Employee development

At Swiss Life, continuous professional development and regular investments in the employability of its employees are of paramount importance. Employees benefit from a broad range of training and development programmes. This is continuously reviewed, further developed and expanded by an expert committee in accordance with new needs and requirements. Various online learning platforms are being made available Group-wide, supplemented by physical training courses in line with strategic goals. The offering is freely accessible to all employees so that they can pursue further training in line with their individual needs in their day-to-day work, regardless of time or place.

Swiss Life additionally offers its employees attractive training programmes through targeted partnerships with educational institutions such as universities:

Swiss Life Switzerland

In collaboration with the Kalaidos University of Applied Sciences (FH) Zurich, a Certificate of Advanced Studies “CAS FH in Reinventing Work” is offered. By being entered in the register of “Cicero” – the quality seal for professional insurance advice – sales force employees undertake to continuously develop their skills: by obtaining the qualification “dipl. Finanzberater/-in IAF” (certified financial advisor) or “Finanzberater/-in mit eidg. Fachausweis” (Swiss-certified financial advisor) from the “Mendo” institute and the Institute for Financial Planning (IfFP) and by taking the insurance agent examination set by the Insurance Industry Vocational Training Association (VBV) that is recognised throughout Switzerland.

Swiss Life France

For the training and certification of sales and asset management staff, Swiss Life France has entered into partnerships with KEDGE Business School, EM Normandie Business School and Université Paris Dauphine – PSL.

Swiss Life Germany

As part of initial training or studies, Swiss Life Germany works together at the Garching and Hanover locations with the respective universities of applied sciences, vocational schools and the Berufsbildungswerk der Deutschen Versicherungswirtschaft (BWV Munich). In addition, actuarial training in Garching takes place in close partnership with the German Association of Actuaries (DAV). Within the internal learning platform, the advisors have numerous training opportunities at their disposal to meet the statutory training period requirements as a minimum.

Swiss Life Asset Managers

Swiss Life Asset Managers sponsors various academic awards in the area of the promotion of young talent: Together with Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts, for example, it presents the Swiss Life Thesis Award for the best Bachelor’s and Master’s theses in the field of finance and sponsors the Swiss Life MFE Award (Master of Financial Engineering) at the Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL). Sponsorship by the Urban Land Institute (ULI) Switzerland, a network for sustainable urban development, enables selected employees to take part in training courses and events. Livit, in cooperation with Wincasa, the school of the Swiss Real Estate Association (SVIT) and the Zurich University of Applied Sciences (HWZ), offers a course leading to the Certificate of Advanced Studies (CAS) in Real Estate Accounting.

Training and development for managers are based on the behavioural principles of the Swiss Life Group. The course offerings are being continually expanded to meet current demands arising in the world of work, e.g. by topics such as hybrid leadership, managing virtual teams and resilience. Resilience in management means reacting flexibly, seeing mistakes as a learning opportunity, and allowing others opportunities for participation and development. These opportunities are aimed at employees who are already in a management role as well as those who are new to such roles. Each division develops and implements specific leadership development programmes for different target groups in accordance with its priorities.

Within the Swiss Life Group, junior staff have access to a wide range of vocational training courses, apprenticeships, internships, graduate and trainee programmes and combined university degrees. For example, Swiss Life Switzerland recruits committed early-career specialists and expertly guides them towards their professional future with an attractive training programme and a wide range of work assignments. In this way, Swiss Life meets some of its staffing needs with its own juniors and offers young people exciting prospects on completion of their training. At the Swiss offices, the rate of transfers to continuing employment is 83%.

At Swiss Life Germany, the rate of transfers to a continuing employment relationship was 60% in 2023. The division organises an annual Future Day aimed at interested children of employees, giving them an insight into professional life and enabling them to make first contacts with the company. Jobs are regularly given to school pupils and one-year interns. The division also keeps up a regular presence at local and national training fairs.