is at a high level. However, there is a lot of potential in the implementation of organizational measures such as conducting security audits and employee training.

Social factors as the greatest challenge

Team cohesion, the atmosphere among employees or the threat of loneliness in the home office are mentioned most frequently when it comes to the greatest challenges for a company when converting to a home office. The second most frequently mentioned issue is the necessary technical solutions such as data and telephone access.

Online fraud figures double

The most frequently mentioned attacks were via malware, viruses or Trojans. The second most common form of attack is online fraud. This more than doubled from 6 % to 15 % compared to 2020. Technical measures alone do not help against this. Measures such as "regular software updates", "securing the WLAN network with passwords" and "using a firewall" are far above 80% in Swiss companies. So why are there still so many successful attacks?

Insufficient: Organizational measures to increase cybersecurity

The answer probably lies in this: according to the study results, fewer than half of the companies implement the organizational measures "implementation of a security concept", "regular employee training" and "conducting a security audit".

Andreas Hölzli, Head of Mobiliar's Cyber Risk Competence Center, explains: "Compared to last year's study, even more SMEs have fallen victim to a cyber attack. That is worrying. Organizational measures can noticeably complete the protection. For example, employee training is worth mentioning. Equally important: security audits - in other words, a cyber risk check of one's own company." And Prof. Dr. Marc K. Peter of the FHNW says: "SMEs are not taking advantage of many strategic potentials. The digital age and the prominent questions about home office and cyber security accelerate the need for strategy discussions and concrete measures."

Protection against cyber risks must be further expanded

Nicole Wettstein, Program Manager Cybersecurity at SATW: "It is important to further expand the information and education activities for SMEs in the cybersecurity area. According to the survey, threat awareness is high, but the feeling of being affected is not to the same extent. Many SMEs still assume they are not an attractive target for cyberattacks - there is still a need for action here."

Andreas W. Kaelin, Deputy Managing Director and Head of the Cybersecurity Dossier at digitalswitzerland, provides the following information on the direction this should take: "Last year's survey showed that a third of small companies are getting support from external IT service providers. We took this as an opportunity to develop and pilot the CyberSeal "certified IT service provider". The CyberSeal recognizes IT service providers who guarantee their customers an appropriate level of protection with the necessary technical and organizational measures. In this way, the seal of approval increases the digital security of SMEs and anchors digitization at a higher level of quality." Further information on CyberSeal is available here: www.digitalsecurityswitzerland.ch.

Compliance and data protection are a top priority at banks, chemical and pharmaceutical companies. Correspondingly, adequate resources are provided there. However, a survey conducted by the Zurich School of Economics (HWZ) and the law firm Bratschi AG has shown that the construction, mechanical engineering, and health and social sectors still have some catching up to do. People from 84 companies took part in the survey, which takes a close look at the importance of compliance and data protection in Swiss companies.

Correlation between sales and job percentages

According to the survey results, nearly 50% of the companies have only one full-time compliance position, with higher revenue directly correlated to more full-time positions. Up to CHF 100 million in sales, 75% have only one full-time position. With company sales of CHF 1 billion, 80% of companies have at least two to 50 full-time positions. In the area of data protection, 75% of the companies have only one full-time position: Only with sales of more than CHF 1 billion does the size of the data protection department increase significantly.

Anchoring compliance and data protection even more firmly

According to Dr. Christian Wind, partner at Bratschi AG and lecturer at the HWZ, compliance and data protection must be positioned and anchored much more strongly and, above all, more comprehensively in companies, not least because they protect the company's reputation in the long term. Dr. David Wicki-Birchler, head of the CAS Data Protection Officer course at the HWZ, notes: "Compliance and data protection are perceived and implemented differently depending on size and industry. Compliance already seems to be better anchored in the consciousness of companies than data protection. Business ethics aspects are clearly gaining ground and require action-oriented competencies".

Specific training

Around 75% of compliance officers have a university degree. Around 30% have completed specific further training in the area of compliance. In the area of data protection, the level of education is somewhat lower than in compliance. Just over 60% have a university degree and slightly fewer than 25% have completed specific further training in data protection.

At the HWZ, part-time courses are offered in which students learn in a practice-oriented manner how to better protect their company and competently position it for the future. The lecturers teach how to redesign operating models in such a way that compliance & digital security bring strategic advantages. In addition to the banking environment, SMEs and large companies in other industries are also subject to regulations. Topics such as cyber security, cyber risk, compliance management, data protection and data security are covered in depth in the continuing education courses. With the recognized degrees of the HWZ in the areas of Compliance & Digital Security, students qualify with a Master (MAS) or a certificate or diploma program (CAS, DAS).

Source and further information: www.fh-hwz.ch

The timing of the November 16, 2021 broadcast was not bad at all: COP26 in Glasgow has just ended. There was a lot of discussion about sustainability, but - as we know - relatively few decisions were made. But sustainability issues are also on the minds of young companies, and in a much more concrete way than on politicians.

Vegan ice cream melts lion hearts

For example, "Nomoo" with Rebecca Göckel and Jan Grabow from Cologne: "Sustainable and healthy" could be the claim for their vegan ice cream. But "Nomoo" stands for "ice cream without cow" ("no moo"). With a dessert produced purely on a plant basis, sustainably and with minimal CO2 emissions, Rebecca and Jan are about to conquer the German market. Supported by Fabio Matticoli, they now want to make a splash in Switzerland as well. And that is what they are doing with their presentation. Even if Jan's short talk about melting polar ice caps may have come across as a bit didactic, the three founders professionally demonstrated the market potential and benefits of their vegan ice cream dessert, which is already available in nine flavors. Their offer to the lions: 450,000 Swiss francs for 4 percent company shares. "A sporty amount," as Lion Jürg Schwarzenbach stated. But everyone liked the vegan ice cream, and the prospect of good sales - "Nomoo" expects to exceed the 10 million mark in 2022 - made the dollar signs light up for the five investors. Jürg Schwarzenbach suggested that they all commit 100,000 Swiss francs each in exchange for five percent company shares. An offer that the three founders wanted to reconsider. They made a counteroffer: 600,000 francs for five percent shares. But the lions remained firm, Patrick Mollet: "Take it or leave it". And that's how the deal was struck: The five lions invested 500,000 francs in Nomoo - a fine example of successful negotiation with investors.

On the "lion's catch" with other sustainability topics

The solution of the three brothers Christoph, Adrian and Patrik Bertschi with their company "SmartBreed" was also about sustainability. They have developed an automated grasshopper breeding box. With this, they want to fight against the environmentally harmful production of soy animal feed. The locust breeding boxes allow zoos, farmers and food manufacturers to produce their own protein feed. The grasshoppers feed on agricultural byproducts. They are then fed to zoo animals and laying hens or processed for human consumption. Lions meet animal feed, you might say, and they certainly bit. The three brothers wanted 100,000 Swiss francs in exchange for 2 percent of the company, but Jürg Schwarzenbach soon said, "You need more," and offered 300,000 in exchange for 10 percent. Roland Brack also made an offer: 200,000 against 10 percent. Patrick Mollet also offered 100,000 francs, asking for 3 percent of the company. After a short consultation, the three brothers accepted Jürg Schwarzenbach's offer. They are now looking for farmers who are as innovative as the three young entrepreneurs.

And once again a fintech company comes away empty-handed

The fact that fintech companies have a hard time with the lions has already been a previous episode shown. This impression was also confirmed by the business idea of Ivan Sosio and Oliver Steeg: With "Sparbatze" they have created a digital pension platform. Via an app, services in the areas of investment, insurance and finance are to be made easily accessible to those people who are less inclined to deal with such issues but still want to put something aside for pillar 3a. With "Sparbatze", the user invests exclusively in securities, and not just any securities: as what it claims to be the first company in Switzerland, "Sparbatze" namely enables its customers to invest in thematic categories such as greentech, robotics or equal rights. "Everything has been heard many times before," was the basic tenor of the lions. Even the fact that a prominent brand ambassador, hurdle sprinter Kariem Hussein, was brought in did not change the fact that none of the five lions could warm to the product. Tobias Reichmuth, for example, was less than enthusiastic about the fact that two major partners, a cantonal bank and an insurance company, were already involved. As a result, no deal was struck, especially since the three men seemed to have forgotten one important detail: to show how their app actually works...

From French-speaking Switzerland to German-speaking Switzerland

Leila Delarive and Salvador Garcia from Lausanne then brought some French charm to the show with their automated advertising platform "Amplifiy". They sympathetically explained how small companies in particular, which usually have extremely limited advertising budgets, can use a digital marketing assistant with "Amplify". This allows an end-to-end advertising experience, such as content creation, ad sales and landing page. In French-speaking Switzerland, the solution already seems to be working well, with the two founders reporting 2000 registrations, half of which are active users. In order to be able to take off in German-speaking Switzerland as well, they wanted an injection of 250,000 Swiss francs from investors in exchange for a 6 percent share in the company. Amplify's growth plans are ambitious: they want to reach 3,000 customers by the end of this year, and 18,000 next year. This caused Jürg Schwarzenbach to frown: He does not believe in such rapid growth and dropped out of further negotiations. In other respects, too, the lions questioned the somewhat unclear positioning vis-à-vis Google Ads and vis-à-vis customers who are not yet as digitally affine. Nevertheless, Anja Graf and Roland Brack made an offer of 250,000 Swiss francs in exchange for a 10 percent stake. Leila Delarive and Salvador Garcia only had to think about it for a moment and grabbed it.

Thoughtful invention - but more of a hobby

Christian Schmid, an airline pilot by training, presented his invention "Swiss Cobra" to the five lions. This is a so-called "burn-off stand" for fireplaces. On it, the logs can be stacked in such a way that they do not touch each other. This enables an optimal air-gas exchange in the fireplace, as Christian Schmid explained. When used correctly, the fireplace owner saves wood and protects the environment due to reduced particulate matter and nitrogen oxide emissions. What's more, the company plants a tree for every product sold. A well thought-out product overall, as the Lions also found. But at 119 francs, it certainly has its price. With around 11 million owners of fireplaces in the DACH region, this would add up to a considerable sum. Nevertheless: A deal - Christian Schmid wanted an investment of 80,000 francs in exchange for a 20 percent stake - did not materialize. Roland Brack at least offered to include the "Swiss Cobra" in the product range.

Startups lead the way with sustainability issues

Conclusion of this program: While politicians discuss sustainability at the highest level with virtually no results, there are resourceful entrepreneurs who rely on deeds instead of words. In some cases, this has been rewarded with prestigious investments. It will be interesting to see what comes of this. One success from one of the last seasons of "Die Höhle der Löwen Schweiz" was the sustainable underwear by subscription called "Flizzer". Thanks to investments from Roland Brack and Anja Graf, the Bernese company has expanded and is currently working on the production of women's underwear.

Interviews with two investors on "Die Höhle der Löwen Schweiz" can be found at here, a review to the broadcast of November 9, 2021 there is here.

Information about the next shipments: https://www.3plus.tv/die-hoehle-der-loewen-schweiz

In the sustainability debate, a topic has become the central driver that only a few years ago played a rather marginal role in the field of environmental protection: climate change. And because the consequences of climate change are becoming increasingly tangible worldwide, you don't have to be a prophet to predict: In the coming years, climate change will be seen by a growing proportion of the population as a massive threat to human life. And this, in turn, will increasingly force politicians to intervene in a regulatory manner.

Climate change alters the economic environment

It is therefore foreseeable: Business will be confronted with increasingly stringent requirements in the area of environmental and climate protection. The purchasing behavior of customers. will also change. In addition, more and more top performers - i.e. people on whose know-how and skills companies depend - will ask their employer to what extent the latter works in a climate- and environmentally friendly way and contributes to the sustainable development of our society.

The problem here is: In the social discourse, it is disputed what is meant by "sustainable development" and how this goal can be achieved. For this reason, companies dealing with the issue of sustainability should first ask themselves what these terms actually mean to them and establish a commitment to this.

Become aware of your own driving forces

In doing so, decision-makers must be aware that their organization is embedded in an environment that has specific expectations of it; moreover, that the expectations of the various stakeholders such as customers, employees, suppliers, capital and legislators are changing and often diverge. For only if a company knows the various expectations can it decide: Which ones do we want to, can we, and must we respond to?

This in turn requires clarification of the question: Why do we concern ourselves with the topic at all? Are we doing this out of our own intrinsic motivation - for example, because we ourselves are convinced that sustainable management and operation is necessary for survival? Or is the opposite the case? Do we deal with it primarily because we are compelled to do so - for example

• because the raw materials needed for our production are becoming increasingly scarce and expensive, or
• because the legislator is forcing us to do more and more through specifications or
• because the criterion of "sustainability" is becoming increasingly relevant for our customers' purchasing decisions?

Overcoming the one-dimensional approach

Such a one-dimensional approach to the issue of sustainability will usually no longer be sufficient in the future to meet market requirements and secure the existence of companies in the long term. It must be replaced by the realization that the long-term stable development of societies is only possible if ecological, economic and social (development) goals are given equal priority.

This line of thinking also shapes the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) formulated by the United Nations in 2015 in its 2030 Agenda, which are intended to guide the future actions of all governments, societies and companies worldwide (see box).

Sustainability: A rethink is taking place on the executive floors

This awareness is also increasingly growing on the executive floors of companies. That is why a growing number of projects are taking place in them, in which the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals often serve as a basis for reflection:

• What does sustainable management and work mean to us?
• How does this manifest itself in our day-to-day work in all our business areas and processes?
• What development goals are associated with this on our part - economic, ecological and social? And:
• What changes are necessary for this in our organization at the cultural, structural and process levels?

The results are then used to derive sustainability concepts and, in turn, change and transformation projects. In addition, more and more companies are setting up cross-divisional and cross-functional project groups that continuously develop the sustainability concept, because ultimately, when it comes to sustainable development and sustainable business and work, we are currently all still learning or searching for the promising path.

The 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals

In 2015, the United Nations adopted the 2030 Agenda, which sets out 17 global goals for sustainable development, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). They cover economic, ecological and social aspects of development.

Goal 1: End poverty in all its forms everywhere - among other things, eliminate the absolute, existence-threatening poverty of many people worldwide and reduce the relative poverty of some population groups in numerous countries.

Goal 2: Secure food worldwide - through sustainable agriculture and rural development, among other things.

Goal 3: Promote health and well-being - among other things, enable all people to have access to good medical care, healthy food, clean water and pure air.

Goal 4: Quality education worldwide - Among other things, all people should receive a high-quality education that provides equal opportunities.

Goal 5: Gender equality - not only legally, but also in everyday life.

Goal 6: Best quality water - Among other things, a safe and sustainable supply of clean (drinking) water for all people worldwide.

Goal 7: Affordable energy from sustainable energy sources - among other things, as a prerequisite for economic and social development and effective environmental and climate protection.

Goal 8: A sustainable economy as an opportunity for all - among other things, ensure minimum social standards and an adequate (working) income on a global scale.

Goal 9: Innovation and infrastructure development - ensure sustainable economic growth and sustainable education and healthcare systems, among other things, through intelligent innovations, modern infrastructures and high-performance industry.

Goal 10: Fewer inequalities - Among other things, reduce inequality in income, wealth and development opportunities worldwide.

Goal 11: Sustainable cities and communities - Among other things, create affordable housing and pursue an integrated urban development policy.

Goal 12: Produce and consume sustainably - among other things, use natural resources sparingly and in a manner that protects the environment, climate and health.

Goal 13: Global climate protection - among other things, significantly limit climate change so that extreme weather events such as droughts and floods are avoided and parts of the world do not become uninhabitable.

Goal 14: Protect life under water - Among other things, avoid further pollution of the oceans and ensure that they are preserved as habitats as well as sources of food, raw materials and energy.

Goal 15: Life on land - among other things, ensure that ecosystems remain intact and that environmental disasters do not jeopardize sustainable development and cause hunger and poverty.

Goal 16: Strong and transparent institutions - Among other things, create and promote non-corrupt, rule-of-law institutions that respond well, provide peace and justice, and enable sustainable development.

Goal 17: Global partnership - ensure, among other things, that the sustainability goals are achieved and the associated challenges are mastered through a strong, global partnership.

To the author:
Dr. Georg Kraus is managing partner of the management consulting company Dr. Kraus & Partner, Bruchsal.

Batmaid is what it claims to be Switzerland's first online platform that allows private individuals to book a cleaning service. The platform belongs to Batgroup, a group of companies that offers an all-round solution for all cleaning services: Cleaning of private homes, final cleaning of rental properties and business cleaning. A cleaning service for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) is now also being introduced under the name Batmaid for Business. The focus is particularly on retail stores, medical practices, fitness centers and offices. Batmaid for Business offers a digitalized service, instant bookings and customer service.

Cleaning service extended to SME

The expansion of the business area to include SME customers is in line with the growth strategy that Batmaid is pursuing in Switzerland. As the national market leader in the private cleaning sector, the company is now also focusing on the simplicity and flexibility of its services and the high quality of its customer care for corporate customers. The first customers are already in place, according to Batmaid. "Our first experiences with Clarins salons and VIU opticians' stores have shown that we meet the expectations of a demanding clientele," says Andreas Schollin-Borg, founder and CEO. The cleaning market for SMEs has little competition, according to Batmaid, and is worth an estimated nearly 4 billion Swiss francs.

Growing demand and specialized services

There is a great demand from SMEs for suitable services. Batmaid for Business is a response to the specific needs of these companies. Under the direction of François Pfeiffenschneider, an internal team is now dedicated to the management and care of the accounts of professional clients and is thus able to offer a high quality and customized cleaning service. Employees receive additional training on the specifics of businesses that require special cleaning procedures, such as medical practices or laboratories. "Since its inception, I have always seen Batmaid as a driving force for change in the housekeeping industry. Thanks to the talents of our teams and the agility of our business model, we can develop services that make life easier for all our customers," says Andreas Schollin-Borg.

More information: www.batmaid.ch

In 2021, HR departments also felt the effects of the pandemic situation much more strongly than other corporate divisions: HR employees often became conductors of the company's internal pandemic management and - mostly working from home themselves - had to integrate the new working models into the company's daily routine, keep an open ear for employees and at the same time keep an eye on the company's goals.

HR trends 2022 in ten points

Based on the experience of this period, HR managers are gearing up for a year of consolidation and realignment. Dr. Arne Sjöström, Senior People Scientist at Culture Amp outlined:

1. 2022 will be a year of new beginnings: The introduction of home office and hybrid work models has turned many things upside down in companies, but some routine has now returned. Companies will therefore use the coming year to consolidate: They will subject their values, their mission and their vision as a company to close scrutiny, and then adjust the set screws accordingly. The readjustment must then meet the challenges of the new working world.
2. Managers feel drained: In many companies, managers and team leaders are at the end of their rope. If they have been holding the line until now, more and more managers are now quitting and looking for new jobs. If they leave the company, however, this can have far-reaching effects on the entire organization: their employees can lose the support they need and the backing they are accustomed to in the company, which can set in motion a domino effect of resignations.
3. Employment contracts are becoming more and more individualized: Full-time, part-time or temporary - contracts are becoming increasingly diverse. On the one hand, this presents managers with the challenge of keeping track of which employees can do what. On the other hand, these different contract models also unsettle the employees themselves, because they become aware of how easily their own employment status can be changed to suit the company's respective needs.
4. Interest in issues related to equality and DEI is increasing: Due to the pandemic, internal company initiatives on diversity and inclusion had initially slowed down, which had exacerbated existing inequalities. In the DACH region, these topics will increasingly come into focus in 2022. As a first step, they must also overcome structural problems, for example, in order to collect internal data on diversity in the company, e.g., by means of a topic-related employee survey. HR managers will have to do more to convince and educate employees about the necessity of this data. This is the only way to make existing social injustices and the unequal treatment of women and men visible. Only then will it be possible to shape an inclusive, diverse working world with targeted measures.
5. Human Resources - a key area for the regeneration of organizations: With this role comes an increase in the level of respect and trust shown to HR officers. Covid has changed companies so fundamentally that HR employees have been forced to take on the additional role of internal Covid representatives. In the process, plans for a better workplace were put on hold as they instead had to deal with increasing employee uncertainty, the logistics of working from home, and internal measures to combat the pandemic. In 2022, HR leaders will be able to hit the ground running again with their plans. All of this comes with a bonus of trust, which in turn will lead to high levels of employee recognition and engagement.
6. New job titles: The modified work models require new roles within HR departments. Even if job titles such as Head of Workplace Systems, Head of Organizational Operation Systems or Head of Remote are still very rare in DACH - experience teaches that such developments will also gain a foothold in this country. The hybrid working world has to be designed, organized and set up, and the new designations better describe the scope of the respective function. In addition, these roles also see themselves as interfaces with other departments, such as IT. This in turn will attract more male applicants to positions in HR departments, where more women mostly work.
7. The HR toolbox is changing: Employees still need the support of HR departments, because the changing world of work also means that employees' expectations of their employers are changing. Discounted lunch offers or a company gym don't make much sense in a home office. Instead, employees want benefits that really make their lives easier, such as flexible working conditions.
8. Re-onboarding for all employees: The balance of power between home office workers recruited in the last two years and those who still know office hours has shifted. Companies will no longer return to pure face-to-face work - the changes have been too drastic for that. In order to avoid a divide between these two groups, who have come to know companies from very different situations, a period of re-onboarding becomes necessary for all. This re-onboarding ensures that everyone is on the same footing and that the new start is successful - regardless of the work model chosen.
9. The spectrum of generations is widening: A company's workforce will be more demographically diverse than ever before: companies employ both people with 50 years of professional experience and young Generation Z entrants. Encouraged by flexible working models, experienced employees with sound market knowledge can postpone retirement and stay with the company longer. In order to benefit from this and successfully shape the transfer of knowledge within the company, opportunities must be created for the generations to learn from each other.
10. The level of transparency is being reconsidered: Employees are already drowning in a flood of notifications as soon as they log on to their workplace. On the way to a corporate culture that is as transparent as possible, companies increasingly run the risk of unsettling their employees: an overflowing flood of information leads to a loss of overview. As a result, the feeling of being overwhelmed is growing. The challenge in the future will be to find the right level of transparency and provide employees with the right information at the right time.

Source