The best employers in Switzerland 2020

UMB, AbbVie and CSP are the best employers in Switzerland in their respective categories. This result is based on feedback from over 17,000 employees who were surveyed by Great Place To Work. 4 out of 5 employees would recommend these companies to their friends and acquaintances.

This year, we honored the "Best Employers in Switzerland" for the 12th time. However, for the first time, this was not done as part of a formal event, but purely virtually due to the coronavirus crisis. Over 200 companies took part in an independent analysis of their workplace culture this year - but only 46 made it onto the list of the best.

In the large companies with more than 250 employees, UMB is a company that already emerged as the winner in the medium category in 2016 and 2018. AbbVie has also long been one of the best employers and has been recognized in the medium category (50-249 employees) every year since 2015. This year it has now won. In 2017, CSP AG Competence Solutions Project was narrowly beaten in the small company category for companies with up to 49 employees, but this year they topped the podium.

In addition to well-known brands such as Digitec Galaxus, IWC Schaffhausen, Sunrise, SAP and DHL, the award-winning employers include many Swiss SMEs. For them, an outstanding workplace culture is an important tool in the battle for the best talent in view of the shortage of skilled workers and demographic change.

What it takes to be one of the best employers

A great employer knows how to sustainably develop the potential of its employees. The basis for this is first and foremost a high level of trust, achieved through practiced values and leadership quality. Even if these aspects are individual to each company, overarching trends and best practices can be identified. At the same time, it becomes clear where the biggest differences lie compared to an average employer:

Employees want to be involved in decisions, which has to do with practicing appreciation. Agile companies do not claim that top management has all the solutions ready. Instead, employees are given a great deal of trust and motivated to contribute their own ideas. Leah Martorelli, consultant at Great Place To Work Switzerland, explains how UMB does this: "UMB has created a portal where every colleague can easily publish their own idea, make it public and thus participate in the further development of the company: If a colleague likes an innovation or suggestion, they can simply give it a "like". Everyone who publishes an innovation should not only be the provider of ideas, but should also be allowed to and should actively help shape its implementation."

A sense of purpose at work and pride in the company are also becoming increasingly important drivers of employee satisfaction. Dr. Thomas Schneider, consultant and co-owner of Great Place To Work Switzerland, cites the pharmaceutical company AbbVie as an example: "The treatment of advanced Parkinson's disease is a major challenge. That is why it is important to AbbVie to celebrate every single patient whose quality of life has improved as a result of their treatment. At the beginning of the month, a ship's bell is therefore used to announce the pleasing number of new patients. Each chime in the cafeteria signifies the improvement in the quality of life of a Parkinson's patient through AbbVie therapy. This signaling is intended to accompany the employees until the end of the year and show that AbbVie does good work month after month and that there is excellent teamwork behind every chime."

APP Unternehmensberatung, which ranks third among medium-sized companies, also relies on employee involvement, as consultant Christine Meyenhofer from Great Place To Work Switzerland knows: "At the annual three-day future seminar, employees are involved in the further development of values, vision and company policy, among other things. Although it would be less time-consuming to involve only the management, the participative approach chosen offers clear added value, as the content developed is more broadly based."

Ranking of the best employers in Switzerland 2020

Large companies (250+ employees)

Medium-sized companies (50-249 employees)

Small companies (20-49 employees)

Here you can find the complete list of the Best Employers in Switzerland 2020!