Equality between men, women, and people with different gender identities affects us all. The world of work in particular offers significant leverage for promoting equality. PostFinance is committed to this. But why are equal opportunities and diversity so important to the bank, and what measures are being taken?
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Gender equality is a fundamental cornerstone of an advanced society and has long been regulated in Switzerland by law. Equality between men and women has been firmly anchored in the Swiss Constitution since 1981, and it has been established in the Gender Equality Act since 1996. Specifically, this means that men and women have the same rights, and nobody may be disadvantaged on the basis of their gender.
But equality is not only a question of politics. The economy must also contribute to driving it forward. At PostFinance, equality is established in its corporate responsibility strategy. The financial institution’s aim is that all men, women, and people with other gender identities can enjoy the same opportunities and conditions within the company, and that no one is discriminated against. Everyone who works at PostFinance should have the freedom to develop their personal abilities and to make decisions without facing restrictive prejudices.
Companies can apply leverage in various ways to achieve equality. For example, PostFinance relies on raising awareness of the issue of equality among its leaders and employees, and it focuses on further specific approaches, such as:
The financial institution establishes part-time working and topsharing, where management positions are also advertised with reduced working hours.
PostFinance’s recruitment guidelines include vital points to consider regarding equality between men and women – such as the use of gender-neutral language when writing job advertisements. They also note that it is important to pay attention to any unconscious prejudices during job interviews (see inclusion training). Furthermore, salary transparency in job advertisements also plays a role in equal pay for men and women.
To promote the balancing of family and working life, PostFinance has been offering childcare support during the summer holidays with the “holiday week” since 2016.
With the RealTalk platform, PostFinance aims to promote the discussion about gender and its roles outside the bank, and to encourage people in Switzerland to change the way they think about a range of issues. This demonstrates PostFinance’s commitment to successful cooperation between the genders.
When the genders have equality in the workplace, this has a positive impact not only on the individual but also on their environment. For example, equal pay can reduce the gender pay gap within a couple and support the idea of life decisions being made on equal terms. Furthermore, your salary does not only define your current financial situation, but also that of the future – the keyword here is retirement planning. And the company also benefits. “We are convinced that diversity is a key success factor for shaping the future and achieving our goals in a volatile environment. It helps heterogeneous teams to run less risk of biased thinking and of overlooking crucial aspects,” says Stefanie Haag, who is responsible for diversity, equity and inclusion in the Sustainability team. For this reason, PostFinance also aims to ensure that each gender is represented by at least one third of both middle and senior management. “While we achieve balanced figures across the entire workforce, we have some ground to make up in terms of the percentage of women in middle and senior management,” explains Stefanie Haag.
Felicia Kölliker is Chief Risk Officer and Member of the Executive Board at PostFinance. In the interview, she explains what she personally has contributed, why she considers performance regardless of gender to be the most important criteria when making appointment decisions, and how you can optimize your own self-marketing.
Felicia Kölliker has been working at PostFinance since 2009.
The key thing is performing well. Performing well is what impresses people and will allow you to progress – regardless of your gender. I’ve always given tremendous commitment, achieved a great deal and been fortunate that certain situations have arisen. As well as being highly motivated, what has helped me is my ability to take on, analyse and overcome challenges quickly by defining goals, identifying solutions and then implementing them. Consistent focus on solutions is a vital management skill. It all comes down to the ability to achieve progress and make an impact. Having and making the most of opportunities to show what you can do is also a key factor in making personal and career progress. In this respect, I sometimes notice a difference between men and women.
I’m generalizing here, and it’s not always the case, but men deliberately put themselves in the spotlight, while women do the opposite. In the best-case scenario, women realize they do their job well, but often hold back from showing people just how good they are. Personally, I’ve always marketed myself without being conceited or over the top, but in a very targeted way. You have to sell yourself, regardless of your gender. And then there’s your private life – if, as a woman, you want children as well as a career that’s very demanding, you need a supportive husband. My mindset has never been that women should shoulder most of the childcare responsibilities. I’ve always known that I wanted to carry on working full-time and did not want to reduce my workload. I wanted children, but not at the expense of my career. And that’s perfectly feasible if you organize your daily routine well, seek support and work with your partner to overcome hurdles. A supportive employer is clearly important, too. PostFinance is very good in this respect and offers working mothers and fathers a great deal of flexibility.
For example, by consciously and courageously applying for jobs that you feel are a bit beyond you. When I applied for my current position on the Executive Board, somebody said to me: “Isn’t it a bit soon after your last change? Have you got the expertise for this?” I applied, despite other people’s reservations, because I believed I was a strong candidate and possessed some, if not all, of the attributes required. A job advert is always an ideal wish list. But nobody meets all the criteria. When you apply, you should highlight your strengths, but also be completely honest and transparent about the skills you don’t have.
