Valeur Plus 2025 Survey: turning HR challenges into levers for action

On 19 June 2025, Valeur Plus brought together HR professionals, executives, managers and employees for a one-of-a-kind webinar. The aim: to share the findings of the survey we conducted last winter among a broad panel of stakeholders across French-speaking Switzerland, including employees, managers, HR leaders and senior management, drawn from 12 sectors of activity. But above all, to turn these findings into levers for action. Because while organisations are not short of challenges, they are also rich in resources.

Why this survey?

Because we are committed to grounding our role as engaged advisers in the realities of the field. For us, observing HR trends is not enough: we need to understand them, name them, connect them to strategic issues and put forward concrete ways of responding to them. This is the whole purpose of this collective work, and we are pleased to share the results with you, along with our recommendations.

The survey findings and our recommendations

1. The talent shortage: a structural symptom

Unsurprisingly, the shortage of qualified labour remains at the top of HR concerns, particularly in construction, healthcare, energy and financial services. The combination of an ageing population, the limited appeal of certain career paths and a growing gap between training and the realities of the job is making the situation worse.

Our recommendations:

• Rethink recruitment practices: AI, CV-free job adverts, automated pre-interviews, targeted sourcing.

• Promote technical professions more effectively among young people: storytelling, ambassadors, partnerships with schools.

• Invest in internal training as a lever for resilience: building skills over the medium term rather than seeking instant perfection.

• Act on working conditions to reduce hardship (working hours, ergonomics, recognition).

2. The employee experience at the heart of retention

Today, retention cannot be decreed, it has to be built. And it depends on a professional experience that aligns with the values an organisation claims to uphold. 88% of respondents highlight their corporate culture as a way of retaining their teams. Yet beware of "culture washing": a culture that is proclaimed but not lived becomes a driver of disengagement.

Our recommendations:

• Clarify and embody your corporate culture to strengthen alignment between recruitment, onboarding and retention.

• Share genuine testimonials on social media to illustrate everyday working life.

• Provide high-quality onboarding and offboarding (coaching, support), including with former employees.

​3. Remote and hybrid working: still some way to go

While 77% of organisations in French-speaking Switzerland offer remote working, this does not mean the equation has been solved. Collaboration, team spirit and motivation remain fragile. All of this against a backdrop of striving for fairness and efficiency, often blurred by poorly mastered tools or unspoken expectations.

Our recommendations:

• Put hybrid collaboration charters in place: shared ground rules on responsiveness, working hours and practices.

• Increase team rituals (check-ins, virtual coffees, one-to-ones).

• Provide training in time management and digital tools.

4. Employer brand: from identity to attractiveness

The employer brand is more than ever a strategic issue. 78% of participants identify retention as their number one HR priority. And this depends on a clear, sincere and consistent image, one that is lived as much as displayed.

Our recommendations:

• Create an authentic narrative: who are we really, beyond the slogans?

• Make the most of onboarding, development and departure rituals.

• Think of the employer brand as an employee life cycle, from recruitment to outplacement.

• Give a voice to those who experience the organisation: current employees, but also former ones.

5. The new generations: meaning, pace, recognition

Generations Y and Z are setting new standards: a search for meaning, transparency and flexibility. They challenge our traditional management models and push us to innovate.

Our recommendations:

• Rethink forms of recognition: regular feedback, immediate rewards.

• Offer clear and rapid development prospects.

• Adapt management styles: more collaborative, horizontal and participative.

• Co-create with the younger generations rather than holding them back.

6. Generation X and baby boomers: stability, knowledge transfer, clarity

It would be wrong to think that only younger employees have expectations. The most experienced staff seek recognition, security and support through change.

Our recommendations:

• Value loyalty and expertise.

• Support transformations at a suitable pace.

• Create intergenerational pairings for a two-way transfer of knowledge.

• Clarify structures and roles without rigidifying organisations.

7. Digital transformation and AI: between enthusiasm and strategic uncertainty

Only 14% of the organisations surveyed describe themselves as mature in their digital transformation. AI remains under-used, often due to a lack of skills or clear use cases.

Our recommendations:

• Identify relevant use cases (marketing, HR, administrative processing, customer service).

• Train teams, appoint internal champions or draw on external experts.

• Clarify the issues of security, governance and confidentiality.

• Approach the digital transition as a cultural evolution, not merely a technical one.

8. Wellbeing at work: more than a perk, a foundation

72% of organisations offer flexibility (part-time work, remote working): this is now the norm. The real differentiators? Concrete actions in favour of work-life balance, recognition and a positive human climate.

Our recommendations:

• Go one step further: additional leave, psychological support, relaxation spaces, the four-day week.

• Act on meaning: involve, listen to and consult employees.

• Integrate HR issues into the organisation's overall strategy.

What this 2025 HR survey reveals

The organisations that come out best will be those that have understood that HR challenges are not constraints, ​but opportunities for transformation.

Retention, training, engagement, intergenerational agility and digital transformation are the pillars of a renewed HR model. This calls for listening, courage and, above all, an ongoing stance of co-creation.

At Valeur Plus, we believe that every organisation can build its own path, provided it involves its employees, clarifies its intentions and shows consistency in action. To this end, we work at the crossroads of three essential levers: skills development, to strengthen know-how and behaviours; strategic consulting, to align vision, culture and practices; and HR support, to structure people-related processes in the service of sustainable transformation.

A heartfelt thank you to all the participating organisations for their contribution. Together, let us make 2025 a year of HR momentum!

 Produced by Camille Steininger and Cassandra Kunkel, consultants