Part of Standing Out, Randstad Employer Brand Research 2021. Interviews and writing by Mot Juste.

1. humanforward.
employer
brandresearch
2021.
casestudy
employer
branding
atzurich
airport.

2. honest dialogue, and mutual trust. How has
Zurich Airport created this winning culture
and how does it influence its employer
brand? How has this culture helped the
workforce come through the pandemic,
and prepare for the challenges ahead?
success by culture of togetherness,
honest dialogue and mutual trust.
Despite all the upheaval in the travel sector,
Zurich Airport was still named the company
people in Switzerland would most like to
work for in the 2021 Randstad Employer
Brand Research. Head of Human Resources,
Bruno Zanella, puts the success down to
Zurich Airport’s culture of togetherness,
success by culture of togetherness, honest dialogue and mutual trust | 2

3. Earlier in 2021, Randstad interviewed
190,000 people across 34 markets for
its annual Employer Brand Research.
One of the clearest findings was that
how you treat your employees and make
them feel have a huge influence on your
employer brand. Perhaps no more so
than during the turmoil of COVID-19.
More than two-thirds of participants now
feel more loyal to their employers as a
result of the support they’ve received
during the pandemic. From an employer
brand perspective, this care for the work-
force is an authentic demonstration of
company’s purpose, values, and culture.
Zurich Airport is living proof. Most
passenger flights were grounded as the
pandemic took hold. Around 90% of
airport staff had to work from home, and
a third faced reduced hours; But all the
time, the bond between management
and employees remained strong. Zurich
Airport’s place as Switzerland’s favorite
employer is a testament to this.
Bruno Zanella believes that this ‘all for
one’ spirit doesn’t materialize overnight.
Rather, it’s built up in the cultural fabric
of an organization over many years: “We
value openness and honesty within our
company. When management promises
something, we ‘walk the talk’. To support
this, we have regular townhalls to get
views from our people. We also encour-
age them to put forward and implement
suggestions as part of our ‘Kaizen’
continuous improvement program. Just
as importantly, we’re keen to break down
barriers between management and
employees – our CEO works in an open
plan office alongside everyone else, for
example. For my part. I report directly to
the CEO, which helps to make sure that
people are at the top of the agenda.”
This care and commitment are further
reflected in Zurich Airport’s apprentice-
ship program: “We want to give some-
thing back to society by developing
valuable skills, and providing experience
for people in our community. Around
90% of our apprentices actually take
up positions in other companies once
they qualify. But we’re proud to have
given them that start, and the economic
benefits and goodwill this fosters.”
we're keen to break down
barriers between management
and employees.
success by culture of togetherness, honest dialogue and mutual trust | 3

4. forus,oneofthemost
importantprioritieshasbeen
reassuringpeopleabout
theirjobsandfutures.
success by culture of togetherness, honest dialogue and mutual trust | 4

5. time to walk the talk
For Bruno, the impact of the COVID-19
pandemic has been an opportunity for
Zurich Airport to demonstrate that it
really does ‘walk the talk’: “From a busi-
ness perspective, it’s been tough. Our
revenues halved almost overnight. But
we were still determined to be there for
our people. The real test of culture and
trust is what you do in the difficult times
as well as the good,” he says.
Bruno believes that open communi-
cation is critical. Frequent briefings
were one of the central planks of the
crisis plan that was in place ready to go
when COVID-19 struck: “For us, one of
the most important priorities has been
reassuring people about their jobs and
futures. We made it clear that despite the
fall in income, we would stand by them.
Out of a workforce of around 1700, we’ve
only had to let 26 people go.”
With so many people working from
home or on reduced hours, Bruno
emphasizes the importance of maintain-
ing the company’s sense of together-
ness: “One of the high points for me was
our virtual Christmas party. Around 1000
people took part, with presents sent to
everyone. It was really good fun. Manag-
ers are also close to their teams and held
regular get-togethers, both for work and
socializing.”
While the duty of care for staff is the
main motivation for employee support,
Bruno also highlights the business
rationale: “Our workforce includes a lot
of skilled technicians, IT professionals
and other people who are hard to recruit
and replace. If they don’t believe they
have a secure future with us or they are
sitting at home with not a lot to do, many
could soon begin to look for opportu-
nities elsewhere. We therefore need to
keep the connection, assure them that
their jobs are safe and give them oppor-
tunities to fill their time usefully such as
volunteering.”
The upheaval of the pandemic has taken
a severe toll on the mental health of
many people working in affected sectors
such as health, hospitality, and travel.
As a forward-looking employer, Zurich
Airport already offered staff access to
free and confidential counselling and
support. Interestingly, demand for this
one of the high points
for me was our virtual
christmas party.
specialist third-party service has actually
fallen during the pandemic. “The service
is a key part of our commitment to the
health and welfare of our employees. To
protect privacy and ensure that everyone
who needs help seeks it, we never ask
what support is offered or to whom.
We just pay the monthly invoice. We’ve
noted that the bill is lower than before
the pandemic. While we can’t be certain,
we hope that this is a sign that the
feared rise in mental health issues hasn’t
materialized, and our support for staff is
generally working,” he says.
success by culture of togetherness, honest dialogue and mutual trust | 5

6. standout employer brand
How does Bruno account for the
strength of Zurich Airport’s employer
brand, and how has COVID-19 affected
this? “Airports are exciting places to
work. There is also a glamor in flying. I
myself am a qualified pilot and that was
one of the things that attracted me to
my current position. As our company
operates airports in India and Brazil, we
can also offer the chance to work abroad
and experience different cultures. As
these are new sites, this is a chance to
try new ideas and make your mark. What
we’ve been through during the pan-
demic has reinforced the core strengths
of our employer brand. In particular, it’s
demonstrated that we are a company
that cares for our people, and lives up to
its promises,” he says.
In developing and projecting the
employer brand, Bruno once again
highlights the vital importance of
culture: “We don’t spend a lot on recruit-
ment advertising. We prefer to focus our
resources on fostering and reinforcing
our culture and values. When we do
communicate, we’re keen to keep it real.
for our online communication and
new careers page, we’ve developed
a series of short videos in which
employees talk about what attracted
them to the airport.
For our online communication and new
careers page, we’ve developed a series
of short videos in which employees talk
about what attracted them to the airport,
what they do and what they most enjoy.
I like the authenticity and credibility
that comes from people telling their
own stories, in their own way. We also
have a forum for all the HR heads in the
companies operating in the airport so
we can come together to address issues
and make sure this remains a great place
to work.”
This personal touch extends to social
media engagement. “My team monitors
what’s being said on job portals includ-
ing Kununu, the leading site here in Swit-
zerland. Rather than simply sending an
automated reply, we respond to postings
personally. As a company that wants to
communicate openly and honestly, that’s
crucial,” says Bruno.
success by culture of togetherness, honest dialogue and mutual trust | 6

7. asacompanywe
wanttocommunicate
openlyandhonestly.
success by culture of togetherness, honest dialogue and mutual trust | 7

8. So where does Zurich Airport go from
here? Bruno is optimistic: “People love to
travel and love to get together. The rapid
rebound in our business reflects this.
We expect annual passenger numbers
to return to pre-pandemic levels within
five years, if not sooner. With substantial
investments in the aviation infrastruc-
ture, they could increase to over 40
million before 2040. We recognize that
many have environmental concerns
about aviation, and we have a dedicated
team of environmental experts working
on this. This includes cutting carbon
dioxide emissions from our infrastruc-
ture and eliminating them altogether
by 2050. It’s important to emphasize
that travel can help to create a better
future by bringing people from different
cultures together and helping them to
share ideas.”
In terms of how Zurich Airport works,
Bruno recognizes that hybrid working is
the way of the future. But he would like
everyone to be in the office at least two-
thirds of the time. “If we want to instill
our culture and sustain the sense of
togetherness that is so important to our
success, we need to be able to engage
in person as much as possible,” he says.
So, Zurich Airport has faced difficult
times, but is coming back stronger than
before. What comes through strongly
from our interview with Bruno is the care,
commitment and camaraderie that make
this a great place to work and has helped
to foster such commendable resilience
within the workforce.
weneedtobe
abletoengagein
personasmuch
aspossible.
success by culture of togetherness, honest dialogue and mutual trust | 8

9. knowledge base
what we can learn about employer
branding from Zurich Airport
• When the going gets hard, trust,
togetherness, and honesty from
the leadership can help to see you
though. These qualities can also
provide the foundations for a
compelling employer brand
• To create real togetherness, leaders
need to set the tone by being seen,
being ready to listen and living up to
their promises
• A culture that values and supports
employees is more effective than
glossy advertising if you want to
attract and retain great talent
• If you want to demonstrate why this
is a great place to work, give your
people the chance to tell their stories
in their own way, and then build your
communications around this
a culture that values and supports
employees is more effective than
glossy advertising if you want to
attract and retain great talent.
success by culture of togetherness, honest dialogue and mutual trust | 9

10. ifyouwanttodemonstrate
whythisisagreatplaceto
work,giveyourpeoplethe
chancetotelltheirstories
intheirownway,andthen
buildyourcommunications
aroundthis.
success by culture of togetherness, honest dialogue and mutual trust | 10

11. bruno zanella
head of human resources,
zurich airport
Bruno Zanella has been Head of Human
Resources at Zurich Airport since 2010.
He had previously been a Manager HR
Business Partner for Credit Suisse and
before that CEO of Formations Group, an
executive search business he founded in
1994.
He holds a degree in computer science
and business administration. Bruno has
a great love of flying, having earned his
pilot’s license when he was 21. His other
great passion is running. He finishes a
marathon a year and he made all the six
majors.
bruno has a great love
of flying, having earned
his pilot’s license when
he was 21.
success by culture of togetherness, honest dialogue and mutual trust | 11