The SNB as an employer
Our staff comprises some 1,000 people. At our offices in Zurich and Berne, situated at prime locations in the heart of the city, we offer modern working environments with the latest technology.
The ongoing development of both our organisational and our management culture, of our teams and our individual employees as well as of our structures and processes is of central importance to us.
Diversity & inclusion at the SNB
Society is changing, and so are its values. A variety of lifestyles and family constellations are steadily gaining in significance, which is also reflected in the workplace and here at the SNB. We are evolving with society and are dedicated to creating the appropriate conditions.
We take an all-encompassing view of diversity and inclusion, emphasising the appreciation of difference, whether of gender, age, Swiss national language spoken, origin, education and experience. We actively seek to live an inclusive culture, one in which each person is valued and heard. At the SNB, we treat one another with respect in an atmosphere of collegiality and openness, with equal opportunity for all.
We want to attract new colleagues with potential, get them onside and help them develop further in-house. Our success is due in part to a holistic understanding of diversity among our staff and to a culture of inclusion. These features allow us to take advantage of a wide range of experience and a broad variety of perspectives, skills and opinions, and thus to achieve solid results and make well-founded decisions. What is more, a culture in which everyone is appreciated and is made to feel at ease is a major factor in promoting universal satisfaction, motivation, well-being and the ability to perform.
Working together, we put diversity to use, practise an inclusive culture, and celebrate our successes.
Equal opportunity
Equal opportunity and non-discrimination are among the SNB’s core values. They constitute fundamental principles of our inclusive culture and are the basis of our employee diversity.
Equal opportunity fosters a diverse and inclusive workplace, enabling our employees to maximise their potential and continue to develop.
Work-life balance
With their expertise and skill sets, SNB employees are of central importance and form part of the big picture, contributing directly or indirectly to the fulfilment of our unique mandate.
At the SNB, we understand our employees’ desire to lead a full life, both at work and off the job. A sound work-life balance is thus indispensable for each individual person’s health, happiness, and ability to perform. By creating the appropriate conditions and fostering a progressive culture, we grant our employees the time and space they need for the other demands their life makes on them.
We support their individual lifestyles with:
- part-time positions and job sharing;
- flexible working hours;
- unpaid leave and sabbaticals;
- possibility to work from home;
- continued employment beyond retirement.
We run our own training and vacation centre on the slopes of the Hasliberg in the Bernese Oberland, and allow our staff and their families to enjoy discounted holidays in the Alps. The landscape, between 600 and 2,500 metres above sea level, boasts a wide range of entrancing nature walks and winter sports, with something for young and old alike. Thanks to cooperation between the SNB and other central banks, employees can visit additional holiday centres abroad at preferential conditions.
Santé, our integrated occupational health management initiative, promotes employee wellbeing with a broad range of offerings to improve your physical fitness and to reduce stress. Our sports club offers a diverse array of activities, from yoga to swimming, sailing, hiking, football and much more.
Reconciling career and parenthood
Taking care of one’s children is as central to the life of a parent as is their job, and requires energy, time, commitment and flexibility. A sound balance of career and family life is the prerequisite for health, happiness and high performance.
In addition to offering part-time positions, job sharing, flexible working hours, unpaid leave and the ability to work from home, the SNB specifically helps employees to balance their family life and career in a variety of ways:
- Maternity and paternity leave at full salary, for longer than the legal minimum
- Possibility of extending maternity and paternity leave
- Increased family allowance for employees with dependent children
The profawo (pro family work) association has a variety of services available to supplement family care. Our longstanding membership in profawo gives our employees access to consultation on issues of childcare and care services for family members, free of charge. Profawo offers a range of services around such care topics and helps locate providers throughout Switzerland.
Broadened horizons thanks to training and development
We encourage our staff to reach their full potential by providing an environment as well as the appropriate tools to promote individual responsibility, as well as personal and specialist development, at all levels and in all roles.
Our development tools
- Employee and performance reviews
- Development assessments
- Career advice
- Internal development programmes
A broad selection of courses and workshops in the areas of specialist, methodology, social and leadership skills allows our staff to further improve their expertise and maintain their marketability.
Further education offerings at the SNB
- Specialised training
- Leadership and management training
- Personal development
- Work techniques
- IT courses
- Language courses
Career paths
There are basically two career paths at the SNB: the management path and the specialist path.
Where operational conditions allow, staff with the requisite potential and the relevant abilities and interests are free to take up a career in management.
Employees with a high level of technical expertise wishing to focus mainly on challenging specialist tasks have the option of pursuing a specialist career.
Benefits and insurance – above the standard
Salaries at the SNB are fair and competitive, based on academic qualifications and professional experience, as well as role and performance.
Our staff are well insured. We offer private accident insurance as well as additional insurance for worldwide coverage in the event of accident or illness.
Pension fund
The SNB pension fund is a legally independent cooperative. It is actuarially autonomous and based on a defined contribution scheme. Staff can choose to retire between the ages of 58 and 68 years old, and SNB contributions are generous.
Occupational health management
Your health is important to us. To this end, we offer a range of measures aimed at promoting and maintaining individual responsibility for health among our employees, including an annual health allowance, a sports programme, ergonomic workplaces, healthy meals at our staff restaurants in Zurich and Berne, and much more.
Banking services
The SNB provides its employees with a variety of preferential conditions with regard to banking services. These include an SNB bank account, a securities account, a safe deposit box and a Maestro card, all of which are free of charge.
Reka credit
SNB staff are entitled to purchase a given amount of Reka credit at preferential conditions each year. You can use them in payment for items including rail tickets, holiday arrangements and petrol.
Service anniversary
Staff loyalty is rewarded every five years in the form of a holiday and/or pro rata salary payment. After 20 and 30 years of service, sabbaticals are possible.
