FIT for the Future: Questions and answers from the internal consultation
During the internal preliminary consultation, the ETH Board received a great deal of feedback and questions about the project. Some of the most relevant questions, and the associated answers, are given below.
- Job security has top priority. Everything is being done to maintain the stability and attractiveness of employees’ jobs when the employment relationships are transferred to the new structure. The institutions of the ETH Domain have long proven themselves to be reliable employers, and this will not change. Their employees will continue to be employed in accordance with the ETH Act, the Federal Personnel Act, the ETH Professorial Ordinance and the PersO-FIT, as applicable. The ETH Board is firmly opposed to compulsory redundancies.
- Larger organisations can offer a greater number and variety of career paths with new, interesting tasks, and therefore have many advantages as regards employee development.
- Clear, transparent and dialogue-based communication plays a key role in the success of this project. Employees are also expected to contribute their ideas.
- Various formats such as townhall meetings, workshops and consultations are planned in order to foster dialogue with employees and keep them informed. Employee feedback will be collected at the workshops in particular, and incorporated into the design of the project.
- A regular newsletter providing information about the project is available to anyone interested. To subscribe, follow the link on the ETH Board’s website.
- Careful planning, the close involvement of the institutions and their employees, and a step-by-step procedure should minimise any negative impacts of the restructuring. The ETH Board is aware that restructuring is always costly and time-consuming. The research institutions will continue to be able to carry out their core tasks during the restructuring phase. Experience shows that when organisations fail to adapt regularly to changing conditions, they fall into serious difficulties.
- The main research tasks will remain unchanged and even be expanded. The Swiss National Lab’s vision and ambition is to form a strong third pillar of the ETH Domain, alongside ETH Zurich and EPFL. It will facilitate closer cooperation within the ETH Domain, remove administrative hurdles, and create additional synergies. Researchers and employees will then be able to access resources from all four research institutes. This will create many new opportunities for collaboration.
- The ETH Board recognises the value of the short decision-making processes, financial autonomy, and design and development opportunities that our institutions have traditionally enjoyed. The planned consolidation of the support units (IT, Finance, Legal Service, etc.) is also expected to bring efficiency gains. To help make this happen, and to ensure the units’ autonomy, their employees are being involved in the project. They are best placed to find the right solutions.
- The organisation of the ETH Domain and its institutions has already been adapted on several occasions. This has resulted in a number of success stories. To take PSI as one example: following the merger of the Swiss Federal Institute for Reactor Research (EIR) and the Swiss Institute for Nuclear Research (SIN), and having overcome many challenges, PSI is now one of the best research institutions in the world.
- It is a similar story for the integration of SLF into the former Swiss Federal Station for Experimental Forestry (EAFV), which led to the establishment of WSL. Snow and avalanche research remains a key pillar. Collaboration between SLF and the other parts of WSL has become significantly easier. Even as part of WSL, the SLF is very successful and enjoys an excellent national and international reputation.
