“I planned to stay for three years” - I’ve now been here for over 30

Jacqueline Schär, Migros Aare Cooperative

Current job/function: Purchasing & Product Management Specialist for Bread & Baked Goods

Training: commercial apprenticeship in banking

My Migros highlight in over 30 years: on the 75th anniversary of Migros, we were given a day off on our birthday.

Your strongest attribute at work: I love my job.

Which technological change has surprised or excited you most? E-mail and Internet. Before their emergence, information for the stores, for example about new items, was printed in the in-house print shop and sent out to the stores on a daily basis.

What’s your secret to a good work-life balance over 30 years? My positive environment and playing lots of sport.

What office equipment once used in your working environment could now be found in a museum? Telex and fax machines.

On Jacqueline Schär’s first day of work at Migros on 1 January 1989, cashless payments had just been introduced. The 21-year-old had completed a commercial apprenticeship and had spent a few months working in a bank. Then she applied for a job as a secretary – and the rest is history.

“I initially intended to stay with one employer for three years,” she recalls with a smile. She now works as a purchasing and product management specialist for baked goods at Migros Aare and is responsible for fresh breads, pastries and confectionery.

"It’s really important to set attractive prices and ensure new products are available in the right stores.” She also sometimes visits stores to inspect product placement on site.

A really enjoyable aspect of Jacqueline Schär’s job is introducing products at regional level and meeting producers. This gives her the opportunity to help shape the product range. As well as the actual work, she also enjoys the great team spirit. “Migros offers very good social benefits too.”

Philippe Schmid, Migros Vaud

Position today: Sales Manager

Training: sales apprenticeship, federal professional diploma in retail

My Migros highlight in over 30 years: discussing all sorts of things with colleagues and customers on a daily basis.

What unexpected talents have you discovered through your job? My ability to inspire other people, help employees to develop and lead my teams.

Your strongest attribute at work: I’m always totally committed to everything I do.

Which technological change has surprised or excited you most? The development of the online business and digitalisation in retail.

What’s your secret to a good work-life balance over 30 years? Being passionate about the job, while also enjoying quality time with my family.

What office equipment once used in your working environment could now be found in a museum? Cash registers

Philippe Schmid began his apprenticeship in August 1991 as a food salesman at Migros Vaud. Scanning cash registers had just been introduced. At that time, he was still ordering products with a paper and pencil.

He later worked as a salesman in the fruit and vegetable department at Migros Romanel-sur-Lausanne and was promoted to store manager over the following years. Today – after completing internal management training and obtaining a federal certificate – he is sales manager at the Vaud Cooperative in Ecublens and head of the branch managers.

“I spend a lot of time in the stores to strengthen the relationship between staff and management and to support employees,” explains Philippe Schmid. The employees also elected him to the Board of Directors of Migros Vaud to represent their interests.

So what’s changed over three decades? “When I started my career, there was no online shop. Organic products were not as important as they are now, the 'From the region. For the region' label and the M-Budget brand did not yet exist.” What aspects of Migros does he really value? “You are given lots of development opportunities.”

Cornelia Fivian-Keller, Migros Zurich

Job today: manager of the Wirbelschloss crèche

Training: early childhood educator, training as a crèche manager, training as a coach and child psychology counsellor

My Migros highlight in over 30 years: Children who once attended the crèche who now bring their own children here. Parents who never really wanted to put their children in a daycare centre and then came to love the Wirbelschloss crèche.

Your strongest attribute in the job: empathy

Which change have you found most exciting? The fact that we no longer have to wear aprons and bonnets :-).

“After training in rural Aargau, I wanted to go to the city,” Cornelia Fivian-Keller explains as she recalls starting out in her career in childcare. In 1992, she applied for a position at the crèche of the Migros Zurich Cooperative and got the job.

Further training provided by Migros meant she was able to take over the management of the crèche later on in her career. The crèche provides 30 full-time places for children up to the age of four for Migros employees.

Which aspects of her job does she really like? “Working with the children, parents and colleagues. Our system works really well compared to many other daycare centres as we have more nursery staff per group to look after the children. We’ve got plenty of space here too.”

The 33 years have simply flown by for Cornelia Fivian-Keller. The development of professional life and society has also impacted on the working environment at the crèche: “When I started out, we had just one Swiss child in the group – the other children mostly came from Portuguese and Italian backgrounds. Today, we look after children from over twelve countries.”

Cornelia Fivian-Keller recalls with a smile how nursery staff used to be perceived: “When I started my career, some parents introduced us to the children as ‘auntie’ - which would be unthinkable today.”