At Swiss Life, employee diversity is valued. It is an important element for business success.

Mutual respect and a collaborative working culture across linguistic, cultural and national borders are fundamental for this. Different perspectives and approaches, experiences, ideas and skills lead to innovation and serve to secure the long-term success of Swiss Life, including when competing for qualified  professionals.

Corporate Sustainability_EN_WSGE_DP_graph_cs_Employees2
Corporate Sustainability_EN_WSGE_DP_graph_cs_Employees2_1
Corporate Sustainability_EN_WSGE_DP_graph_cs_Employees2_2
Corporate Sustainability_EN_WSGE_DP_graph_cs_Employees2_3
Corporate Sustainability_EN_WSGE_DP_graph_cs_Employees2_4

1  Positions with leadership responsibility
2  Members of the Group, division and business area management 
3  Department and team heads

Diversity and respect as the basis for collaboration based on trust

The Group-wide Guideline on combating discrimination and promoting diversity and inclusion according to the International Labour Organisation (ILO) Conventions forms the basis for the divisions’ specific initiatives and programmes. These enable Swiss Life to pursue the goal of increasing diversity in its workforce as a whole. These include:

  • Flexible working and development models for all career phases up to and beyond normal retirement age and at all locations
  • Reverse mentoring (the junior also coaches the senior) at all locations
  • Participation of Swiss Life Switzerland in “St. Gallen Diversity Benchmarking” at the insu- rance institute of the University of St. Gallen (HSG) as well as in a Diversity & Inclusion wor- king group of the Swiss Insurance Association (SIA)
  • The inclusive and co-creative development of a basis document on “Diversity through inclu- sion” at Swiss Life Switzerland; as well as ongoing awareness-raising with regard to uncon- scious prejudices plus opportunities for job sharing and top sharing
  • Launch of a three-year plan for employees with disabilities at Swiss Life France that comprises job offers, workplace adaptation and the like
  • Partnership of Swiss Life France with the national association “LADAPT” (L’association pour l’insertion professionnelle aet sociale des personnes handicapées); the development of an internal women’s network and the provision of training opportunities to develop leadership and self-marketing, according to the level of experience
  • Specific training courses on “How women successfully shape their career” and dealing with unconscious bias against women at Swiss Life
  • Childcare facilities at Swiss Life Germany’s own day-care centres or equivalent cooperative ventures at the Hanover and Garching locations, as well as the initiative to hold interviews for all employees aged 50 and over to discuss their future career and deployment prospects
  • The proactive addressing of unconscious prejudices as part of recruitment processes and succession planning by the Asset Managers division. Also: raising awareness of inclusion and diversity with the “365 Days of Inclusion” initiative. In addition to five “action days”, weekly “food for thought” sessions,  inspirations”, learning content and view-sharing opportunities are offered.
  • The launch of the podcast entitled “365”, which presents the diversity of employees and the areas of responsibility at Swiss Life Asset Managers; and cooperation with the organisation “MYAbility”, which
    is committed to creating a fair and equal society; specifically, three talen- ted individuals with a physical
    disability are given the opportunity to work in a “job shado- wing” capacity.
  • The “WoMentoring Programme” of Swiss Life Select in Austria, which addresses women who are prepared to act as change agents in actively supporting others on their way to the top.
  • The active advocacy of elipsLife in the Netherlands for equal opportunities for men and women, with a focus on recruitment for management positions and offers of internal transfers. Where there is a risk of staff departures, opportunities for part-time work are reviewed and implemented as far as organisationally possible.

Employees by contract type

Total 10 712 as at 31.12.2022
 Men in % Women
 in % Total in %
Employees full-time
 5 210
 58.8
 3 646
 41.2
 82.7
Employees part-time
 448 24.1 1 408 75.5 17.3
           
Permanent employment contracts
 5 595 53.1 4 943 46.9 98.4
Temporary employment contracts 63 36.2 111 63.8 1.6

The Swiss Life Group uses targeted processes, training courses, guidelines and regulations to ensure that no bullying or discrimination on the basis of gender, ethnicity, language, religion, confession, national origin,
age, sexual orientation, physical or mental handicap, marital status, political views, company rank, working model or level of employment, education or other (visible or invisible) personal characteristics is tolerated. The specialist units in the divisions take targeted measures to prevent harassment, bullying, victimisation and retaliation. Corresponding gui- delines, employee and line manager training and educational materials encourage employees to voice their concerns. In addition, Swiss Life has established confidential escalation
and grievance processes and informal and confidential complaint channels for receiving and handling cases of discrimination and complaints.

  • The directive on conflict management, discrimination, sexual harassment and bullying at the workplace sets out the principles and processes for the Switzerland Division in respect to these topics. The Social Care Consulting specialist unit is the point of contact for confidential and solution-oriented internal advice for employees and managers in matters concerning psychological and physical disorders, impaired performance, stress, conflict, bullying, discrimination, sexual harassment, dependencies (addiction) and other problematic situations. Employees can also contact the social partner (staff committee).
  • The Guideline on Conflict Resolution at the Workplace covers all the processes for the Swiss Life Asset Managers division with regard to this topic. Employees can contact internal units such as Human Resources or the social partners if they have any problems. External contacts are also available: the Association for Health in the Financial Sector (ASTF) in Luxembourg or the “PME Familienservice” as well as local accredited doctors in Germany.
  • There is a guideline at the Luxembourg location on the prevention and management of psycho- social risks, in particular bullying and various forms of harassment. Employees affected by bullying can also contact internal or external advisers.

Fair employment procedures free of discrimination

In accordance with applicable national and international law and the conventions of the International
Labour Organization (ILO), the Swiss Life Group adopts fair and non-discriminatory employment procedures with the aim of ensuring equal opportunity. Recruitment or promotion is based exclusively on ability, competence and potential in accordance with the requirements of the position in question. When recruiting staff, Swiss Life aims to achieve a balanced relationship between applicants from different diversity dimensions:

  • At Swiss Life Switzerland, vacancies at all levels are systematically reviewed for part-time and top-sharing/job-sharing opportunities and are advertised accordingly. The early identification of potential staff risks and their causes takes into account relevant key figures and the strategy for the next three years. The results are incorporated into the annual HR planning processes and serve as the basis for operational measures. Furthermore, the Switzerland Division evaluates its recruitment channels and the responses to its job advertisements. Finally, the subject of unconscious bias is explicitly addressed in respect of personnel recruitment with a structured approach in terms of content and process.
  • The Swiss Life Asset Managers division evaluates its recruitment channels and the reactions to
    its job advertisements with data from the HR information system and “LinkedIn Monitoring”. In addition, the division participates in various programs that make it easier for minority groups to enter the labour market: “Job shadowing” for students with disabilities in Switzerland and internships under the “10 000 Black Interns” programme in the United Kingdom (the programme offers paid internships to black students and university graduates). Finally, the training of recruitment specialists explicitly addresses the issue of unconscious bias in recruitment.

Fair and equal compensation for all employees is ensured by the Group Compensation Policy, which is applicable throughout the Group. For a number of years, Swiss Life has had processes and instruments in place for eliminating the gender-specific salary gap at all its national companies. Some examples:

  • Swiss Life actively promotes equal pay for women and men at its Swiss location and has for several years used the “Logib” software of the Federal Office for Gender Equality to review equal pay. Regular and systematic consideration of equal pay issues ensures that there is no gender discrimination in the pay structure.
  • At the French location, the occupational equality index for Swiss Life France, as defined in the “Avenir professionnel” law, has achieved a score of 92 out of 100 points since 2020. Analysis of the results makes it possible to define measures such as salary increases following maternity leave and the representation of women in senior management positions. Since 2020, the index for equal pay for Swiss Life Asset Managers France has stood at 94 out of 100 points.
  • In Germany, the Transparency in Wage Structures Act (EntGTranspG) applies; this prohibits unequal pay on the grounds of gender. Men and women must receive equal pay for equal work.
  • Swiss Life International publishes a Gender Pay Report every year at its UK location containing average and median figures on salary and bonus differentials, figures on the proportion of employees receiving a bonus, and percentiles by gender.

Links & downloads