This year's HR Experience Campus was all about the Employee Journey. The message: Swiss employees are generally satisfied, mainly thanks to their direct superiors, the Team and helpful digital tools. But only a third are really happy. This is precisely where HR is called upon to provide new impetus for greater satisfaction. So it's time for more courage, more humanity and a pinch of improvisation.
A start like a walk in the park
Under the motto "Creating Future Employee Journeys", this year's HR Experience Campus welcomed around 350 visitors. Moritz Marti, CEO of HR Campus, kicked off the event with a personal anecdote. His journey at HR Campus began 16 years ago with a walk with the then CEO Marek Dutzkiewicz. The "walk with the CEO" tradition is still upheld today and conveys Appreciation and a welcome to new employees from the outset.
More flexibility for greater satisfaction
How satisfied are Swiss employees? HR Campus wanted to find out exactly and asked in its representative study. The result: employees are satisfied overall, but only one in three is perfectly happy. The following figures impressively show that satisfaction pays off: only 8% of satisfied employees are thinking about changing jobs, compared to 63% of dissatisfied employees. Direct superiors enjoy particular trust (62%). Company management (45%) and HR departments (42%) score significantly lower. Levers such as transparency, Appreciation and clearly presented career and development opportunities noticeably increase satisfaction and trust. Digitalisation also makes its contribution: it relieves pressure, creates time for value-creating activities and promotes transparency. One clear wish of employees is for flexible working hours. The appeal to companies: Check where flexibility is possible - it increases satisfaction and makes you more attractive as an employer.
HR needs courage
Speaker Silvana Leasi from Luzerner Kantonalbank experienced for herself that HR does not exactly enjoy the best image. When she switched to HR, she was condoled and rumoured to have had a "career decline". But she recognised the importance of HR: it is the sales force, the company's key account management and the first thing that applicants notice. It takes courage to fulfil this important role. Courage to ask questions, contribute ideas and build bridges. Courage to develop HR from an administrator to a creator. That's why she advises the audience: Get the best people into HR so that they in turn can attract the best talent to the company.
Attitude beats perfection
Laura Winterling, who trains astronauts for space, brought a completely different perspective. How do you become an astronaut? How do you select the five most suitable people from 23,000 applications? You might think that perfect fitness, perfect qualifications and perfect intelligence are the deciding factors. But something else is crucial: attitude. The people selected do not give up, are not afraid to ask questions, think creatively and remain flexible - even when mistakes happen. In this context, an often-quoted sentence was uttered: "Failure is not an option". Although it sounds "cool", it is often misunderstood without context. Mistakes always happen and are allowed to happen, whether on a space station or in everyday life. The key is to learn from them, grow and develop further. Failure does not mean making mistakes, it means giving up. The message is therefore: make mistakes, they are allowed. Standing still, on the other hand, is not an option.
Trends, inspiration & a winner
Practical cases, new tools, innovative ideas, HR trends and technological developments - everything the HR heart desires. Six start-ups also competed against each other in the pitches. Vamoz came out on top with its concept of making workation simpler, more accessible and risk-free for companies. A strong sign that flexibility in the organisation of working hours is very popular.
More empathy in the world of work
Magdalena Rogl, Diversity & Inclusion Lead at Microsoft, concluded the event with an inspiring call for more empathy. Women in particular are still often said to be "too emotional" in professional life. Magdalena made it clear that emotions and empathy are not a weakness, but a strength. According to the World Economic Forum, emotional intelligence and empathy are among the most important leadership skills of the future. This is hardly surprising, as the more artificial intelligence is introduced, the more we will need emotional intelligence. Magdalena emphasises that true diversity is first and foremost exhausting. It means engaging with other opinions, allowing dialogue and tolerating differences. The basis for this is empathy, because empathy builds bridges instead of walls - between people, ideas and perspectives. The same opinions, on the other hand, do not bring innovation. Magdalena therefore argued in favour of a new understanding of leadership: FührungsKRAFT should be understood as an attitude, not a title. Because we can and must all take responsibility. Her wish: Let's live compassion and work together with feeling.
Improvisation artist Christian Johannes Käser summed it up perfectly at the event: "You can't not improvise." Because no matter how perfectly you plan - something always goes wrong. Improvisation is not a contingency plan, but part of every journey.
Do you want to be part of the next HR Experience Campus? Then mark Thursday, 3 September 2026, in your calendar today. See you there!
Impressions of the HR Experience Campus 2025
Why HR Can Be Bolder and What We Can Learn From Astronauts
Why HR Can Be Bolder and What We Can Learn From Astronauts
Why HR Can Be Bolder and What We Can Learn From Astronauts
Why HR Can Be Bolder and What We Can Learn From Astronauts
Why HR Can Be Bolder and What We Can Learn From Astronauts
Why HR Can Be Bolder and What We Can Learn From Astronauts
Why HR Can Be Bolder and What We Can Learn From Astronauts
Why HR Can Be Bolder and What We Can Learn From Astronauts