A pay-check alone won't get you there
Welcome to the twenty-second edition of "In Touch." As always, I would love to continue the conversation so please hit "reply" and let me know what you think.
Story of the Week: A pay-check alone won't get you there
My friend Max, who has been based in Switzerland for the past 11 years, recently found himself unemployed. Hit hard by the impact of the pandemic, the company he worked for, felt obliged to reduce its workforce by half and, as it turned out, he was one of those who lost their job.
"Thankfully," he told me, "I can apply for unemployment benefit, so my family and I won’t go hungry".
"That's great", I replied, though having in mind that, in most countries, this benefit consists of financial assistance for a period of six months or so, I asked Max if Switzerland offered anything more. I was impressed by his answer.?
He told me that the Swiss government expects every unemployed person to submit several job applications per month and to attend training courses in order to brush up their skills or gain new ones. In his specific case, he was offered a programme that included workshops, personal coaching and an intensive course aimed at perfecting his fluency in French.
Max found himself with a demanding ‘boss’ (part of his ‘homework’, for example, was to conduct research into the key people behind successful Fintech companies) but, despite being without a job, he felt positive because he was receiving guidance and mentorship on how to create new opportunities for himself, which will hopefully lead to the next stage of his professional career.
The Swiss government clearly understands that it is necessary but not enough to merely ‘sponsor’ the unemployed with a monthly cheque. Great emphasis is given to mentoring, training and, essentially, ensuring that they will not only return to work but will be even better equipped and robust than they were before they were laid off. In the medium to long term, such guidance and help will surely prove to be more valuable than any amount of monetary assistance.?
There’s a well-known saying, the wisdom of which continues to resonate today: “Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime.”?The authorities in Switzerland clearly believe in what we now usually refer to as ‘upskilling’ or ‘reskilling’ people in the ever-changing 21st century work environment.
Many other governments have also adopted this philosophy and are encouraging their citizens to see the value of lifelong learning. I can assure you from my own experience that there is an infinite amount of useful knowledge out there and the more we have, the greater our chances of improving our personal and professional situation will be.
Words of Wisdom
On life-long learning:
“The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn.”
领英推荐
Alvin Toffler, Write, Futurist, Businessman
The key to "going places":
“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.”
Dr. Seuss, Author
A Question to Ponder, dear friend.
“Which skills do you need to develop right now so you can maintain or grow your career?”
Hit reply and let me know.
Announcements
Best Regards,
Michael R. Virardi
Coffee Scientist and Research Innovator
3 年Unfortunately, in Cyprus, the Governmental unemployment scheme, in combination with the low salaries, only promotes laziness; unemployed people feel comfortable getting a paycheck by the government plus doing a second secret job, not all but a vast majority. The unemployed percentage is high, and on the other side, companies can't find any personnel.
Business Professional with In-Depth Experience in Aviation | Training & Development | Operations Management | Team Leadership & Interpersonal Skills.
3 年So, we all agree that the government cannot do it; they are so narrow thinking and unable to help unemployed people to get back into action and live a decent life. Maybe they don't have the tools, or they simply don't care! Then, let's start doing it individually or in our companies. Obviously these people don't have the money to pay for lessons, seminars, coaching, advisors etc. So lets offer those programs, lessons, seminars for free in the form of open lectures, maybe? There are so many great ideas from people out there, people who want to help and offer to society and to those in need. Maybe it's time to show them (the government) how it's done.
Offshore Bahamian Companies since 1990 / Author / Banking / Former member FINRA/SIPC
3 年What about hiding it in a no tax haven where there is no CGT? https://www.dhirubhai.net/feed/update/urn:li:activity:6866345364102938625/
Hospitality & HR Consultant | Recruiter | Trainer | Talent Hunter Member of the Jury - Cyprus Tourism Awards
3 年Indeed a great system in Switzerland Michael. I also have a friend who has been enjoying the benefits of the system and that has helped him open new horizons in his career. Thank you for sharing your thoughts and research. You are an inspiration ??
inchainvest CEO | futurist
3 年My Dear Michalis, people that work 9-5 at the moment are corporate slaves of their local monetary system that is losing value since the 1950s. One cup of coffee in the 50s was 2cents and today is $5.90 when the cost is less. Inflation has created robots working 80% of their natural life just to survive what is happening and worse what is coming. Your Article hits a note, that Governments care to collect triple Taxes with close to zero return in development of the individual. Some Countries like Germany, Switzerland, the UK, USA, Singapore and Japan and some others are excluded. I strongly suggest to you to create a low-cost course that is addressed for everyone that wants to excel in life without being forced into a perpertual daily slavery.