A question for the people working in Zurich- especially in Finance.
In Australia, I had a number of 'perks' included in my salary package, such as:
1. Travel to work
2. Health Insurance
Is it common for these things to be on the negotiating table here, when salary discussions are being held? The above are the main two things I'm interested in. Is there anything else I should be aware of, that's a common perk (and i'm too silly to have realised?)
Thanks for your help in advance!
Travel - is possible. I know quite a few folks that are getting 50% or 100% of their GA, Halbtax, ZVV Abo paid by the employer.
1. Health Insurance or Medical Aid is always covered by employee in Switzerland who chooses it by himself/herself and pays on its own.
2. Travel/ Petrol Allowance can be negotiable but most of the employers prefer their employees to use a public transport and after a year one can get an Eco-Bonus reward for not using the motor vehicles.
The 13th cheque, child allowance and relocation costs reimbursment are other things that I would think of...
FWIW both of these are tax deductible if you make a tax return.
Health insurance seems extraordinary- and mention of it might be a deal breaker. So I won't mention it. Asking if they'll pick up my travel expenses, or some of my travel expenses doesn't seem out of the question.
I'm just trying to be a little prepared ahead of time.
In the current job market there might not be much room for negotiation anyways (UBS is just in the process of laying off 2'500 people across all levels in CH - they are all applying for finance jobs right now.... and they have work permits and often speak the local languages).
For example, up to now my employer pays my GA based on a policy, but just announces to stop this. Since it is not a right in my contract, looks like there is little I can do about it (or would in order to keep my job).
... so you can simply ask if there are other benefits offered by the company.
My employer pays for my Halbtax, or 10% of my GA (depending which I choose), but that is company-wide policy.
In my first couple of jobs I got very little. Mind you, I was working for ABB who are not exactly renowned for their generosity to towards non managerial staff (the joke goes that ABB stands for "andere bezahlen besser"). Many friends in other companies did get train passes etc. What I did get was the opportunity of buying 1000 Franks worth of REKA cheques per year for 800 Franks and I used these as part of my GA payment.
What practically every company does offer you is a pension plan. The details can vary however so have them explain this to you.
I have recently been promoted to a low-level manageruial position. Whereas the cash salary sum payed out was only increased marginally, they did throw some extra perks. One of these is health insurance. This does save me a lot of money, but the downside is I cannot chose my insurer, and the insurance knows this and it shows in their flexibility. So obviously the cash equivalent would have been more welcome.
The other perk was entitlement to a company car. I didn't want this and they weren't prepared to convert it to the cash equivalent but after a bit of ping pong with the bean counters they did agree to pay me a 1st class GA, which still saves them and me a heap of money so we both ought to be happy. However, the ping pong didn't end there as the travel agency that should have bought me the GA messed up with the billing and the bill ended up being sent to my private address. The car leasing company said it wasn't their problem (despite previously assuring me they would handle it) and I had to explain the situation over and over again to about a dozen people who all thought it wasn't their problem but perseverance does pay off in the end. But again, the cash equivalent would obviously have been more welcome.
Or providing a house?
you are going to have to give us a lot more details on what you have been through already for us to offer decent advise.
I'm sure when you do get an area of CH you'd like to live in, and a job you want, with a company that wants to interview you, these things will become apparent as part of the hiring process, but in short, unless you are entering at a high level, in demand, or have skills the company is prepaired to pay to get..... no.
Travelling you do for the company and on business, for example visiting clients, is normally covered by the employer (but it is worth checking).
If you travel by train, plane or hired car, this is normally reimbursed based on the actual receipts you present.
If you use your own car there is a formula that calculates the reimbursement based on distance covered.
If you travel by company car, special arrangements normally apply but don't expect to get back more than your actual costs.
Travelling from your home to the place of work is your own responsibility and the employer doesn't normally cover this, although many employers make some contribution towards a public transport abo. Many companies, especially in bigger cities, will also charge you for using company parking spaces. So the incentive is very much towards using public transport.