When you’re operating across borders and employing an international workforce, you need careful planning and scrutiny to ensure every single entity is both fully compliant with your global HR and payroll policies and procedures, and more importantly with local regulation requirements. Ignore this and you’ll risk fines and reputational damage - sometimes even criminal prosecution.
The Switzerland workforce
Foreign workers in Switzerland
Most foreign citizens in Switzerland come from European Union member countries including Italy, Germany, Portugal, France and Austria. Residents from other continents also come to live and work in Switzerland; the most numerous being from Asia, followed by Africa and the Americas.
Business owners in Switzerland who want to hire foreign workers need to follow the specific legislation regarding work permits. These permits are usually granted together with resident permits, and the rules are different for EU citizens and non-EU citizens. Employers who want to hire personnel need to know what the available types of permits are. Our company formation specialists in Switzerland can give you more information on how to apply for a permit, and the eligibility criteria.
Hiring domestic employees in Switzerland
Business owners who want to hire employees in Switzerland need to not only observe the rules and regulations for hiring foreigners, but also observe the labor market regulations such as those relating to concluding an employment contract (individual, collective, and standard). Working hours in Switzerland are limited, and employees in Switzerland are entitled to at least four weeks annual leave.
What can we help with?
Our HR and payroll specialists can oversee the proper implementation of all procedures and can assist your employees and their families to obtain the required visas, work and residence permits. They will also guide you when the involvement of additional specialists is required, and remain your first point of contact.
Human Resources (HR) Services
- Support with visa applications, work/residence permits and other registrations, e.g.
- Preparation and monitoring of mandatory applications with the relevant (immigration) authorities\
- Assistance with legalisation and translation of documents
- Home and host-country assistance
- Working with local immigration experts/legal advisors where necessary
- Storage of documents in a database
- Departure Service (deregistration)
- Contact with tax authorities, local residents’ registration office
- Support with standard employment contracts, employee handbook (without legal advice)
- Provision and amendment of standard employment contracts, employee handbook
- Support with employee assignment licence procedure
- Preparation of overviews including required documents
- Contact with authorities
- Reconciliation with client, tax and legal advisor
- Support with foreign employer registration in case the company has no entity in Switzerland
- Support with administrative topics (e.g. driver’s licence in Switzerland)
- Services with our cooperation partners
- Relocation Services
- Orientation Services
- Housing and Tenancy Management
- School and Family Support
- Coaching
- Recruiting
- Further HR Services upon request.
Payroll Services
- Preparation and provision of monthly payslips
- Implementation and processing of the data of the employer and the employees into TMF´s payroll system
- Collection, coordination and verification of all permanent employer/employee data
- Collection and review of the monthly input data, including amendments of salary, overtime work per employee, sickness, vacation, one-time bonuses etc.
- Upload of bank transfer instructions for net salaries, social security, wage tax, etc.
- Retention, archive and filing of all data related to the employer/employees and the underlying employment
Non-standard Services
- Processing specific/additional payroll-related requests
- Preparation of payment overviews
- Preparing monthly analysis of the gross and net wages, social premiums, wage tax etc., individual payroll slips, bookkeeping journal, etc.
- Calculation, preparation and payment of travel expenses in close liaison with the accounting