Working from a desk, sofa or balcony at home was not very popular in Switzerland for a long time. The pandemic suddenly forced companies to let their employees work from home wherever possible. This opened up opportunities for hybrid forms of work - countless employees now have the choice of flexibly determining their work location on certain days.

Flexible working as a model for the future

Flexibility in the workplace is certainly desirable. But changing work environments also pose challenges, as Anil Varghese, managing director of Headsquarter, knows: "Many companies still find it difficult to trust their employees when they are not physically present. Yet a contemporary, results-based performance appraisal vs. old-fashioned Facetime culture would be overdue in many industries." The young company Headsquarter runs two coworking spaces in the city of Zurich.

Headsquarter knows - by its own account - about workplaces that promote mental and physical well-being and thus lead to increased productivity. With these tips, efficiency can already be easily increased:

Sharing is caring

Flexibility is not only one of the challenges of hybrid working, but also one of the prerequisites. Anyone who is inflexible in terms of location and, to a certain extent, time cannot work effectively. Another condition for a functioning work environment is digital, location-independent access to information, for example via the cloud. This means that documents can be accessed from anywhere. Knowledge also needs to be shared, both online and face-to-face. Those sitting at the kitchen table at home must have the same access to knowledge as those on site. This is essential for a healthy and productive work culture.

Inclusion of all employees

To accommodate all employees, a change in corporate culture is needed. Many companies tend to measure employee productivity by their physical presence, thereby making those who opt for a higher office presence better off. However, performance has nothing to do with physical presence. However, it is certainly desirable to give employees an incentive to work and socialize in the office.

The office as a second home

When moving frequently between work locations, choosing an attractive place to work is essential. "An attractive and inspiring working environment that is deliberately different from the home office, offers all functional amenities, and where people also enjoy socializing, is a major boost to productivity," says Anil Varghese. Exchanging ideas with each other is also important in the office. To promote team cultures, a certain coordination of social exchange is recommended on office days.

Success through clear communication

Transparency is another keyword. Clear internal rules are needed, as well as the possibility to join meetings so that no employee feels disadvantaged. In addition to meetings, an office day should still have enough room for spontaneous exchanges to facilitate valuable conversations. "Spontaneous, unplanned meetings among colleagues and like-minded people not only promote employee satisfaction, but also measurable benchmarks such as productivity and innovation," Varghese emphasizes.

All-round carefree work

Hybrid working can ultimately be perceived as an enrichment of everyday working life and increase productivity and employee satisfaction. Those who do not have a work-friendly environment at home can retreat to coworking spaces. Headsquarter's spaces offer not only workshop and meeting rooms and private chat boxes, but also an equipped kitchen, lounge and sports rooms to air out the head.

Checklist for functioning hybrid work

1. Flexibility in space and time:
   Ensure flexibility in terms of location and time
2. Omni-channel access to information:
   Location-independent access to information
3. Device agnostic knowledge sharing:
   Equal access to knowledge
4. Measuring performance - a cultural shift:
   Culture change: productivity is not linked to physical presence
5. Make the office at least as attractive as your "home:
   Provide reasons to work in the office
6. Choose the right office - as a service:
   Obtain the place of work as a service and according to current needs
7. Co-coordination of office days:
   Promote collaboration and social exchange in the office
8. Transparent New Work policies:
   Establish clear internal rules to involve all employees
9. Unplanned Interactions:
   Enable unplanned meetings and encounters

More information on the Homepage From Headquarters

Claudio Hintermann, CEO of Abacus Research AG, presented the fifth generation of Abacus Business Software: "Abacus DEEP" at the 27th Abacus Partner Conference on November 9, 2021. The conference was held under the motto "Welcome to the future". The goal of the new software generation is a secure and digital ERP platform that enables autonomous real-time accounting without paper. This means that booking processes are only handled digitally and information is immediately available to customers.

deepbox as a universal, digital hub

Thanks to the seamless integration of a wide range of deep technologies, accounts payable and receivable documents and their payments can now be processed autonomously. An important function for the exchange of data is performed by deepbox, a kind of electronic mailbox, which exchanges documents, information and payments between customers, suppliers, trustees, banks, insurance companies, administrations, but also devices or properties and the Abacus Business Software as well as AbaNinja. Thanks to "Abacus DEEP", with technologies from the subsidiary DeepCloud AG, all previously manual booking processes can be eliminated.

However, deepbox can also be connected to external companies. Armin Arnegger, CEO of KMS AG, the leading provider of solutions for tax administrations in German-speaking Switzerland, presented the planned clever-tax solution. This allows balance sheets and income statements from deepbox to be linked directly to the tax declarations of companies.

Direct posting in real time

Another component of the new generation of business software is the complete integration of processes with Neo-Bank YAPEAL. Expenses or payments can be posted in real time and completely autonomously. Thanks to these innovations, Abacus says it is strengthening its position as the leading Swiss manufacturer of business software for SMEs and public administrations.

The central functional innovations, such as financial and investment planning as well as the further developments in the application areas AbaTreuhand, service management, maintenance, AbaUnit for time and activity recording, MyAbacus "for mobile", the connection to UKA Connect from HRM Systems for illness and accident notifications, AbaClik with a simplified release process as well as AbaClock with face recognition also met with great interest among the over 700 participants at the conference. In the future, third-party software can be connected to Abacus even more easily via REST API.

Source and further information: www.abacus.ch

Last time, we were able to report on an investment worth millions. This was even topped in this broadcast. But more about the record deal a little later. First of all, it was about other business models, which sometimes required more, sometimes less inquiries from the five lions. First, Belinda Juon and Nicolas Heini presented their young company "FirstCar". It advises novice drivers and is also available for any concerns about the first car. In short: "FirstCar" accompanies young drivers from their first driving lesson to the purchase of their first own car, a kind of "Booking.com" for novice drivers, as the two young entrepreneurs describe it. The offer also includes, for example, own learning vehicles with double pedals. The demand is enormous, says Nicolas Heini. For further growth, he is therefore asking for an investment of 300,000 Swiss francs in return for a 10 percent stake in the company. Roland Brack and Tobias Reichmuth were particularly interested in the business model. They were both convinced of the market potential. They therefore agreed to jointly invest 300,000 Swiss francs - in return for a 20 percent stake in the AG, which was currently being set up. Belinda Juon and Nicolas Heini gladly accepted this deal without thinking twice.

Record deal for houseplants

Sven Jakelj, Severin Candrian, Janko Jakelj and Gabriela Troxler from Flawil (SG) launched their online plant store "feey". The shop supplies plant lovers throughout Switzerland not only with houseplants that match their own lifestyle, but also provides free plant tips to customers. What's more, thanks to augmented reality, the plant of choice can be projected into the customer's own four walls before purchase and thus tested on site. This is an idea that has excited investors. The growth prospects also seem impressive: From 600,000 Swiss francs in 2020, the four young entrepreneurs have already reached around 2 million. With an expansion into Germany, they even expect around 12 million in the next few years. Against this backdrop, their investment request seemed modest: 100,000 Swiss francs with a 5 percent stake in the company - in preparation for a next major round of financing. Anja Graf suggested: "Why don't we do the big financing round today?" A suggestion that Sven, Severin, Janko and Gabriela briefly discussed. The amount of the company shareholding then developed into a "pièce de résistance" in the negotiation round, which was exciting for the spectators. Because the founders did not want to cede too much of it to the lions, even with an offer of 1 million francs. In the end, they were faced with a choice: either 900,000 francs investment in exchange for a 25 percent stake in the company, or even 1.2 million in exchange for 30 percent. The four young entrepreneurs then struck at the latter - and the record deal was a fact, with Lukas Speiser taking the lead with his experience in setting up an online store. "From sex toys to plants," commented Anja Graf. "At last I get to tell my grandparents what I do," Lukas Speiser countered.

The "Winner of Hearts

Again, it was about smaller rolls at the sole proprietor Dominik Liechti with "bearbeat". He rents out a mobile music stage with all the trimmings and has a large network of artists from all genres. So he can organize suitable live musicians for the respective event. The founder converted two Piaggo Apes into mobile stages and drives directly to the event with the technical equipment. Thus, there is no additional expense for the organizer. Dominik Liechti needs 88,000 Swiss francs for further growth. However, it was not entirely clear to the lions how the sole proprietor intends to manage this on his own. Jürg Schwarzenbach finally asked, "What do you actually want to achieve with your company?" Dominik Liechti's answer: "To bring joy to people." "You can do that best yourself. You don't need an investor for that," said Jürg Schwarzenbach. So Dominik Liechti left the cave as the "winner of hearts", but without an investment - at least he almost won over the lions with a short concert, but they promised to book "bearbeat" for sure one day.

Too much "marketing power"?

With "Paido Soda," a low-calorie soft drink, Kanteevan Thamilchevan and Markus Kollmair from Thalwil ZH want to make a splash. With all the marketing power at their disposal, the two presented their drink, which consists of vitamins, among other things. It contains few calories and little sugar and could be suitable, for example, as a refreshing drink after a strenuous workout. However, the drink can also be used to mix cocktails. With this recipe and a concentrated advertising power, however, the two were unable to convince the lions. Lukas Speiser attested them a "good branding", but did not want to get in. Deep frown lines appeared on Barbara Hein's forehead, who described the drink as "gummy bears dissolved in water." The unanimous opinion of the five investors at the end: "You can do it better on your own," a market for which definitely exists.

Good idea fails due to difficult participation model

What remained at the end was the performance of Florian Felder with "niuway". He wants to stem the tide of waste at music festivals with sustainably produced tents. This is certainly a laudable intention, especially since Florian Felder expects a revival of the many open-air festivals in the coming year. The idea: Instead of using their own tents, festival-goers should use those from "niuway", which are to be dismantled again at the end of the event, refurbished and made available for the next festival. The lionesses and lions were skeptical, even more so when they had to learn that not the main owner Andreas Bär, but "only" the only employee with a minority share of 10 percent in the company was standing in front of them. A certain desperation could be seen in the presenting Florian Felder - perhaps this was exactly what led to a surprising proposal from Barbara Hein: "100,000 francs against a 60 percent share in the company, of which we would cede 30 percent to you." Was that the salvation? A telephone call with the main shareholder was supposed to fix it - but in the end it couldn't, because main owner Andreas Bär was only prepared to make a concession of 10 percent. So the deal fell through. But as a "consolation prize" Florian Felder still had the "founder's ticket" for an appearance at MediaShop.

Sometimes a lot of heart is enough

Conclusion of this show: On the one hand, two promising startups came out on top with scalable business cases and a record deal. This one is sure to be talked about in the near future, as well as "Nomady", which won an investment last season. "Nomady" is a marketplace that connects nature lovers with landowners. Camping enthusiasts find sites for their camper or tent with private vendors. Landowners rent out their plots or cabins to users - similar to the Airbnb platform.

On the other hand, it also became clear that you can achieve a lot with a lot of passion, but you don't necessarily have to convince investors to do so. However, the SME world lives just as much from such entrepreneurs as from potential "unicorns".

Interviews with two investors on "Die Höhle der Löwen Schweiz" can be found at here, a review to the broadcast of November 2, 2021 there is here.

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

Data value creation is one of the top issues of the digital age. For 87 percent of the companies from a wide range of industries as well as the public sector surveyed by the AWK Group in an international study, "data analytics" is of strategic importance. The study, in which 127 companies, mostly from Switzerland, participated, set itself the goal of identifying success factors and stumbling blocks for the "data-to-value transformation". After all, a full 40 percent of the study participants have already been able to develop new business models thanks to analytics! 44 percent have increased sales, and 50 percent have at least been able to cut costs. Accordingly, an overwhelming majority (81 percent) will expand their value creation from data, while only 13 percent want to remain at the current level.

Data value creation in many places still under development

More than half (55 percent) use data to support and justify upcoming decisions. A further third (35 percent) already systematically use data and forecasts to make decisions, but only 5 percent use data to guide decisions automatically. Jonas Dischl, Head of Data Analytics & AI at AWK Group, comments: "Decisions are hardly ever made without considering data and facts. But the consistent 'data-to-value transformation', i.e. the systematic creation of value from the available data, is still in the process of being developed by the majority of participants. The study shows where the challenges lie and confirms our experience in daily consulting practice."

Where data analytics is used most

Not surprisingly, the use of data analytics is most widespread in number-oriented departments such as Finance & Controlling (53 percent), according to another finding of the study. Sales & Marketing and, surprisingly, Production (40 percent each) would also use these tools, followed by IT at 39 percent. Customer service is already data-driven in just over a quarter (26 percent). In research & development, it is only 20 percent, but at least strategy & control and business development are slightly higher at 23 and 22 percent, respectively. Christian Mauz, Partner at AWK Group interprets: "With the powerful tools from Data Science, completely new possibilities for data value creation have been created. Data Analytics is more important than ever for the future viability of companies. But long-term value is only created when use cases are consistently designed along data-to-value. Today, this is only the case for a minority of companies."

Ideas available - implementation difficult

It is true that 85 percent of companies do not lack ideas for data-driven application scenarios. But the lack of prerequisites would prevent them from putting these ideas into practice. The study backs this up with the following figures: More than two-thirds (67 percent) have a budget and nearly two-thirds (60 percent) have the necessary tools and technologies. But nearly 40 percent said their data is not of the required quality, and for 43 percent, resources and skills are a shortcoming. Skilled workers are scarce and mostly decentralized within companies. On average, all the companies surveyed employ 10 specialists in the field of data analytics, regardless of their company size.

Lack of processes for data value creation

An established approach is to work with proof of concepts before a solution is implemented productively. However, these almost 90 percent are contrasted by more than two-thirds that have no defined process for controlling implemented use cases and evaluating their potential for further action.
Therefore, the rather high proportion of shipped proofs of concepts, almost one-third (28 percent), is not surprising: "Companies are just beginning to understand how the data-to-value transformation process works. For the majority, the challenging technical integration is the biggest stumbling block. At the same time, processes, responsibilities and interfaces are also still immature," AWK writes on this finding.

Interested parties can obtain the study here: AWK Group

Entrepreneurship, i.e. thinking and acting like an entrepreneur, is increasingly finding its way into education programs. To promote initiative and entrepreneurial understanding, entrepreneurship is to be systematically introduced in basic vocational education in Switzerland. The focus here is on implementation in general education classes, anchoring the topic in the school curricula for which the cantons are responsible, and further training for teachers. The corresponding pilot course is currently underway in various language regions of Switzerland (Bern, Solothurn, Valais, Ticino). These efforts are supported by SERI, but are still far from reaching their goal, as entrepreneurship is only being taught to around 10 percent of all learners in Switzerland at the end of the pilot project.

Interest group wants to promote entrepreneurship at SwissSkills 2022

In order to additionally promote entrepreneurship and make it visible, various organizations have founded the IG EntrepreneurSkills. These include the Vocational Training Center Olten BBZ, the GZS Gründungsdienstleistungen Kanton Solothurn, the Swiss Directors' Conference SDK and the umbrella organization of UAS graduates FH SCHWEIZ. The IG is chaired by National Councilor Andri Silberschmidt.

The IG EntrepreneurSkills organizes the competition discipline Entrepreneurship at the SwissSkills 2022. This will also give the Swiss access to this discipline at the EuroSkills and WorldSkills. Internationally, competitions in entrepreneurship are already being held today - but until now without the participation of teams from Switzerland. "Our goal is to identify the young professionals who show above-average performance and initiative and to offer them a competition that opens the door to the big world," says Andri Silberschmidt.

Young people with entrepreneurial spirit wanted

As of now, teams can register for the selection days, which will take place in spring in all parts of the country. We are looking for people born in 1999 or younger who are completing an apprenticeship, have already graduated, or are studying at a university of applied sciences or higher technical college. Anyone who likes to work creatively on solutions, has business ideas or wants to realize their entrepreneurial potential can register by February 28, 2022. On the selection days, eight teams from all language regions of Switzerland will qualify for the final days at SwissSkills in September 2022. In a competition lasting several days, business models will be developed and presented to a jury of experts at SwissSkills 2022. The winning team can call itself "Swiss Champion:in Entrepreneurship".

All information about the new competition discipline Entrepreneurship and the registration for the selection days are available on www.entrepreneurskills.ch to find.

The event industry was hoping for full order books from the fall of 2021 in order to at least partially make up for the loss of sales. Reality shows that due to the considerable additional effort required to implement the necessary protective measures and the modest visitor numbers, events can often hardly be implemented profitably or - in order to avert damage - even have to be canceled in advance. The certificate obligation and the fact that Covid certificate tests will be subject to a fee from October 1, 2021 also have a restrictive effect on visitor volume.

Event industry experiences another gloomy year

The figures of the 2nd Industry Survey of the Event and Exhibition Industry 2021 show a clear picture: after a pitch-black 2020, the industry will soon have another gloomy 2021 behind it. With sales of 2.37 billion. CHF in the crisis year 2020, at the end of 2021 the industry will only have sales of around 2.52 billion CHF. CHF. The comparison of sales in the pre-pandemic year 2019 (CHF 5.56 billion) clearly shows that the crisis in the event and exhibition industry is not yet over and that the recovery will take much longer than assumed. Also for the year 2022, according to the forecast, only 50% of the sales volume is expected compared to 2019.

Financial assistance still necessary

The figures make it clear that the continuation of the measures is essential for the industry. The survey also shows that it was only possible to counteract even more massive job cuts thanks to financial aid such as short-time working compensation. The Alliance of Tour Operator Associations therefore demands the continuation of all macroeconomic as well as sector-specific support and compensation measures until the end of 2022, as the general conditions still make normal business impossible. Otherwise, the restrictions specifically affecting our industry could no longer be justified, said Christoph Kamber, President of EXPO EVENT Swiss LiveCom Association. Once all measures have been lifted, it will take another six to twelve months before the industry is back in normal operation.

Likewise, the alliance of event organizer associations is in favor of a YES to the amendments to the Covid 19 law: It creates the temporary legal basis for the urgently needed economic support services, including the protective umbrella, and is the basis for the Covid certificate, which makes larger events possible in the first place and creates trust among visitors, which the industry urgently needs in times of great uncertainty.

Source: www.expo-event.ch

For thousands of years, similar processes have applied in trade: someone produces a good and finds a buyer or someone to trade with. If there are distances between A and B, a trader comes into play. Again and again, the rules of the game are reinvented. This is currently the case again, as Kaspar Engeli, Director of Handel Schweiz, explained at a media briefing: "Swiss trade has some major challenges to overcome by 2030."

Business situation brightens

In view of the corona crisis, the conditions could be worse. After all, in the last KOF survey by Handel Schweiz, 92% of the 500 Swiss wholesalers surveyed said that the business situation was good or satisfactory. It is well known that supply chains, some of which have been disrupted, are a cause for concern. These have increased the cost of new containers tenfold. This slows down transport and makes goods more expensive - for wholesalers as well as for consumers.

Companies active in foreign trade also report an improved business situation. This is the result of a further survey by Handel Schweiz. 40% of the respondents expect sales to increase in 2021 compared with the previous year. Free trade agreements play a very important role here, as 84% of the foreign trade specialists confirm. This applies regardless of the size of the company. According to SECO, small and medium-sized companies benefit most from free trade. While in 2019 - thanks to free trade agreements - Swiss companies with more than 250 employees saved around CHF 728 million in customs duties on imports, SMEs fared even better with a total of CHF 1.134 billion.

Changes until 2030

This money is urgently needed because the Swiss trading companies are facing major changes. These need to be financed. By 2030, foreign trade specialists expect the most important changes to take place in sales channels and markets (26%), sustainability and the circular economy (24%), digitization (23%), and transport and logistics (19%). The topic of circular economy was given high priority by 48% of the respondents. However, one important resource is still missing for this: knowledge. According to the survey, many companies and suppliers do not yet have the necessary knowledge about the circular economy. In addition, there is a shortage of corresponding specialists. However, know-how and expertise are needed to redesign processes, (18%), find new suppliers (11%), change contracts (8%) and deal with rising costs (8%).

Swiss trade faces complex challenges

For retail companies, the challenges are becoming increasingly complex. Digitization continues to play a key role, because some changes in the circular economy and in logistics can only be implemented on this basis at all. Kaspar Engeli emphasizes that Swiss retailers have made enormous progress in digitization and have already invested heavily in recent years. But that is not the end of the story, as the director of the umbrella association points out: "In order to tackle the next stage of development, budgets are now being massively ramped up. If we assume that the 35,000 or so retail companies will invest an average of CHF 250,000 over the next few years, we're talking about around CHF 9 billion in investments in areas such as smart interfaces, Big Data, security, and traceability and circular economy." In addition, digital networking still suffers from incompatible systems. SMEs active in wholesale are often in the sandwich position between clientele and suppliers. Both have their own digital systems that the SME should use or that should be compatible with its own system. This involves additional effort for the SME. Kaspar Engeli: "Handel Schweiz demands progress in the compatibility of digital systems. This would greatly simplify and accelerate the nationwide digitization in trade." In order to promote this and similar processes, Handel Schweiz will increasingly network with research and universities in the future.

Source: Trade Switzerland

In order to ensure a sufficient supply of young talent, companies today not only need a great deal of creativity, but must also make consistent use of new media. It is becoming increasingly difficult to fill apprenticeship positions, especially in skilled trades. That's why the electrical company Jaisli-Xamax relies on social media in its search for apprentices. The goal is to reach young people wherever they are in the media.

TikTok and Instagram

As early as 2020, Jaisli-Xamax AG chose the TikTok platform, supported by Instagram, as the main channel for apprenticeship applications. The campaign generated attention and media coverage. Since August 2021, the apprenticeship company has been training around 100 apprentices in the professions of electrician (EFZ), automatic fitter (EFZ), assembly electrician (EFF) and commercial apprentice (KV). The aim is to continue to inspire young people to take up technical apprenticeships.

Halloween hype used

Together with the agency Serviceplan Suisse, Jaisli-Xamax produced three new entertaining clips. Even more attention was paid to TikTok formats, which are particularly popular with the target group of 13- to 15-year-olds who are about to choose a career. For example, one of the popular transitions in the "Juggler" clip. Or the glitch challenge from the switchgear workshop and the hype around Halloween. Of course, always with a content-related or visual reference to the various apprenticeships.

A young footballer at Jaisli-Xamax AG

Also in this second round, all performers are apprentices and employees of Jaisli-Xamax. Among them is 15-year-old Yannis Ryter, who began his apprenticeship as an EFZ assembly electrician in August and at the same time plays for FC Basel's U17 youth team.

The videos are live on TikTok and Instagram each under @jaislixamax. An example can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-3ZPoW6RVWk&t=1s

Opinions are currently divided on the question of whether employees should return to the office completely or be able to work at least part of their working hours independently of location. Those who opt for a mixed form should think about the design of the office space. If fewer employees work permanently in the company, fewer fixed or individual workstations are needed. In order to create the conditions for desk sharing, support is needed in the form of user-friendly and intelligent technologies.

Coworking in the company

If employees are free to choose their workplace within the company, cross-departmental exchange is encouraged - people are always sitting next to other colleagues. This breaks down silos and removes barriers between teams and work areas. In this way, office spaces become company-owned coworking spaces.

Halter, a leading Swiss company for construction and real estate services, has consistently taken the path to coworking space. When redesigning their office space, they focused on a flexible layout that invites collaboration. Modern IT equipment ensures that users can easily work wherever they want. With the redesign, Halter also eliminated an old problem: employees were using different technologies from different manufacturers, which made both flexible working and support difficult.

What distinguishes modern IT equipment

1. Vendor-independent connectivity offers flexibility. Those who rely on universal connection types like Thunderbolt or USB-C enable users to connect their laptops easily.
2. Broad range of clients from a single source simplifies procurement. Employees have different requirements for their devices depending on their job. The provider should be able to cover these with a broad portfolio. To ensure that the specification for each individual employee does not become too complex, it helps to divide them into a limited number of user types, known as personas.
3. Custom configuration enables immediate use. Instead of the time-consuming process of setting up each individual device via the company's own IT department, clients can now be delivered pre-configured ex works. If desired, they can be delivered with everything - from applications to settings to company contacts - directly to employees, no matter where they are located.
4. Save time with centralized IT management and updates. Centralized solutions focused on simplifying the PC lifecycle environment help save costs and time. They make it possible to automate the setup, configuration, monitoring and updating of client device images.

Source: www.delltechnologies.com

The pressure on small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) is high in view of complex framework conditions. The Corona pandemic has increased this even further. So how are SMEs in the canton of Zurich doing? This question is answered by the newly launched KMU ZH Monitor of Zürcher Kantonalbank. Behind it is a survey in which 323 companies participated this year. In the future, the KMU ZH Monitor will be published annually in the fourth quarter.

Zurich SMEs are doing well

"The SMEs surveyed are doing well," says Patrick Sulser, Head of Corporate Finance at Zürcher Kantonalbank, summarizing the first survey. "Many have successfully mastered the Corona crisis and are now cautiously optimistic about the future. An impressive achievement that once again demonstrates the adaptability of Zurich's SMEs." This is also shown by the seven key values defined for the survey (see chart). The clear majority are in the positive range. Only the two parameters past business development and future business development are assessed as neutral. "The reason for this is probably the past, economically very difficult months and the continuing uncertainty of the epidemiological development," explains Patrick Sulser.

In terms of business development to date, the assessment of the number of employees is particularly striking. Just under half of the companies consider the number of employees to be adequate. However, a good third consider the number of employees to be low. This is particularly the case for micro-enterprises with fewer than ten employees.

In the area of future business development, sales expectations differ significantly depending on the sector: those in industry are the most optimistic. More than half (55%) expect higher sales. In the other sectors (agriculture, trade, business services, social services), 42% to 48% of entrepreneurs expect higher sales. The catering/hotel industry is less confident. Only 25% of the companies expect higher sales, just under 60% unchanged and a good 15% slightly or clearly worse sales. Most pessimistic is the construction/architecture sector, where 23% of respondents expect sales to fall.

Challenges: Skills shortages, supply bottlenecks and competition

The 323 entrepreneurs were also asked about the most important challenges at present: the lack of trained specialists is mentioned most frequently by just under half of the entrepreneurs (47%), with microenterprises being less affected by this. This shortage is most pronounced in the construction/architecture industry group (70%). Supply shortages of raw materials and semi-finished products also pose a challenge for one in three companies. Not unexpectedly, this most frequently affects trade (67%) and industry (62%). Finally, competition from domestic and foreign competitors is one of the most frequently cited challenges. Around 30% of the companies surveyed face this. The larger, the more intense.

Potential in the further development of the companies

The survey also includes topics in which SME representatives hope for further impetus and thus see added value for their company. Just under half of the survey participants (46%) would like to further increase their attractiveness as an employer in the coming year. Of equal interest (45%) are ideas that will position the company even better with its own customers. Close behind the two top performers is the topic of innovation (37%). This is one of the five most frequently mentioned topics across all sectors.

The survey of Zurich SMEs is intended to provide a further basis for Zürcher Kantonalbank to work on the most frequently mentioned topics in greater depth in the coming months together with other experts. As part of the KMU ZH initiative, ZKB will continue to expand its offering for Zurich SMEs in the future and increasingly offer free workshops, webcasts and further in-depth information.

More information: zkb.ch/kmu-zh

The Corona pandemic has permanently changed the world of work and caused a digitalization push in many places - especially in the HR sector. This is shown in the study "Digitales Arbeiten 2030" (Digital Work 2030) by F.A.Z. Business Media | research and Cornerstone, for which a total of 238 executives were surveyed. In addition, Dr. Thomas Ogilvie (Chief Human Resources Officer and Labor Director at Deutsche Post DHL Group) and Ulrike Baumgartner-Foisner (Senior Vice President Group Organizational Development & HR, Wienerberger Group) also speak in the publication in an interview about their experiences with HR digitization and how their companies are dealing with Covid-19.

Home office will stay

While home office was the exception rather than the rule in the companies surveyed before the pandemic, things will look different in the future: Only 3 percent of the companies surveyed will bring all employees back to the office permanently. The majority (53 percent) are relying on hybrid working - i.e., alternating between office and home office days - in which employees will work predominantly in the office and only occasionally at a different location.

Corona accelerates the pace of HR digitization

To ensure that working from the home office runs smoothly, many companies have been working flat out on digital transformation in recent months. The pace of digitization in HR has also picked up considerably: almost three-quarters of the executives surveyed (73 percent) say that the Corona pandemic has provided a digitization boost in their own HR department.

Administrative service provider was yesterday

From the point of view of the HR and corporate decision-makers surveyed, the time of HR as a purely administrative service provider is definitely over. Administrative HR tasks can be completed more quickly thanks to new technologies. This enables HR professionals to devote more time to strategic and advisory tasks. The HR departments of 46 percent of respondents are strategic partners. In 45 percent of the companies surveyed, HR is also taking on the roles of advisor and crisis manager in the pandemic. This is hardly surprising, since HR is located directly at the interface with employees. This means that HR staff - in addition to their direct superiors - are the first point of contact for questions relating to the organization of work, which is subject to constant change, especially during the pandemic.

Mastering cultural challenges

Nevertheless, digitization alone is no guarantee of success. Companies and their HR departments are now faced with the challenge of adapting the management and corporate culture to the new circumstances so that smooth operations are also ensured within the framework of a hybrid working model. For 71 percent of the decision-makers surveyed, the biggest challenge for HR is therefore to bring employees along with them in the change process. 61 percent also consider it very challenging to establish a new mindset and accompany the change in corporate culture.

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With over 110,000 customers, Global Sana AG is one of Switzerland's leading insurance brokers in the field of health insurance, insurance and retirement planning for private customers. Since 2014, the insurance broker has been offering advice on optimizing insurance solutions. The signs point to further growth: in the current year, the workforce has grown by 30% to 130 employees despite pandemic challenges. Now the cooperation with Deutsche Vermögensberatung has been added. Global Sana thus aims to become one of the leading providers of bancassurance advice in Switzerland.

Insurance broker wants to become a bancassurance provider

The family-owned company DVAG is Germany's largest independent financial advisory firm with revenues of around two billion euros in 2020. Through this partnership, Global Sana has the opportunity to expand its business model and develop its bancassurance offering in Switzerland. At the same time, Deutsche Vermögensberatung, the leading bancassurance company in Germany, will support the further development and growth with its comprehensive expertise.

Private customers first, later also corporate customers

"We are very pleased to have found a strong partner in Deutsche Vermögensberatung for further expansion in Switzerland. Deutsche Vermögensberatung, with its multiple award-winning business model, has the expertise in bancassurance that we would like to make available to our customers," says Daniel Neumann, Managing Director of Global Sana AG. The gradual introduction of bancassurance services will focus on private customers in a first step and on corporate customers in a second. "Knowledge transfer in bancassurance is a key factor in our growth strategy," says Dani Kass, also Managing Director of Global Sana AG. "We support our clientele in securing or regaining their financial self-determination. Especially in times of crisis, it is important to have an independent and competent partner in order to maintain an overview and benefit from the best possible solutions."

Three questions for Daniel Neumann

Why does Global Sana choose a partner from Germany?
Daniel Neumann: Deutsche Vermögensberatung DVAG is by far Germany's largest independent financial advisor. With their expertise in bancassurance, we are in a position to gradually expand and further professionalize our service offering in Switzerland. We cannot imagine a better and more competent partner for our planned growth in Switzerland.

Did this cooperation come about as a result of an opportunity or did you deliberately look for a partner abroad because you couldn't find one in Switzerland?
We have been in contact with Deutsche Vermögensberatung for a long time. The initiative for a cooperation came from our side, because from our point of view a dynamic growth in Switzerland in the area of bancassurance is only possible with a strong partner like DVAG.

Or was it the other way around that DVAG found a suitable partner in Switzerland through Global Sana in order to penetrate the local market?
The synergy effects of our partnership are very high indeed. With our strong market position, we are helping Deutsche Vermögensberatung in Switzerland to achieve sustainable growth in bancassurance.

Sources and further information: Global Sana / DVAG