dear reader
If someone had told me to blog as a CEO, I might have thought twice. No, honestly, I really like to bring my opinions to people what I have to say is of interest - all the better! In my contributions I give insights - shorter or longer, more superficial or deeper - into topics around the world of HR, the economy and world events. What could be a better start to this adventure - for me and for you - than the 10th anniversary of Randstad Employer Brand Research.
Exactly one week ago, on 28th March, we announced the latest results of the Employer Brand Study at our biggest event in front of a great audience at the HR Festival at Messe Zürich. Of course, the choice of the most attractive employer in Switzerland was not to be missed.
So let's jump right in: the TOP 20!
First place goes to Google. No surprise, if you ask me, because this is the fourth time they have won first place. It is impressive! Worldwide, IT is the most attractive industry for workers.
In Switzerland, it is still the watch industry. No wonder then that last year's winner Rolex landed in second place and Swatch in third place. The top three are no surprise. Honestly, I personally miss the company Patek Philippe, because in the last nine years they have been in the top 4 eight times.
Since the study was extended this year to include the public sector and the healthcare industry, they have unfortunately not made it to the 150 largest companies in Switzerland.
Many different sectors are represented in the top 20 this year. This could be understood as a sign that many sectors of the economy in Switzerland are doing well. New to the study from the health sector is the Insel Group, which has just climbed to 17th place. With over 10,000 staff, it is one of the largest employers in the Bern region. The SRG SSR also made it into the top 20, but only in 18th place. That surprises me! Only 47% of respondents are familiar with the SRG SSR brand. Although probably almost every Swiss person knows Swiss television very well.
The traditional industries in Switzerland are also in the top 20: Georg Fischer, Mettler-Toledo, Central Swiss power plants, Siemens and Pilatus aircraft plants. Particularly exciting here are Georg Fischer and Mettler-Toledo in the shortlist. They actually managed to increase their popularity by over 10 index points. It's a huge accomplishment. However, there is still work to be done on awareness: among the respondents, it was stated that only 20% of the respondents were familiar with these companies.
At this year's award, we awarded individual companies in the TOP 20 for special achievements. Siemens has made it: they are very well known in Switzerland and have also been able to increase their popularity once again and thus catapult themselves from 19th
place last year back into the top 10. I wonder how they do it? What have they changed? After a personal conversation with HR manager Stefan Sticher, it became clear that they are attaching even more importance to the topic of sustainability. In the future, for example, they want to eliminate even more CO2 emissions. Of course, this topic fits with the spirit of the times and focuses on one key issue: the values of staff.
The second shooting star in the top 20 is the Swiss Paraplegic Center. At first I was a bit surprised, but actually it is obvious: what is a more meaningful activity than helping people? It's the first time they've been in there and they're in 5th place: that's insane. As many as 60% of respondents would like to work for the foundation. This speaks to their reputation! I talked to her HR manager Marcel Unterasinger. He confirms that the utility of their activity is the be-all and end-all and employees are happy to pass this message on to the outside world. The Paraplegic Centre accompanies people in completely new situations for a lifetime - this is more than just a patient relationship. The foundation presents itself authentically and attaches little importance to high-gloss reports. They tell the real stories.
I am impressed by the different encounters and diversity in the top 20. One thing I take with me is that good employer branding is precisely not a “make up” job. It only works if it looks the same behind the exterior appearance and lives to a large extent also by and with satisfied employees.
If you want to know more about employer branding, check it out here . And if you've read this far, I hope I have gained a loyal reader looking forward to my next post. And I'm very pleased about that.
Speak soon,
Bernhard