1. Sustainable Corporate Governance // 2. Business model and Course of Business // 3. Social affairs // 4. Environment
3.2 Employment Conditions
Employees at our headquarters in Zollikofen work full-time, 42.5 hours per week, with flexible working hours and access to a proven home office concept. We value the independence and personal responsibility of our employees. Therefore, contrary to the prevailing trend, we maintain extensive home office options. According to the 2023 commuter survey (the next one will be conducted in 2026), employees at the branch office worked from home for an average of almost 50% of their working hours. This demonstrates the popularity of a combination of working in the office and from home.
«Educational institutions have a special social responsibility. We at SQS support them in embedding this responsibility in their structures. This can only be achieved through open dialogue and in-depth expertise.»
Sébastien Junod (Lead Auditor, Education department)
Festangestellte MA in CH, IT
We offer our auditors an annual working time model, enabling them to manage fluctuations in workload throughout the year in a self-determined and flexible manner. To manage peak workloads and cover specialized expertise, SQS has also worked with freelance auditors for many years. These auditors are employed on a contract basis and work variable hours, tailored to their needs and the requirements of SQS.
All full-time SQS employees are entitled to at least five weeks of vacation per year – one week more than the statutory minimum. Employees under the age of 20 and over the age of 50 are entitled to an additional week of vacation per year.
Early retirement is possible from the age of 58. At the same time, SQS also offers employment opportunities beyond the normal retirement age. This factor will become increasingly important in the coming years, due to the demographic changes.
At the end of 2025, SQS employed 173 people on full-time contracts (compared to 169 the previous year). Offering part-time positions is a key factor for us in attracting and retaining committed, competent employees, especially in times of skilled labor shortages. Accordingly, we offer this option for all our functions. At the end of 2025, 54 employees (6 more than at the end of 2023) took advantage of this option, representing more than 30% of the workforce.
Social benefits
Occupational pension scheme
Our pension fund (PVS) forms a strong foundation for the future of our employees. At the end of 2025, all full-time employees in Switzerland were insured with us - with a pension solution that goes far beyond the statutory minimum. Attractive employer contributions, an above-average interest rate and three optional plans offer both security and flexibility.
Key figures of the SQS pension fund (as of 31.12.2025)
|
Old-age pensions / other pensions (for spouses, life partners, disability, etc.) |
50/10 |
|
Coverage rate |
121.12% |
|
Interest on savings, enveloping |
6.50% |
|
One-off supplementary pension per pensioner |
min. CHF 1 000 max. CHF 5 000 |
|
Performance on total assets |
7.33% |
|
Technical interest rate |
1.75% |
|
Conversion rate |
5.00% |
In order to ensure the long-term structural risk capacity and economic efficiency of the PVS, we initiated the evaluation of a possible affiliation to a collective foundation in 2024.
After a careful evaluation process that lasted several months, the executive management proposed to the employees in June, during detailed information sessions, that the PVS should be transferred to the VZ BVG Collective Foundation. In the subsequent vote, an impressive 98% of the participating employees followed this proposal. This is a sign of the high level of trust and the strong commitment to shared responsibility for one’s own retirement provision and the long-term sustainability of the SQS.
The transfer will not only further strengthen the financial and structural stability of the company pension scheme. It will also enable us to optimize administrative costs, provide added value for our policyholders and ensure the future viability of PVS. We are convinced that this step will provide our employees with a reliable and high-performance pension scheme in the long term.
Pension benefits are also a central component of our employer strategy. In a highly competitive job market, they help us attract and retain qualified employees over the long term and create meaningful jobs.
Others
In addition to the extraordinary benefits under the occupational pension scheme, full-time employees benefit from other excellent social benefits. These include, for example, a one-off marriage and birth premium, the topping up of statutory child allowances or the payment of the insurance premium for daily sickness benefits insurance (KTG) by the employer. During statutory maternity- or paternity leave, SQS continues to pay 100% of the salary.
The accident insurance benefits are particularly worth mentioning in this context. In the event of an accident, employees are insured for the following benefits in addition to the statutory minimum benefits:
• Private ward nursing care benefits (worldwide)
• Integrity capital (in the event of disability) in the amount of two AHV annual salaries
• Death capital in the amount of one AHV annual salary
SQS covers the full premium costs of the supplementary insurance.
Training and further Education
There is no training program for auditors on the market. Accordingly, SQS has to train its employees itself. We therefore invest heavily in the internal training and further education of our auditors. A complex qualification process must be completed before new employees are introduced to this area. This includes numerous internal courses, observation assignments during audits by colleagues and, in some cases, even technical examinations by standard setters.
In 2025, SQS employees completed a total of over 1,800 training days. In addition to the regular introduction of new employees, a wide range of topics were covered, such as changes to Swiss law and to assessed standards and norms, as well as specialist and branch-specific requirements and developments. There were also workshops with customers on the further development of SQS.
Occupational health and safety
In 2025, there were 1,155 days of absence due to illness for full-time employees in Switzerland – an average of 6.7 days per employee. This figure was slightly lower than the previous year and in line with the average for the past few years. The number of days of long-term absence (30 days or more) increased slightly compared to 2024, mainly due to absences related to pregnancy. In contrast, the number of shorter absences was substantially reduced (to 536 from 991 days in the previous year), which is very welcome.
Accordingly, we currently saw no need for action with regard to structural issues. The existing measures for physical and mental health protection will be continued. All SQS employees have access to free external social counselling if required. Almost all workstations at the head office are equipped with electrically height-adjustable desks that allow employees to work ergonomically. In cases of ongoing health challenges, SQS offers case management in cooperation with our insurance partners.
