Working at Safran Vectronix

At Safran Vectronix we have a flexitime model for all employees. This means that not only office workers benefit from flexible working hours, but also employees in production. There are no fixed working hours in any of our departments.   And we are also positioning ourselves as a modern employer when it comes to working outside the office: Our remote work model allows our employees to decide for themselves when and where they can best perform their tasks. In the office, at home or at any other location. We believe that this is the ideal way for employees to develop their full potential.

Ergonomically designed workstations, high-quality furniture and modern work equipment are, in our opinion, prerequisites for being able to do your job. Our computers and furniture are always state-of-the-art. For example, height-adjustable desks are already part of many workplaces.

We believe that a full-time or part-time job should also be compatible with one’s own family. Therefore, we participate in the financing of crèches in the middle Rhine Valley. Therefore, we can offer several crèche places on a permanent basis for our company employees. Employees only have to pay 50% of the usual costs.

All employees contribute to the success of the company. With our bonus scheme, everyone benefits equally, regardless of their position. According to defined criteria such as turnover, free cash flow, EBIT, order intake, the amount of the annual profit-sharing bonus is calculated as a percentage of the individual’s annual salary. And this percentage is the same for everyone. We do not have departmental bonuses or personal bonus schemes, but work together as a team to achieve our annual targets.

We enjoy free coffee or tea every day. Water dispensers are also available to our employees, of course. We also regularly receive a box filled with fresh fruit on each floor. Everyone can take their “fair share” from it. Even before you get here, we have a little tip: our Technics department always has a well-stocked supply of delicious ice creams – to be found on the third floor. Then there are our #WIR activities. This covers a wide range of activities for employees – for example, a ski day, motorbike rides or football tournaments. We have also become known for celebrating: Our lab parties are legendary.

As an employer, we want to encourage the use of public transport and bicycles. Not everyone can or wants to commute to work by public transport. Those who come by car therefore have the opportunity to rent a parking space at a reasonable price. This way, you can walk from the company premises to your own workplace at ease. Those who do not use a parking space receive a mobility allowance of CHF 250 per year in return.

Through SWICA health insurance, all employees receive worldwide cover as a private patient in the event of an accident or illness when travelling on business. This also applies to private travel in the case of an accident. If the salary is not paid due to illness or accident, this can have a major negative impact on those affected. That is why we have set up a salary compensation scheme for our employees in such a way that it takes effect even if they have only been with us for a short time. According to the collective labor agreement, this would only be provided for from the fourth year of service.

«What happens if we train our employees and then they leave the company»? The counter question is: «What happens if we don’t and they stay?» The latter question reflects our philosophy: As an employer, we aim to do things in such a way that we offer our employees long-term perspectives. In our eyes, continuous training is one of the most important components in order to remain successful on the market in the future.

We support various ways of keeping fit. In our immediate neighborhood is the Dreivital Fitness Center, where our employees receive a 20% discount on all 6 and 12 month subscriptions. If you are more of an app enthusiast, we participate in the Freeletics fitness subscription. And after a run during lunch time, shower facilities are available. Keynote presentations on health topics such as mindfulness and resilience are also part of the regular program. In addition, we also have various internal activities as part of our company health management, such as soccer tournaments, participation in company runs, various bike-to-work campaigns, and back exercise courses with trained instructors.

The Sankt Gallen Rhine Valley offers a high quality of life with a lower cost of living compared to the rest of Switzerland. With our company headquarters in Heerbrugg, we are located in the four-country region of Switzerland-Austria-Germany-Liechtenstein. Those who prefer it mountainous as a place to live, concentrate rather more on the southern part, near the ski resorts. If you like it to be more flat, head in the direction of Lake Constance. Bregenz in Austria or Lindau on the German side of the lake are very popular. For all city lovers, the city of Sankt Gallen in Switzerland has a lot to offer. It is only a 30-minute drive from there to our company headquarters.

Our company is part of the Safran Group. With 240 employees at our company site in Heerbrugg, we are only a small part of the group, compared to the approximately 81,000 colleagues worldwide. But our size and, at the same time, our connection to the Safran Group bring us many advantages. This applies, for example, to access to further training opportunities at the Safran University in Paris. And with development and financing projects, as well as exchange rate fluctuations, we stand always on a firm and forward-looking foundation.