Attractive work environment

We want to position ourselves actively in the competition for the best talent. We therefore continually implement measures to improve the work environment of our employees. Here we focus in particular on health promotion in the workplace, improvement in job quality and flexibility of working hours and location.

Flexible work environment

The possibility of remote and mobile working came out as a key issue in internal surveys. We have fulfilled this wish. After introducing e-mail and the Outlook calendar on private smartphones, LLB started in autumn 2019 with the roll-out of the external Mobile Client (eMC), which makes it possible to connect to the LLB Group network outside of our business premises.

Compatibility of work and life situation

A high degree of compatibility of work and private life in different life situations makes for an attractive employer. In recent years, therefore, we have pushed ahead with projects offering greater flexibility of working hours and location. Most employees work under the trust-based working time model. Under this model, they determine, in consultation with their manager, exactly how their working time is to be structured and different workloads managed. A reduction of working hours from full-time to 80 or 90 per cent is, in consultation with their manager, possible as well – also in management positions.

Under the “FreiZeit-Kauf” (purchase leisure time) project, employees can increase their holiday entitlement by five or ten days and forego a corresponding amount of pay in return. This option is highly appreciated and finding ever greater resonance: in the reporting year, 137 employees (2018: 128) purchased a total of 995 additional leave days (2018: 910). We also support paternity leave and permit our employees care leave in the case of a family emergency. The “Villa Wirbelwind” crèche in Vaduz, which was set up in co-operation with the Liechtenstein Bankers Association, is open to the children of all Liechtenstein bank employees.

Long-service employees are rewarded with a sabbatical. 34 employees (2018: 42) with long-service anniversaries of ten to forty years went on a sabbatical for up to four weeks in 2019.

Initiative for employees over 50

Rapid digital developments and growing complexity are affecting the workplace, making job profiles more demanding. Staying motivated and up-to-date is a challenge – especially for employees who have been in professional life for a long time. At our Liechtenstein location, 27 per cent of employees are over the age of 50. To ensure they remain fit for the working world of the future, we developed a programme in 2019 that will be rolled out in 2020. It includes workshops to strengthen professional and methodological competence as well as the provision of expert support around individual life and financial planning.

Permanent employees by employment type *

Health and safety

The “Working Atmosphere and Health Steering Committee” initiates campaigns and events aimed at boosting job satisfaction and staff motivation. Measures that have already been implemented include: The provision of fruit, water stations and ergonomic office furniture as well as changing facilities with showers for employees who cycle to work or like to work out. Fitness and sports courses as well as workshops on dealing with stress and building physical and mental resilience are also offered for free or at a reduced rate.

We want to reduce the absenteeism rate, which indicates the incidence of accidents and long-term illnesses, through these and other targeted measures. Here, we managed to keep within our target rate of between 2 and 2.5 per cent. In 2019, we registered 149 absences (2018: 138), corresponding to a rate of 2.0 per cent (2018: 2.2 %). 80 per cent of the costs incurred were due to illness.

Support at difficult times

Our aim is to reduce short- and long-term absences and to facilitate the return to work. Mental stress can often result in physical illness and vice versa. Surveys conducted by the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (www.osha.europa.eu) show that stress accounts for around half of all working days lost. Our employees are therefore able to gain free and anonymous access to psychological counselling should they find themselves in difficult work or life situations. We also offer support to employees returning to work after a long absence and to those with serious health problems. Providing practical support enables employees to maintain or regain their productivity.

High employee satisfaction

Employee satisfaction is an indicator of whether it is possible to retain motivated, high-achieving employees in the company. To understand where we stand in this respect, we regularly conduct in-depth employee surveys. After the last survey in 2017, we were honoured with the Swiss Employer Award. The responses inspired us to make a number of changes. We fulfilled the wish for greater flexibility of working hours and location and, based on the feedback, implemented various infrastructure measures: These included opening a new staff restaurant at our headquarters in Vaduz, renovation work, additional video conference facilities, increasing the facilities management budget, and equipping all workstations with height-adjustable desks and ergonomic office chairs. Our next in-depth employee survey is planned for May 2020.