12th Conference EUSE Lisbon 2015

1. “ Improving Diversity through
Supported Employment ”

2. Public-spirited
entrepreneurs
in Switzerland
Public-spirited entrepreneurs
-successful companies
Dr Annelies Debrunner
hosted by:
In association with:

3. Content
1. Supported Employment (SE) in Switzerland
2. Entrepreneurs and the tradition
3. Project „Social Entrepreneurs – Work in progress“ -
Research Design
4. Focus: Personalities
5. Results
6. Discussion

4. 1. Supported Employment (SE)
in Switzerland
Background:
• Switzerland a „non-European“-member
• 8.2 Million inhabitants
• 4 National languages
• A low unemployed rate
• A high price level

5. 1. Supported Employment
in Switzerland
• Supported Employment is a young area in
Switzerland.
• The association “Supported Employment
Switzerland” has been founded in 2008 and has
80 corporate members.
(www.supportedemployment-schweiz.ch)
• First SE pilot projects were started in
Switzerland in the early nineties.
• In 2015, SE has still no legal backing.

6. SE Services
Giving disabled, or unemployed people a fair
chance of vocational integration into the general
employment market is the objective and task of
several organizations throughout Switzerland by
offering SE services, which include:
•Employment support
•Vocational training assistance
•Clearing
•Job Coaching
•Personal assistance at the workplace

7. 2. Entrepreneurs and the tradition
• Switzerland has traditionally an abundance of small
companies.
• Nevertheless, big companies and the globalisation of
the labour market dictate the conditions of
employment and of vocational integration.

8. 3. Research Design
• In the triangle of vocational integration (client- job
coach- employer) that characterizes Supported
Employment, the employer is one of the players.
• This project focuses on the employer.

9. 3. Research Design
Work in progress: research project
2013 – 2016
Method: 20 qualitative interviews with CEOs,
2 case studies (CEO, job coach, a vocationally
integrated client), content analysis

10. 3. Research Design
Main questions:
•In which biographical periods were CEOs
shaped most, and by what?
•What are the stations in their daily work?
•How do they claim their demands at the
workplace successfully?

11. 4. Focus: Personalities
Mr. A
•Childhood in the Swiss mountains
•Early involvement in farm work
•High level of freedom between work and
school
•Parents endorsing the idea of an egalitarian
society

12. 4. Focus: Personalities
Mr. A: Daily Work
•CEO of an international company in the high
tech medical field (700 employees)
•Giving his employees a chance ( a choice),
whenever possible:
•High level of options for leisure time
•High level of options for part time jobs

13. 4. Focus: Personalities
Mr. B
•Childhood: Insight into social work, teaching
and his father‘s work in the firm
•High level of freedom as for the question of
succession in the family company – late decision
•Parents endorsing the idea of an egalitarian
society

14. 4. Focus: Personalities
Mr. B: Daily Work
•CEO and president of an national building
contractor (350 employees)
•Opportunity for employees to do voluntary
work; CEO doing voluntary work himself
•Keeping a high level of ethical standards
•Part time work in case of urgencies is possible.

15. 5. Results
Characteristics of engaged CEOs:
•Reasons for an egalitary view in the childhood
•Often a technical and a social background of
education and voluntary work in the social field
•Open mind for social and political themes
•An inquisitive person
•Balance between money and immaterial values
•Relation between economical and social aspects
on their workplace/ company.

16. 6. Discussion
• ??
• ??
• How to disseminate ethical standards and
ideas of vocational integration for
handicapped people?
obrigado – thank you –vielen Dank!
debrunner@annelies-debrunner.ch
www.annelies-debrunner.ch