Despite the Corona pandemic, only a few job seekers are currently fearing for their jobs: only 17% of the respondents in the latest JobCloud (jobs.ch / jobup.ch) labor market survey are looking for a new job out of fear for their professional future - that's even 2% less than in the last survey in 2019. Respondents are looking for a new job primarily because they want more pay or a career change and opportunities for further development. Thus, the job search results more from a comfortable situation and less from a need.

SMEs keep up with large companies in terms of attractiveness

It is not the large, international companies that are at the top of job seekers' wish lists: The most attractive employers are small companies with 10 to 49 employees - especially among the younger generation - and medium-sized companies with 50 to 249 employees, across all age groups. "Of course, working for a well-known large company has great appeal for many. These often score with higher salaries and benefits. SMEs, on the other hand, usually impress with flatter hierarchies, the opportunity to take on responsibility and, not least, a more family-like atmosphere," explains Davide Villa, CEO of JobCloud. For some, however, it doesn't matter how big the company is - that's what a quarter of the respondents said.

Corona shifts job search even more to the Internet

In their search for the next job, job seekers have been applying online more and more for years: The use of all digital channels has increased. Over 70% of respondents use job portals for their search, with the two best-known Swiss portals jobs.ch and jobup.ch also the most popular in German and French-speaking Switzerland respectively. Job searches via social networks have also increased (36% in 2021 versus 32% in 2019), with office workers more likely to browse social media for new jobs (40%). Markedly less relevant this year was in-person - probably due in part to the Corona pandemic, which made networking events and business lunches impossible. In 2019, almost half (48%) used personal contacts, in 2021 it is just under 10% less (41%). In French-speaking Switzerland, however, personal contacts are still important: Here, 47% of all respondents rely on their personal network when looking for a job, compared with only 40% in German-speaking Switzerland. On the other hand, the French are much less likely to look for jobs directly on the company website of their preferred employer (45% vs. 54%). Respondents from German-speaking Switzerland thus seem to search more for jobs at specific companies, while the French use a broader search spectrum.

Source: JobCloud

Peter Geiger, Chairman of FEP Freie Erfa-Gruppe Personal Ostschweiz, welcomed the 180 participants as well as 20 people who followed the event from home via live stream. Six HR experts illuminated the topic "HR in turbulent times - balancing act between innovation and constancy" from different perspectives. The event was moderated for the first time by Sabine Bianchi.

Promote cross-divisional collaboration

The first speaker was Alex Villiger, economist with a doctorate from the HSG and Head of Human Resources at Graubündner Kantonalbank. There, he has initiated and implemented a fundamental realignment of HR work. This is based on the fact that the digital transformation, the demographic slump and the change in values have fundamentally and sustainably changed the world of work. Within 20 years, for example, 150,000 office jobs had disappeared because of digitalization. The complementary effect creates more jobs than the substitution effect destroys, says Alex Villiger. The complementary effect is driven by the search for innovation: "If you only optimize the Walkman, you'll never invent an iPod," says Villiger, quoting Heiko Fischer. A fundamental reorientation of human resources work is becoming inevitable. He presented the new leadership model for the working world 4.0. Leadership must awaken the potential of employees, align teams with customers, and promote network-like cross-divisional collaboration, he said.

Pizza delivery on onboarding day: part of the future of work?

Liza Follert, Head of People Attraction at Helvetia Insurance, spoke about constant change in the midst of constant change. Important aspects of this, she said, are personal experiences and accompanying people through important steps in their career paths. "Whether virtually or in person, in our interviews we are at eye level," said Liza Follert. In the interviews, the "you" culture is carried out consistently and at all times, all questions are answered. Taster days to get to know the team and learn more about the job are also part of the process. Participants were able to see for themselves on the spot how an application to Helvetia works. Funny, personalized videos accompanied the applicants from the application, to the invitation to the personal interview, to the employment. Welcome boxes before the start, gummy bears and pizza delivered to the applicants' homes on their first day of work are designed to whet their appetites and make onboarding so cool that they can hardly wait to get started.

Well-being in the future of work 

In the wake of the Corona pandemic, most companies inevitably had to address the issue of home offices. While working at home was a relief for some, others felt more stressed. This was also a finding that Adrian Brunner of Cisco, an international IT company, addressed in his presentation, "Workforce of the Future: home office and mental health - new mindset for HR." He talked about how managers found it difficult to perceive their teams emotionally because of the physical distance. This meant that it was sometimes almost impossible to find out what the well-being of employees was like. But once the pandemic is over, many companies will not return to the "old" way of doing things. "The future of work is becoming hybrid, work at home, work in the office, work everywhere," says Adrian Brunner. Therefore, a proactive approach to employees is necessary to get a picture of their mental health. To make employees feel comfortable in new work environments, he advises: focusing on teams, building trust, stepping up when it becomes relevant, making mental health an issue, creating healthy workplaces. Work, he says, is first and foremost not a place, but an activity.

Culture change: leadership as a key element

Corporate cultures must change in order to be prepared for the future of work. This was demonstrated by Karin Schmidt, Group Head of HR & Communication and member of the Executive Board at Mibelle Group (Migros Industrie). Migros Industrie used to be a conglomerate of more than 20 different companies. The task now is to merge these companies in such a way that synergies can be better exploited, overarching processes streamlined and cost items optimized. HRM plays a key role in this major change process. Six goals are to be achieved in this transformation. A key element of this is a leadership initiative to address issues such as employee engagement, talent management, work-life balance and inclusion. Much of this is currently still in its infancy, the speaker said, and there is still a lot of work to be done. But with a pioneering spirit, community and responsibility, Migros wants to build the future together.

Values: foundation in difficult times

Daniel Frei, co-founder and CEO of tibits AG, then gave the audience an impressive demonstration of what the pandemic can do to a company. "The last 20 months have been the most difficult in the entire history of the company," said Frei, who, together with his brothers, made meat-free system catering respectable 20 years ago. But thanks to a steady commitment to the company's values - joie de vivre, trust, progressiveness, time - and a consistent focus on people, tibits didn't let it get them down. On the contrary: the company used the time to accelerate innovations that had already been started and to put new projects into practice, such as the Biomedical Health Hotel Sonnenberg in Schwellbrunn.

Life Cosmos Engelberg Monastery

A very different kind of "enterprise" is the one that Abbot Christian runs: The Benedictine monastery of Engelberg. He showed how ancient rules of the order can be combined with modern business management. The audience was shown that it is also possible without profit maximization - indeed, that the greatest profit is not only to maintain the monastic community over the centuries, but also to constantly develop it further.

The next East Switzerland Staff Day will take place on September 15, 2022. Further information under www.personaltag.ch.

Four juries evaluated a total of 238 companies for the Swiss Annual Report Rating. On September 21, the winners received their certificates from jury president Hans-Peter Nehmer at SIX in Zurich. The Swiss Annual Report Rating is conducted annually by HarbourClub - Chief Communications Officers. Around 170 participants took part in the event. The rating was made possible by the organizing partner Linkgroup and the support of Antalis, Apostroph Group, PwC and SIX.

Annual reports of the largest Swiss companies

The Swiss Annual Report Rating includes the annual reports of all listed companies represented in the SPI. The list is completed with the companies of the 50 companies with the highest turnover, the 15 insurance companies with the highest premium volume and the 25 banks with the highest balance sheet total and comprises 238 companies in 2020.

This sample was evaluated successively by three juries. First, by the Value Reporting jury of the Institute for Banking and Finance at the University of Zurich, headed by Prof. Dr. Alexander F. Wagner; second, by a Design jury headed by Jonas Voegeli and Jiri Chmelik of the Zurich University of the Arts. Then, a final jury led by Hans-Peter Nehmer, President of HarbourClub and Head of Corporate Communications at Allianz Suisse, judged the twelve best annual reports - print and online - of the 2020 vintage selected by the preliminary juries.

Annual Report Rating 2020: "An exceptional vintage".

In the words of jury president Hans-Peter Nehmer, the 2020 vintage that was judged was certainly exceptional, even for annual reports, because of the pandemic. "How companies deal with and report on the challenges this poses says a lot about their willingness to communicate transparently. Especially in times of crisis, trust can be gained through open and authentic reporting. Some of the companies evaluated have handled this in an exemplary manner."

The rankings

Overall winner business reports of the final jury

Place 1: Geberit
2nd place: St. Galler Kantonalbank
Rank 3: VP Bank

Design category (online and print)

Place 1: Hiag Real Estate
Place 2: Zur Rose
3rd place: Bachem

Category Value Reporting (Online and Print)

Rank 1: UBS
2nd place: Clariant
3rd place: Swisscom

Rising star of the year

Design: Vaudoise
Value Reporting: Aluflexpack

Category text

Swiss Re

Source

The Swiss economy is recovering and will grow by 3.6 percent this year, according to forecasts by the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (Seco). But this positive outlook is not yet reflected in the mood of many businesses. In a non-representative survey conducted online by localsearch (Swisscom Directories AG) among more than 800 owners and managers of small businesses, one in five (19 percent) say they are "depressed, frustrated and fearful for the future because of the Corona pandemic". Another 23 percent don't put it so drastically, but can at least partially identify with that statement.

In the event of a further lockdown: one in five tradespeople would close their company for good

If there were to be another lockdown in Switzerland, this would have drastic consequences for a considerable number of entrepreneurs. For 19 percent of small businesses, this would mean the fairly certain end of their company. Another 12 percent would see their business severely endangered. However, a solid majority of 70 percent of owners and managing directors categorically rule out a closure of their company or at least consider such a move unlikely.

Not all negative: majority sees digitization push as opportunity

A majority (56 percent) can also take something positive from the crisis. These traders see the digitization push triggered by Corona with QR codes, e-commerce, digital marketing, delivery services and contactless payment as a great opportunity for their business. A quarter (24 percent) view digitization critically.

42 percent of all traders are positive about the future and do not expect their business to suffer for long from the consequences of the pandemic. And yet, many traders fear that the effects of the pandemic will have a negative impact on their business in the long term. 20 percent are firmly convinced of this, 12 percent are somewhat convinced and 26 percent cannot rule it out.

Although Corona has shaken things up, the customer structure of the businesses surveyed has not changed. 86 percent of all owners or managers say their customers are still the same today as they were before the pandemic. Only one in seven say they have different customers today than they did at the beginning of last year.

Consumers spend less today than before the crisis

Even if the customer structure has remained unchanged in most cases, customers seem to have partly adapted their buying behavior and demands to the new zeitgeist. More than one in two traders (56 percent) say their regular customers tend to spend less money with them today. And customers have become more demanding and are asking for more for their money - as 41 percent of all small businesses note.

Businesses in Western Switzerland clearly more pessimistic

While 56 percent of all Swiss businesses say that their company is at least partly worse off today than before the pandemic, the figure in French-speaking Switzerland is significantly higher at 63 percent. A similar difference can be seen in customers' perceived propensity to buy: Whereas 55 percent in Switzerland as a whole note a certain reluctance to buy on the part of their customers, the figure in French-speaking Switzerland is 68 percent. And the question of whether the company will suffer from the consequences of the pandemic in the long term is also answered much more negatively by the French, with 73 percent (Switzerland as a whole: 58 percent).

Source: localsearch

Which factors are decisive in order to survive in global competition? Productivity, speed and efficiency are the most frequently used buzzwords. The software manufacturer proALPHA shows how ERP deployment can become a success on the international stage with the help of eight adjusting screws.

1. Communication is everything: Use the cultural challenges as an opportunity for your business. Because decisions and planning are different in every country. It makes sense to take as much time as possible at the start of the project to agree on a uniform procedure with everyone involved. Draw up a plan in which project goals and processes are clearly defined and documented. This will protect you from misinterpretations right from the start. After all, functioning processes are an important basis for being as well networked and successful as possible abroad.
2. Skillfully overcoming language barriers: In the international environment, English is the established working and project language. But especially between native speakers and non-native speakers, subtleties in communication can quickly get lost - misunderstandings arise, and the success of the project falters. Therefore, when preparing your ERP rollout abroad, rely on internationally experienced project managers who are able to navigate linguistic pitfalls with confidence.
3. Identify local requirements: The legal regulations for companies differ from country to country - often even regionally. In order to be prepared for all eventualities here, you should already inform yourself about the respective framework conditions before establishing a foreign branch office. It also makes sense to be familiar with local business practices. A standardized questionnaire for the ERP roll-out is not helpful here, as it may not take into account essential success criteria. proALPHA relies on open workshops in these cases, in which users can openly address their hurdles and define individual requirements. Only then do targeted questions complete the picture.
4. Get IT on board from the start: The technical target architecture must be defined as early as possible for an international deployment of ERP software. After all, a few additional user accounts are usually not enough. Consider the back-end setup as an essential success factor for your project.
   In one possible scenario, you build your foreign branches as additional clients on an existing database. This saves licensing costs, reduces implementation time, and facilitates data exchange - although all countries are then dependent on one database server. In order to be able to act more flexibly with regard to maintenance and local requirements, a second scenario is possible: Each location receives its own database, but this is associated with additional licensing costs and greater effort when importing updates.
5. Standardization and its limits: Individual requirements for workflows and data structures quickly lead to deviations from the standard programming in the ERP system - especially at the company headquarters. However, since most foreign subsidiaries have a more compact set-up and require fewer special tools, adopting the complete architecture is rarely expedient. The solution: Develop a set-up with several country subsidiaries and modify the standard for your subsidiaries as little as possible. Adaptations per client or country can be implemented much more easily this way.
6. Introduce mandatory master data management: The master client concept is a useful tool in central master data management when processes are similar at all locations and the same data is used. Despite the high effort involved, you thus uncover the potential of a globally uniform ERP system - and make it usable for your company. Master data is stored and maintained centrally and can be replicated in local clients. However, it is important to differentiate between global and local master data in order to take regional and national differences into account, for example when parameterizing country-specific tax laws.
7. National language is trumps: The ERP application should be adaptable to the needs of the respective users - not least with regard to the language version. Even if user interfaces and menus in English are often the international standard, masks in the local language make work much easier. If your ERP provider does not have a ready-made language version for your requirements, he should at least provide a translation kit.
8. Is an on-site consultation necessary? On-site consultant days are a huge cost when it comes to rolling out an ERP system abroad. Therefore, limit these appointments to the most necessary. In consultation with the project management, define the tasks that must be completed at the respective location. Country-specific settings for the ERP software and other work that does not require customer knowledge can then be completed conveniently and cost-effectively via remote consulting.

With these eight tips, SMEs should be well prepared for the most common hurdles and can optimally configure their ERP deployment even before venturing into internationalization.

Source and further information: www.proalpha.com

Not only in the Switzerland, but also in the EU area, the number of newly founded companies rose sharply last year. Faced with a wave of layoffs and redundancies, and with people spending more time at home, they have seized the opportunity to start their own small businesses. This has led to an increase in the number of microbusinesses - companies with fewer than 10 employees - worldwide. The financing platform Money.co.uk wanted to find out which countries are best able to produce durable microenterprises and examined the performance of companies with one to nine employees in 28 different European countries (excluding Ireland, Greece, Cyprus, Malta, northern Macedonia and Serbia). The study was particularly interested in what percentage of these businesses survived over a five-year period. However: the figures are based on the period between 2013 and 2018; the impact of the pandemic is therefore not yet reflected.

Survival rate of start-ups highest in France

According to the Money.co.uk research, France is the best country for microenterprise survival. Over a five-year period, the survival rate of start-up businesses in France is 75 %. In 2013, there were 46,549 microenterprises in France, of which 35,060 were still active five years later.
Sweden ranks second with a five-year survival rate of 73 %. In 2013, the country established 17,574 microenterprises, of which 12,908 survived the five-year period. Slovakia follows in third place with a microenterprise survival rate of 70 %. Slovakia had 18,949 microenterprises in 2013, of which 13,328 survived five years.

In Denmark, less than half survive the first five years

On the other hand, Denmark is the country with the lowest survival rate for startups. Although more than 8,000 microenterprises were founded there in 2013, only 3,458 survived the five-year period, meaning that the survival rate in Denmark is only 42 %. The United Kingdom ranked second with a survival rate of 43 %. However, the UK had the most companies that survived five years - a whopping 114,590, twice as many as any other country. Poland ranked third with a survival rate of 44 %. The country produced nearly 36,000 microenterprises, but fewer than 16,000 survived five years.

The countries with the most microenterprises after five years

Although survival rates vary by around 30 % between the best and worst countries, money.co.uk also wanted to find out which countries produced the most companies that survived the five-year period. At the top, as mentioned, is the United Kingdom with 114,590 companies. Turkey follows in second place with 56395 companies that have survived the first five years of their existence. In third place with 35060 companies is France.

The situation in Switzerland

Switzerland finds itself in the lower midfield in 19th place in the Money.co.uk survey, on a par with Hungary and Spain. In these countries, 52 percent of new companies survived the first five years; in Switzerland, the figure is 6363 companies out of 12334 startups. A direct comparison with our neighbor to the north, Germany, is interesting: there, only 47 percent of the new microenterprises founded since 2013 survived the first five years.

Professional support for start-ups can significantly increase the chance of survival. The IFJ Institute for Young Enterprises notes that start-ups supported by it have a noticeably higher survival rate: After five years, 87 percent of the supported companies still exist.

Click here for the complete ranking. Source: money.co.uk

Workday recently unveiled the results of a new diversity and inclusion (D&I) survey. The survey was conducted in spring 2021 by Sapio Research on behalf of Workday among more than 2,200 HR managers and leaders from 14 European countries to understand motivations, actions and progress in the area of Belonging and Diversity (B&D).

Diversity and inclusion: major differences between countries

The investment and progress of diversity and inclusion initiatives varies widely among the organizations surveyed in Europe. For example, three out of four respondents say their leadership teams consider B&D important: Spain delivers the highest score at 84%. Germany and Switzerland come in at 76% and 74% respectively, and Austria at 62%. The lowest proportion of supporters is in Norway (46%).

Three in four respondents said they have a budget to fund D&I initiatives. More than 41% plan to maintain this, despite current economic challenges. More than a third even plan to increase it. In Germany, 74% and in Switzerland, 76% of respondents currently have financial resources for these initiatives. In addition, increases are planned for next year in both countries. Austria shows the highest value among companies without a budget (27%) and only 18% of respondents see opportunities for an increase in funding.

Almost all organizations are implementing at least one B&D initiative, but more than a third do not have a strategy in place. One-fifth have taken initial steps to develop one. In Germany, 37% have no strategic approach and 21% are changing that. In Switzerland, 40% are currently without a firm concept, while 23% would like to act in a more planned manner in the future. Austria is the country in Europe where most of the companies surveyed have no strategy (57%) and only 8% are taking steps to change this.

Increasingly, measures are taken on the basis of data

Data evaluations enable comparisons and changes, and make successes visible in the first place. Of all respondents, 75% trust their organization's D&I data to take action based on it. Denmark and Spain trust their data the most (85% and 83%), while Switzerland and Germany are just above and below the European average with 77% and 70% respectively. Austrians have only 55% trust in their data.

There is clear potential in all the countries surveyed when it comes to measuring the impact of D&I initiatives on business success: this data is only collected by 17% of respondents. Here, too, Spain (24%) has the highest value, while Germany is in the midfield with 15%, Switzerland (9%) and Austria (8%) occupy the rear places.

The survey found that of the companies surveyed in Europe, 92% use technology to support D&I initiatives to some degree. Compared to Europe, only 88% in Germany, 85% in Switzerland and 83% in Austria rely on technology.

View D&I as a central component of corporate strategy

Concrete and sustainable measures are needed to generate benefits for organizations and their employees. To achieve this, it is advisable to embed the concept consistently in the corporate strategy and to implement information systems that enable effective management. A fact-based approach can help organizations move from good intentions to lasting change.

"Far-reaching societal changes have led us to rethink how we work and interact with each other. Issues such as employee wellbeing, diversity, belonging and inclusion have automatically come into focus," explains Daniela Porr, EMEA HCM and D&I Specialist. "Through the study, we wanted to learn more about what progress, but also challenges, companies see in implementing a culture focused on diversity and belonging. The findings highlight the importance of engaging both management and employees in implementing D&I initiatives to achieve sustainable change. This can only succeed if companies view D&I as a central component of their corporate strategy and embed it in corporate governance. To bring together the relevant information and develop strategic approaches to diversity and inclusion, the use of innovative products and solutions can accelerate cultural transformation."

Source and further information: Workday

The 17th SIZ Care Forum attracted around 150 visitors to the campus hall of the University of Applied Sciences Northwestern Switzerland in Brugg/Windisch. Welcomed by Kurt Mettler, Managing Director of SIZ Care AG, and moderator Michael Sokoll, the audience first received a lesson in "complaining endangers your health": communication trainer and book author Dani Nieth explained how too much focus on the negative opens the door to bacteria and viruses.

Prevention and inclusion in practice

The next presentation dealt specifically with prevention and integration. Dr. Jérôme Cosandey of Avenir Suisse presented in his paper "Integration instead of exclusion - good professional integration in case of invalidity is worthwhile" results of a recently conducted study which proves exactly this. He also pointed out that instruments such as the so-called resource-oriented integration profile (REP), as developed by Compasso, a job retention and professional integration network, could be used even more frequently.

Dr. med. Jochen Uebel, specialist in psychiatry and psychotherapy at the Schützen Clinic in Aarau, then took a psychiatric look at the (in)ability to work. He noted that this is a matter of questions of medicine and law and pleaded for a "therapeutic alliance" between all players, i.e. physicians, employers, insurers and patients. This would include, among other things, a more work-oriented attitude on the part of medical professionals and an individualized approach to reintegration into the work process.

Legal pitfalls in the continued payment of wages

Kurt Mettler's presentation then dealt with ambiguities regarding continued payment of wages and daily sickness benefits. He pointed out the different classification of incapacity for work under social insurance law (in particular Art. 6 ATSG) and the Code of Obligations (Art. 324a OR). Social insurance law explicitly links an inability to work to an illness, whereas the Code of Obligations speaks of "inability to work". The latter argumentation can lead to the fact that daily sickness benefits insurers do not consider an inability to work as an illness and therefore do not want to pay daily benefits. For this reason, a clear regulation of the continued payment of wages by the employer at the level of the employment contract/personnel regulations is recommended as a "substitute solution" in order to counter such ambiguities.

More "starch attacks

Evelyne Wenzel's presentation was the final point. She gave the audience food for thought on how their own strengths can be strengthened through their self-image, with a meaningful vision and clear goals, as well as with a positive basic mood. This ultimately serves as a "compass to more strength attacks", according to the speaker - and, following Dani Nieth's presentation, also to a healthier attitude.

More information: SIZ Care AG

Influencer marketing has long since become part of the communication strategies of successful companies and those who want to become successful - at least in the B2C sector. For years, companies have relied on brand ambassadors with a wide reach to promote new products and provide relevant content for their target groups. But what about B2B influencer marketing? In just four steps, even medium-sized companies can implement a successful strategy and use B2B influencers to polish their image, increase awareness and win new customers.

1. planning is half the battle!

Slightly modified, but still true! And this is especially true for B2B influencer marketing. As a rule, the target group here is much more critical than in the B2C sector. On the one hand, this is because the potential customers are experts in their industry themselves - and on the other hand, it's not a matter of deciding to buy a new pair of shoes, but rather, in case of doubt, to spend real money. Everything should really be right! Therefore, good planning is the be-all and end-all. So before measures and influencers are selected, companies must first know their target group exactly. Then, the goals of the campaign, external influences and analyses must be aligned with these.

2. let's get informative: emotions are out of place here

In contrast to the B2C sector, B2B brands and their influencers should not rely on emotions. After all, buying decisions are not made on a whim, but rationally, weighing up the pros and cons. In addition, many products - in the IT industry, for example - require a great deal of explanation. The approach should therefore be with relevant information, hard facts and authentic experience reports. Those who shine with expertise right from the start and create trust through information will also be able to convince in the long run.

3. the agony of choice: identifying suitable influencers

Rule number one: B2B influencers must be credible! Brand ambassadors and companies should therefore be a perfect match in order to be able to make an authentic appearance. This means that trade journalists, researchers, or recognized industry insiders are actually bought for their interest in the respective topics and their conviction in the advertised product. However, the company's own employees are also conceivable - as so-called corporate influencers - as are business partners and associates with the relevant expertise. The main thing is that the person, the message and the product fit together. In the B2B sector, in contrast to B2C, it plays a subordinate role what reach the influencers have. It is more important that they are at home in the respective niche - this way, companies can be sure to reach their target group and a real brand fit is created!

4. no matter if LinkedIn, Pinterest, TikTok or Xing?

No, of course it does matter! On the contrary, choosing the right channel can be crucial. After all, what good are the best campaigns on TikTok if the target group is really only on LinkedIn and Xing? So some research work is required here in advance. However, if you know your target group exactly (a reminder of point 1), you will also know which social media you can find them on. This knowledge is also important for the selection of formats in the next step. For example, while TikTok is all about video content, a combination of video or image and text is more likely to be expected on LinkedIn. The analysis of user and reception behavior helps to deliver really relevant and inspiring content.

Conclusion: B2B Influencer Marketing is not that complicated!

B2B influencer marketing works differently than B2C influencer marketing - but it's not that much more complicated! Although there are not a large number of possible brand ambassadors available for certain topics, the complexity is kept within limits apart from a higher research effort. What can help here: ambassadors from your own ranks or business partners with an affinity for the topic. If the tone is then informative, fact-based and authentic, not much can go wrong.

About the Author:
Christopher Storms-Wolf is the right contact person at Echte Liebe (https://echte-liebe.com) when it comes to developing content-based digital campaigns: "We live in a wonderful digital age in which it is possible to excite and inspire people with interesting content and motivate them anew every day." In the past, the creative head successfully implemented various projects for well-known national and international clients and convinces with expertise and the right portion of zeitgeist.

Egon Zehnder, a leading leadership advisory firm, has published the results of a study in which 972 CEOs around the world were surveyed. Approximately 100 Swiss CEOs also participated in the survey. The central question of the survey was: How have the function and expectations of CEOs changed in the face of major global challenges and emerging trends?

Radically change the management style

The study concludes that the pressure of expectations on CEOs worldwide has increased dramatically. At the same time, they have to radically change their leadership style. Interpersonal leadership skills and self-reflection are becoming increasingly important. CEOs are becoming increasingly aware of the social aspects of their role: they recognize that the key to entrepreneurial success lies in radically developing their interpersonal leadership skills.

Rethinking the role of the CEO

Two changes are shaping corporate culture: a growing demand for equality in the workplace and a call for more flexible, hybrid forms of work. As a result, CEOs around the world are rethinking not only their leadership style, but also their entire role. How do they want to work with their teams in the future? In what ways do they want to develop the company - and themselves? How do they position the company for the long term? In the current complex business environment, it is crucial for CEOs to prioritize their own development while learning to better leverage the potential of their own organization.

The most important results at a glance

• 90 percent of CEOs say their immediate environment has become louder, more demanding and more diverse. When asked about the impact of recent circumstances on their business, most CEOs said decision-making and change had accelerated and economic uncertainty had increased. These changes highlight the complexity and rapid pace of change reshaping the business world. At the same time, CEOs are being measured against ever higher and more drastic stakeholder expectations. Swiss CEOs' perception of this change was only slightly weaker compared to their international peers, with 83 percent agreeing, 7 percent lower than the global average. Nevertheless, the results also show in this country how profoundly the role of the CEO is changing.
• 78 percent say they are reflecting on their own leadership style - up from 66 percent in 2018. CEOs are looking to expand their capabilities and want to be adaptable, relational, and self-reflective. Swiss CEOs are particularly eager to solicit diverse perspectives and seek feedback from their reference groups - including team members, senior management, CEOs and VRPs. Sixty-three percent of Swiss CEOs seek feedback when interacting with the VRP, which is quite a bit higher than the international average of 51 percent. It is also striking that the family seems to play a special role, especially in Switzerland. 62 percent of CEOs in this country said they consult their partner or a family member for feedback, compared with 48 percent worldwide. In addition, female CEOs in Switzerland seek advice from their team and management much more frequently than their male colleagues. Accordingly, they seem to separate business and private life to a greater extent.
• Seventy-eight percent of CEOs admit to focusing on their own change or development - three times as many as in 2018. Among Swiss CEOs, the level of agreement even exceeds 89 percent. CEOs worldwide agree that a "double transformation" is needed to master the challenges of our time: they believe that the personal development of a CEO and the growth of the company are inextricably linked. In this respect, the most striking finding is the almost unanimous agreement of a thousand executives with the statement: "As a CEO, I need to be able to change both myself and my company."
• Conflict and decision-making: Two-thirds of CEOs report that decision-making criteria have remained unchanged despite new social and economic complexities. In addition, fewer than half of CEOs (44 percent) say they feel in alignment with their teams - even fewer say the same about their boards. Both indicate a heightened potential for tension and an increased need for collaboration between leaders and employees.
• Nearly 500 CEOs, or more than half of all respondents, see the issue of relationship skills as an important blind spotas an analysis of verbal comments shows. Fewer than half of CEOs (46 percent) say they are fully aligned with their teams, and even fewer with their supervisory boards - indicating heightened tensions and a correspondingly greater need for coordination.
• Innovation and ESG more important for CEOs in Switzerland than the global average. While financial metrics are at the top of CEOs' agendas worldwide, Swiss CEOs rank innovation metrics as the most important driver of their decisions. This is a remarkable increase over the global average, which ranks innovation metrics sixth. Swiss participants also rank environmental, social and governance criteria slightly higher than their global peers.

Apart from a strong set of classic leadership skills, CEOs are characterized above all by an increased degree of mindfulness, adaptability and relational skills. According to Clemens Hoegl and Simone Stebler of Egon Zehnder Switzerland, the study shows that the last two skills are in great need of improvement. What is certain, they say, is that the personality of CEOs is deciding the weal and woe of a company more than ever before.

Source and further information: www.EgonZehnder.com

Lausanne-based software developer Tayo, headquartered at EPFL (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne), was founded in 2017. It has developed a comprehensive platform solution for real estate companies that simplifies and accelerates interactions between property managers, tenants, co-owners, janitors and suppliers. All parties involved in real estate can use it to exchange information electronically, which significantly simplifies processes. The potential of this software was also recognized by the energy provider Romande Energie when it invested in the start-up back in 2019.

Abacus Research complements its own real estate software

Now the software manufacturer Abacus Research from Eastern Switzerland is also taking a stake in the Lausanne-based company. The main reason for the investment is that with Abacus' real estate management software AbaImmo, not only the internal management processes and the seamless integration with the company's own financial solution must function smoothly, but also the communication with third parties such as tenants, craftsmen and owners. This should be guaranteed to be as simple and as efficient as possible. The interaction of the Tayo and AbaImmo platform expands it in one fell swoop to include a function that is becoming more important than ever in the age of digital business processing: direct interaction or networking via the cloud.

"One and one makes more than two"

In the future, there are also plans to seamlessly integrate Swiss.21's cloud software, which is available free of charge, with the Tayo portal so that participating craftsmen can benefit from digitalization. Daniel Senn, member of the Abacus management board, explains the participation as follows: "With Tayo, we have found the ideal partner to offer our AbaImmo customers a modern and comprehensive 360° platform to complement the AbaImmo property management software. Our users will benefit from significant simplifications and an acceleration of the various processes around rental properties."

Etienne Friedli, CEO of Tayo, emphasizes that with Abacus he has not only gained a new strategic investor: "The partnership with Abacus helps us to spread our platform further in the market. We are convinced that with Abacus we have the best partner at our side to remain an independent Swiss software provider. In addition, we expect synergies in software development from this, in line with the motto: One and one make more than two... Because together we want to become even more successful."

More information: www.abacus.ch and www.tayo-software.com

Each quarter, ManpowerGroup surveys more than 42,000 employers in 43 countries on employment prospects for the coming quarter. It also examines trends related to skills shortages on an annual basis. According to the latest survey, in 25% of the global markets surveyed, hiring intentions are the highest they have been in over 10 years.

Employment prospects particularly good in eastern Switzerland

In Switzerland, employers in all seven regions and industries are confident about hiring intentions for the final quarter of 2021 - with a net employment outlook of +8%. This is in line with the previous quarter and represents an improvement of 6 percentage points from the same quarter in 2020. One region stands out in particular: Eastern Switzerland expects employment growth of +18%. This forecast is 10 percentage points higher than the previous quarter (+8%) and 17 percentage points better than a year ago (+1%). Benjamin Hügli, Regional Director Zurich & Eastern Switzerland Manpower: "In the Zurich region, we see an encouraging outlook of +6%, which is really positive. Eastern Switzerland is particularly exceptional, with an Outlook of +18%. The big difference with the Zurich region is that Eastern Switzerland has many industrial workplaces, which are naturally less suitable for home offices and were correspondingly more affected by the pandemic. In contrast, the Zurich region is more active in the service sector, which was able to respond appropriately to the home office requirement and recommendation. With the vaccinations and the upturn in the economy, hiring intentions in the Eastern Switzerland region are now picking up."

Shortage of talent remains high globally, declining in Switzerland

At the same time, the global talent shortage remains at a high level. For the months of October, November and December, employers expect a talent shortage of 69%. In Switzerland, the talent shortage has decreased since the last survey (83%): 57% of the companies surveyed are struggling to fill their positions with suitable talent. Faced with this talent shortage, which remains the worst in 15 years, 41% of companies are investing in training, skills development and mentoring, while 67% are offering more flexibility, both in terms of working hours and location. Swiss employers focus on training, skills development and mentoring incentives (54%). But there are also barriers: Globally, the biggest barriers cited are money (22%), time (19%) and access to the right training partners (13%). In Switzerland, a similar picture presents itself among employers, although the obstacle time (34%) reaches a much higher percentage than the global value.

Yvonne Baumgartner, Managing Director Talent Solutions ManpowerGroup Switzerland: "In our view, the high affinity for continuing education has led to a decline in the talent shortage in Switzerland. Many employees have taken advantage of the pandemic period and have continued their education to increase their employability and be fit for the job market as soon as the economy recovers. But the war of talent continues. We are getting feedback from our clients that employer branding is becoming more relevant. Due to the talent shortage, specialists in particular can choose where they want to work. Salary alone is no longer the only selection criterion: Incentives such as flexible working hours and locations as well as coaching and internal training are also highly valued. The pandemic has taught us a few things - especially with regard to the need for flexibility. Many companies have made appropriate adjustments, but we sense that development in this area is not yet complete."

Source: ManpowerGroup