Problems at the Lausanne Institute: the officials here are particularly angry

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The federal government is considered a fair and generous employer. But not all employees are satisfied. Every three years, the federal government wants employees to know how happy they are with their job and their boss. What the staff of the Swiss Institute for Comparative Law in Lausanne report back is something to think about.

Job satisfaction is low. Of the 100 possible points, the institute, which, for example, prepares reports on foreign law, received only 50 points from its employees. The results are even worse when it comes to management: the institute receives only 39 points there, and the employees give top management only 33 points.

The federal government pays the institute eight million francs annually, and it employs about forty people, as the Federal Audit Office noted in a report a year ago. She criticized the institute several times.

Without a boss

The bad mood in the institute has been known for a long time. An example of this is an email that the “Tages-Anzeiger” reported: In September 2020, the deputy director accidentally sent an email to all employees. There she suggested to the director to punish an employee with a bad grade for not having designed a poster to her wishes. The newspaper continues to report on bad mood in the institute, investigations and management problems.

Now job satisfaction has fallen even further compared to the previous survey three years ago.

In addition, the institute has been without a director for some time. The former boss retired in the fall of 2023. The institute is currently run on an interim basis. A decision on how to fill the top position is expected to be made “in the first quarter”.

To make matters worse, the Institute Council – the direct supervisory body – was almost completely replaced. Six members were appointed on January 1, 2024, and two new members were added in 2023 due to an interim election. Only the president has been there since 2020.

The Justice Department denies responsibility

The Ministry of Justice of Beat Jans (59), to which the Institute for Comparative Law is affiliated, denies responsibility for the poor research results. “The institute is independent of the department and is independently responsible for employee satisfaction,” says a spokesperson.

The department was therefore unable to intervene immediately. Even when electing the new directorate, the Federal Council can only approve the Institute Council’s proposal. He couldn’t speed up the process. However, the Federal Council has only recently established new strategic objectives for the institute. The government expects the institute to promote a working attitude based on integrity and mutual respect.

The Federal Council therefore goes less far than federal companies, but cannot be completely ignored if its objectives have been so badly missed so far.

Lukas Heckendorn Urscheler is currently deputy director of the institute. After the last investigation, various measures have already been taken, he explains. However, it takes time for these to take effect.

They are also investigating how the measures can be better anchored and have started an additional project since autumn 2023 that will improve decision-making processes. “This project directly addresses one of the key criticisms of employees.” In addition, the personnel committee must be reactivated and the research results must be discussed with employees. Heckendorn Urscheler points out that they were also well appreciated in several areas.

The Secret Service also gets poor marks

However, the Institute for Comparative Law is not the only federal agency where job satisfaction is low. The federal intelligence service receives only 58 points here and when it comes to satisfaction with the top management of the secret service only 35 points. This number is viewed with “some concern”.

However, the research was conducted at a stage when a ‘transformation process’ was developing, which led to uncertainty among employees. From March 1, there will also be new management, for which former management staff will have to register again.

Job satisfaction at the International Law Directorate of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs also amounted to only 59 points. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs writes that the departments are instructed to analyze and evaluate the results and take appropriate measures.

Amherd and Rösti in the front

If you look at the average across the various offices and departments, you will see that satisfaction has decreased compared to three years ago. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ignazio Cassis (62) now scores 66 points in job satisfaction, 4 less than in the last survey three years ago. The officials of the Ministry of Defense of Viola Amherd (61) and the Ministry of Energy and Environment of Albert Rösti (56) are the most satisfied, with an average of 74 points in job satisfaction.

Source:Blick