Shareholders' Letter

Employees
Swisscom offers employees a working environment that fosters
their personal and professional development by setting them
challenging tasks and allowing them to exercise responsibility.
Introduction
Today’s dynamic markets and the pace of technological change present major challenges to companies:
change is often unpredictable, and the increasingly fast pace of change is a key factor influencing
business performance. Given this situation, how can human resources management contribute
strategically and sustainably to a company’s success? The key lies in a constructive and
creative approach to change. This calls not only for a corporate culture that fosters and promotes
such an approach, but also for the requisite expertise.
The complexity of change is now virtually impossible to master, and the amount of available information
is becoming overwhelming. As a result of this dynamic situation, know-how rapidly
becomes outdated. Yet in their bid to remain globally competitive, companies are constantly
obliged to stay one step ahead in the knowledge stakes. Against this backdrop, the technical
expertise and the personal attitudes and conduct of employees are becoming increasingly business-critical.
Swisscom seeks and supports visionary individuals who are team players and have
the drive to turn their visions into reality. Swisscom’s business success depends on its employees
consistently focusing on customer needs.
Management approach and objectives in Switzerland
Swisscom’s Group Human Resources division is responsible for promulgating a Group-wide personnel
policy. The operating segments, covering everything from recruitment to termination of
employment. Group Human Resources formulates and promulgates Group-wide standards,
guidelines and principles governing human resources policy. It provides support to the Group Executive
Board and Board of Directors for issues related to human resources policy, recruits senior
management staff and manages programmes to foster junior talent and succession planning.
Group Human Resources is also responsible for professional and vocational training throughout
the Group. In its dealings with the social partners, Group Human Resources advocates the interests
of the Group as a whole.
For the next few years, Group Human Resources has set itself the following priorities and goals:
Swisscom applies strategies and measures for age management so as to address demographic
trends in good time and seek profitable solutions for approaches to older employees. Demographic
trends also affect Swisscom’s pension fund: Swisscom is committed to a solid pension fund and
an equitable spread of contributions. Swisscom liaises with the social partners to seek fair solutions
for the collective employment agreement (CEA) and social plan. Swisscom aims to position
itself on the job market as an attractive employer to attract new talent. At the same time Swisscom
invests in the employability of its employees and its progressive vocational training programme
makes an important contribution to Switzerland’s status as a skills-based economy. As the wide
range of initiatives and programmes demonstrate, Swisscom also accords great value to the health
of its employee and to cultural diversity within the Group. With the support of Human Resources,
Swisscom management consistently devotes its efforts to people as a key success factor, developing
strategies that unleash employees’ potential and create an open culture in which mistakes are
admissible. Showing appreciation, rewarding achievement and acting as role models play a key
role in this context.
Management Commentary 32 | 33
Capital market
Employees