At maxon, employees are well-provided for: both now and after retirement

Between lake and mountain in the centre of the canton of Obwalden, a hidden champion has its headquarters: the company maxon from Sachseln. The firm specializes in drive technology for small, extremely efficient electric motors. Its components are found in products such as e-bikes and medical technology, but also in space exploration: maxon's premium products have been built into the rovers used in all Mars missions to date.

"We have international – even interstellar – operations and a total of 3,000 employees in 38 national subsidiaries around the globe," reports Stefan Preier, Head of HR at maxon. Nevertheless, the company sets great store by a personal and familiar corporate culture. Employees should not feel like numbers; they should be valued as individuals. "We want them to see themselves as part of the family, to be well and to feel happy. After all, these are the optimal conditions for joint success."

Around 1,300 maxon employees work in Switzerland. Its headquarters lie outside the metropolises, in tranquil Sachseln by Lake Sarnen. As Stefan Preier remarks, this does nothing to harm the firm's appeal as an employer: "We can recruit talented individuals thanks to our exciting projects and the beautiful landscape with a wide range of options for sports activities in a natural setting. The opportunity to quickly assume a great deal of responsibility, and so to grow on a professional and human level, is appealing to applicants."

Dominik Angehrn can confirm this wholeheartedly. The electrical engineer leads the Hardware team, which develops electronic components for measuring technology: "Respectful interaction is typical of the culture at maxon." Dominik Angehrn considers maxon to be an employer that cares a lot about the welfare of its employees: "To sum up, I would just say: beautiful place to work, top infrastructure and good employment conditions."

To offer employees optimal conditions for the future as well, Stefan Preier sets great store by a well-thought-out pension fund solution. That is why maxon has placed its trust in Vita and Zurich for many years. For the Head of HR, one subject is particularly important: "I want employees to get back what they contribute – without anything being redistributed. For me, that's fair play." maxon achieves this equal treatment of employees and retired staff thanks to Vita Invest's new and innovative solution: each customer company has its own pension fund and the returns are used entirely for the benefit of its insured employees. "In this way, we gain additional scope with respect to the investment strategy, and our insured get much better interest on balance. After all, I want our employees to be well provided for. Both now and after their retirement."

To ensure that employees understand the complex interrelations within occupational retirement provision, maxon organizes information workshops. "Our solution is not particularly unusual, but it adapts precisely to our needs," reports Stefan Preier. "We have enjoyed good and trusting collaboration with our partner Zurich for years. I am convinced that we have the best solution that currently exists on the market for our situation. I also want to convey this trust to our employees and to demonstrate to them how diverse their opportunities are with the pension fund solution."

One of these opportunities is flexible retirement. Stefan Preier and Dominik Angehrn may also take advantage of this themselves: "I can imagine working beyond regular retirement age," says Angehrn. Stefan Preier doesn't want to commit himself yet: "I have drafted several scenarios; time will tell which of them comes true." However, they both agree that high interest on retirement assets is the prerequisite for a worry-free future that can be planned