Since March 2020, the more than 7,000 employees of the Ringier Group have been working mostly from home. Surveys conducted among the CEOs of the individual group companies in early 2021 found that the majority of employees wished to continue working remotely beyond the pandemic, with most calling for at least one day of remote working a week and many for additional days. The Group Executive Board of Ringier AG has decided to make remote working a permanent aspect of the work culture of Ringier AG Switzerland, even after the end of the statutory requirement to work from home. The newly introduced Mobile Office Policy is a recommendation for Ringier’s associated Swiss companies and its international shareholdings in 17 countries.
Marc Walder, CEO Ringier AG: «Remote working solutions and flexible processes have governed our daily work for 16 months. Thanks to the innovative minds and immense personal responsibility of all our employees, the transition has been as successful as possible. That is why Ringier will continue to embrace a flexible work culture in future. From September, we will launch a 60:40 mobile office policy that summarises our idea of agile collaboration: this may happen in the office (at least 40%) and sometimes at a place freely chosen by each individual employee (up to 60%). We want our employees to work wherever they can concentrate best and feel comfortable. Where the infrastructure allows healthy working».
Susanne Jud, Chief People Officer, Ringier AG, added: «All our employees will continue to be able to work from home to the extent that their specific work allows. All the same, Ringier will not switch to remote working completely. Personal interaction is very important to our company culture, and we wish to keep it this way. We expect that most of our colleagues will no longer attend the office five days a week. With the new, long-term Ringier Mobile Office Policy, we are giving them greater flexibility, self-determination and responsibility in organising their daily work. The 60:40 solution strikes a good balance between the best of remote working and the best of the office».
Teams set their working location and team days
Today, we’re in the office. Tomorrow, we’re at home – or wherever else we want to be. In future, employees will coordinate the time, place and manner of their work with their manager on a regular basis. This approach is based on the hybrid 60:40 working model, which combines office attendance with remote working. From September, presence at the office will be equivalent to working at a freely chosen location for employees of Ringier AG in Switzerland. Regular personal interaction remains important, so the Ringier Mobile Office Policy also incorporates a fixed quota of in-person team days per week.
Ringier AG, Corporate Communications
About Ringier
Ringier AG is an innovative, digitalised and diversified Swiss media company operating in Europe, Asia and Africa. Its portfolio includes around 110 subsidiaries in the print, digital media, radio, ticketing, entertainment and e-commerce sectors and leading online marketplaces for cars, property and jobs. As a venture capital provider, Ringier supports innovative digital start-ups. Ringier, a family company founded in 1833 as a publishing house and printing plant, has invested consistently in digitalisation and global expansion in recent years. In 2020, the company’s some 6.800 employees, operating in 18 different countries, generated revenues of 953.7 million CHF. Today, 69 per cent of its operating profit already comes from digital, where Ringier is a leader among European media companies. Ringier’s core values are independence, freedom of expression and a pioneering spirit.