Role of employer
Question
We are a small sports club with a limited budget. Do we have to take out accident insurance for our coaches?
Answer
From 1 July 2024, the following will apply in Switzerland: clubs will no longer have to take out accident insurance for athletes or coaches if their annual income is less than two thirds of the minimum amount of the full annual AHV retirement pension. This corresponds to a gross salary of CHF 9,800 in 2024. Any accident is then covered by the non-occupational accident insurance of the main employer or by accident cover with the health insurance company.
However, this exemption only applies if no person in the aforementioned functions earns a higher income. As soon as the amount of CHF 9,800 is exceeded by one person, all persons who work in the designated activities must be insured. Nothing will change for all other employees (service staff, cleaning staff, etc.). In any case, they are subject to compulsory insurance in accordance with the Federal Law on Accident Insurance (UVG). This means that these employees must be insured against accidents if they earn more than CHF 2,300 per year.
Question
Are employees of an association automatically deemed to be members of the association?
Answer
As, generally speaking, the individuals concerned are required to provide their consent in order to join an association, it is not possible for association employees to be automatically admitted.
All of the members of an association have the same rights and obligations. If employees are also association members, they have the same voting and electoral rights as the other members and are required to pay the defined annual fee (unless the articles of association state something to the contrary). If employees account for a majority of the members within an association with a low member count, this can be problematic, as the general meeting is deemed to be the associations' most senior body. In this case, the employees could ultimately make decisions regarding the association, which is also their employer.
Question
Is there any evidence to support the introduction of performance-related pay and bonuses, for example for the senior management of a non-profit organisation?
Answer
The trend of moving away from fixed classifications defined according to training and the length of service is being observed at many organisations. At the same time, it is difficult to find the right balance between the two poles (training/length of service and performance focus) that also gives consideration to the different cultures found at a social level. Depending on the company, this requires a lot of tact, as you will then suddenly find yourself in a situation in which young employees earn more than long-serving, loyal employees with a little less punch.
From my perspective, any classification system needs to be based on a mix of criteria, including the professional requirements as per the requirements profile and job description (basic training, special advisory approaches, IT, etc.), a small percentage incentive for many years of service (i.e. level increase) and a performance component. Depending on the area in which somebody is working, it needs to be defined what is understood by performance.
As social organisations do not make a profit (or are not allowed to by the subsidy providers), no bonuses are paid. There are, however, other forms of recognition that can be deployed as an incentive for long-serving employees: increased support in terms of finance and time for further training, participation in important or interesting congresses, delegation to important project groups and paid holidays. There are even organisations that pay for their management staff to enjoy a wellness week after a particularly stressful period.
Question
We now have to take on a commercial employee. How can we access useful information on adjusted wages?
Answer
The websites lohnrechner.ch and salarium.ch can be used to calculate salaries by region and area of work.
