Below you will find a selection of the most recent entries from bloggers in our Work/Business section.
To view the entries from individual bloggers, click on the links below:
- Claire Doole - Claire Doole Communications
Claire is a former BBC correspondent and international spokeswoman who is passionate about helping people communicate with confidence. Since 2006, she has successfully trained hundreds of professionals in the art of presenting and public speaking, talking to the media, managing communications in a crisis, and writing for the web. In addition, she has coached C-level executives and public figures to give powerful TEDx and TED style talks in Europe and the Middle East. A Swiss and UK national, Claire trains and coaches in French and English.
- Elizabeth Ballin - Life Coach
As a long time member of the international community in Geneva, Elizabeth Ballin has been coaching adults and students from all parts of the world. She has coached business professionals, musicians/artists, couples, families and adolescents. She is a fully accredited Life Coach by the International Coaching Federation. Elizabeth Ballin, Life Coach
- Patrick Hoza - US Tax & Financial Services
Since 1990, Patrick has many years of experience with US individual expatriate taxation under his belt, including High Net Worth Individuals, streamline/voluntary disclosure filings and tax consulting, as well as working with large multinationals like Novartis, BP, Hewlett Packard and General Electric. He has extensive knowledge in serving both US expatriates and resident and non-resident aliens with their US tax-related issues. Patrick Hoza is a Tax Director at US Tax & Financial Services, with extensive experience in all aspects of Individual US tax and Expatriation, including Hight Net Worth Individuals and large multinationals.
Patrick started his career in 1990 in California, with Westpro Ltd., as a Senior Tax Consultant, then spent the middle part of his career working at KPMG and Ernst & Young. During his time with Ernst & Young, he worked and lived in Russia, France and finally Switzerland. He has gained a valuable working knowledge of the respective income tax regulations in all of these countries.
Patrick holds a B.A. in International Relations from the University of Colorado, is a member of the National Association of Enrolled Agents and is a Certified Acceptance Agent.
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Melitta Campbell - Business Coach
Business Coach and Mentor with nearly 3 decades of business experience and a passion for helping women confidently build a business they love. She is also the founder of the Swiss Entrepreneurs Club and president of the Swiss Riviera Toastmasters Club in Montreux. Originally from Wales, she now lives in Montreux in a chalet she has renovated with her husband overlooking the Swiss Alps. - Sunita Sehmi - Walk The Talk
Founder of Walk The Talk, Sunita has been training, developing and now coaching Business Communication skills in both companies and educational establishments for over twenty years. She has a passion for helping people to maximise their potential and created Walk The Talk with the sole aim to drive each and every client to perform their best.
- Robert Harris- Forth Capital
With over 25 years experience working for some of the major financial institutions in the City of London, Robert is a founding partner of Forth Capital, the leading expat financial advisory company in Switzerland. Regulary quoted in newspaper articles and magazines, he is well placed to advise expats on a variety of financial issues that may arise during their time living in Switzerland.
- Debbie Croft - Croft Coaching
As the founder of Croft Coaching, Debbie has a passion for helping people overcome challenges, embrace change and live life to the full; with an ethos of “work hard, play hard”.
- Sarah Santacroce - Simplicity
A certified social media, internet marketing, and virtual event specialist, Sarah enjoys every aspect of small business marketing. Through her own business, Simplicity, it is her mission to help other small businesses and solopreneurs increase their visibility and use social media tools as part of their marketing strategy.
- Diana Ritchie - SSC Sàrl
A Director at Swiss Career Connections, Diana will provide you with some useful tips for job hunting.
By Sunita Sehmi and Rodica Rosu Fridez
English as an international business language has become instrumental in social and economic empowerment, and consequently the demand for English has escalated resulting in more jobs necessitating a good level of English proficiency.
According to the study “The Linguistic Landscape of Switzerland” conducted by the FSO (Federal Statistical Office 2009), the English-speaking expatriate population is growing significantly. It is accepted that the range of languages spoken in both private and professional environments in Switzerland has grown; thus propelling the usage of English as THE reference language.
The EPI (English Proficiency Index) stipulates that many Swiss companies are now operating internationally and “as the power of English in the workplace is rising” most companies want employees to be skilled in English. The EPI rank Switzerland as having a moderate proficiency score, (54.06), adding that the presence of other national languages does not result in a weakening of English proficiency. (EPI Report, 2011) Many of the multinationals in the French-speaking part of Switzerland have adopted English as their corporate language and within the next couple of years it is expected that about one in every two top managers in Swiss companies will hail from overseas (Allen, 2012).
Image courtesy of Evgeni Dinev, www.freedigitalphotos.net
By Sunita Sehmi, Walk The Talk
Helping: assisting, aiding, advising, caregiving, coaching, consulting, counselling, guiding, mentoring, supporting, teaching
Helping is an essential human pursuit; we do it at home with our partners, our children, our loved ones. We do it at everyday at work, with our team.
We seek out help too, although all too often it's a practice that can also be difficult to perform and accept. And at times our earnest offers of help are begrudged and rebuffed…so why is it so difficult to provide or accept help and in what way can we make the whole process easier?
Corporate culture and organizational development guru Ed Schein analyzes the collective and psychological subtleties common to all types of helping relationships. In his book entitled “Helping” he explains why help is often not helpful, and shows what any would-be helpers must guarantee that their assistance is both received and valuable. He suggests the following stages of inquiring to enable genuine support.
Image courtesy of artur84, www.freedigitalphotos.net
By Debbie Croft, Croft Coaching / Geneva Coach Alliance
I wonder how many of you feel like some kind of calmness has resumed and you can just about remember what day you are meant to be where for drop off/pick up of school/clubs/play dates. In these first few weeks back at school, I really have had that “Friday feeling” at the end of each week! I was quite surprised how 5 days of simply enabling your children to go to school can be quite so exhausting! Then I thought about it some more:
- My youngest started school for the 1st time and although it was all very familiar to her, (and equally to me), it was still a relief that she settled into it.
- Despite thinking I was "Mrs organised” with the long list of items to return with for my eldest starting 3P, I still discovered a few items that I had to race around for on week 1!
- There was no lunch club in the 1st week so I was up and down to school 4 times a day, 4 times a week, with thankfully one day off on the day that I share childcare with another Mum.
- My vocabulary improved some more as I read and re-read (armed with my dictionary) several letters and articles of law around absence, so I could sign in marked spots!
- Week 3, youngest daughter came home with cold & sore throat!
Image courtesy of anekoho, www.freedigitalphotos.net
By Sunita Sehmi, Walk The Talk
Now the summer holidays are officially over, the traffic jams are slowly surfacing back into town and the long queues in the “papeterie” can only mean one thing….Yep, “la rentree” is in full swing!
The new school term has always evoked strong feelings of change in me, both as a mum and as a former teacher. I often used this time to notice the changes in my pupils and indeed my own growth and development. I truly found this period very illuminating and constructive. Not only because I was observing my situation through renewed thoughts and feelings but also because I recognized that the change within me each “rentree” would allow me to progress and go forward.
Photo courtesy of Alicia Solario
By Crissy Mueller, Writing that Works
If you are considering starting your own business based out of your home – I want to dispel any illusions. Working from home is one of those things that it’s easy to be perhaps too optimistic and maybe a little naive about. (If you are a working mother, it’s even trickier). Yes, it’s great to be able to curl up in front of your laptop wearing comfy clothes and no makeup. That part is true. But, there are lots of expectations that need to be managed, including – or maybe especially – your own.
Here’s what you need to know:
- Your spouse will sometimes forget you have a job because you happen to work at home. (Spouse or partner needs to realize that no, you will not have time to re-organize the pantry on Monday).
- You yourself will feel like you should have the house clean and the laundry done at all times – even though it’s impossible. Ok, maybe you can sneak in one or two quick household tasks (say, in lieu of taking a coffee break) – but not much if you want to stay focused.
- Distractions are lurking everywhere. Boundaries are essential. This applies even to the most disciplined and focused of us. On the other hand, sometimes you only realize how long you have been sitting in front of the computer when your leg muscles completely go numb from lack of movement.
- If you have an urgent project and your kid is sick and can’t go to daycare – it doesn’t matter if you work from home or not. The inconvenience and frustration is the same.
- If you don’t allocate time for business development – there will be no business development. If you’re a mom, your kids need to be in daycare or otherwise cared for in order for this to happen. My point is that you have to build in the time. Period.
- It’s hard to work in a bubble. The lack of contact with other people – just for the mental break and change of pace – is hard. Of course it’s nice not to have typical office distractions to deal with – they can take away so much time. But having no opportunities for friendly, banal exchange during the day is perhaps just as detrimental. You still need people. Building a network for this is key.
Working from home is not necessarily easier or less stressful than an office job – it’s just different. If you weigh all the pros and cons and decide to go for it, here are some great resources about working from home:
http://www.workfromhomewisdom.com/
http://www.forbes.com/sites/jacquelynsmith/2012/08/16/how-to-succeed-at-working-from-home/
http://www.womenunlimitedworldwide.com/work-from-home/
At home, you have more flexibility. But, beware that you could end up feeling frustrated if you harbor the expectation that you should be “doing it all” (as we moms tend to do). This is perhaps one of the key expectations that needs to be managed. The bottom line is: work-life balance is still hard, no matter where your “office” is.
Bio
Crissy Mueller is an expat entrepreneur based in the La Côte region of Lake Geneva. She provides writing, editing and translation services through her company, Writing that Works. Her mission is to help businesses and individuals get the results they want though quality writing in English.
Before starting her own business, Crissy worked for companies and organizations in Germany, Switzerland and the United States, where she managed and coordinated a variety of programs at the intersection of education, travel and cultural exchange. She has a Master’s degree in International Relations from the University of Cambridge, and a Bachelor’s degree in International Relations and German from Tufts University.
She is passionate about intercultural communication, entrepreneurship, and discovering how to live life to the fullest.
Website: www.writingthatworks.net
