Equal Treatment and Opportunities for Employees

Ethical behaviour, mutual respect, diversity, and equal opportunities are core principles embedded across all locations and reflected in the CoC.

The DMA underscored the importance of equitable access to development and progression at SMG. It showed that internal factors may influence visibility and advancement for certain employee groups and that balanced representation in leadership requires continued attention. The analysis also recognised the positive effects of ongoing investment in digital upskilling, which supports long-term employability in a rapidly evolving environment. It further highlighted the positive impact of learning and development and D&I initiatives in fostering a fair and inclusive workplace, reinforcing engagement, and supporting retention.

Management of this topic is anchored in SMG’s people strategy. The pillar fuel learning and growth outlines the commitment to empowering employees through continuous learning and development. In parallel, SMG’s new D&I strategy provides the directional framework for balanced representation and fair opportunities.

Learning and Capability Development

Continuous learning and development are anchored in the CoC and encourage employees to think in new ways and focus on personal growth.

Comprehensive training programmes enhance competencies, support career progression, and equip employees with the skills they need to embrace new challenges with confidence. Training spans technical, managerial, and behavioural development. In 2025, employees across all locations completed an average of 6.2 hours of training.

Expanded initiatives boosted the learning ecosystem in 2025, with a focus on digital capability building. This included Cloud Mastery programmes covering GCP, AWS, AI, data analytics training, and additional technology-focused content to promote future-oriented skills and capability building. SMG also introduced LinkedIn Learning, providing employees with expert-led courses in leadership, business, creative, and technology topics. This is complemented by a broad learning platform which provides access to numerous learning pathways for essential workplace skills.

Leadership Development

Leadership development at SMG is rooted in core values and guided by the people strategy pillar lead with courage. SMG’s leadership programme boosts core capabilities and helps new and experienced leaders develop the skills and behaviours they need to lead effectively.

External Training and Further Education

Recognising that some expertise requires external resources, SMG helps employees pursue further education by providing full or partial financial assistance for courses that build professional skills and align with business needs, such as role-specific training or language courses.

Performance and Growth Processes

The structured development approach includes annual performance and growth cycles for employees. Peer feedback, upward feedback, and manager reviews incorporate a range of perspectives, with the aim of one holistic performance check-in each year.

In 2025, an average of 96% of employees (96% of women and 96% of men) completed their performance reviews. This percentage is primarily influenced by the exclusion of apprentices and interns, as well as new joiners and employees due to leave, from the tracked performance cycle.

Diversity and Inclusion

Diversity, equality, and inclusion are integral to the way SMG works and grows. The CoC sets clear expectations, emphasising equal opportunities, respect, and tolerance, and encouraging diversity across teams to boost collective performance. Creating a culture in which employees feel valued and empowered, regardless of gender, generation, or background, is a core element of the SMG approach to equal treatment and opportunities.

In 2025, SMG introduced its first D&I strategy, building on previous initiatives to provide a structured framework for advancing fair opportunities and an inclusive culture. The strategy focuses on two priority pillars – gender and generations – with neurodiversity identified as an exploration area. These priorities guide programmes and actions aimed at increasing representation, enhancing visibility, and promoting equitable opportunities. The 2025 People and Culture Survey highlighted efforts in this area, and indicated that 76% of employees feel that diverse cultures and backgrounds are respected and valued at SMG.

2025 Number of Nationalities Represented at SMG

Advancing Gender Diversity

Improving gender representation remains an important focus for SMG, particularly in leadership roles, where women currently represent 22% of the 178 leaders.¹⁹ To support more balanced progression pathways, SMG introduced a pilot mentorship programme for women in 2025. This marks a meaningful step towards more balanced gender representation in leadership.

Board Diversity

Employee Diversity

A further initiative introduced in 2025 is the parents@work programme, which gives employees access to peer coaching from trained colleagues who are also parents. This also contributes to gender diversity goals by addressing a known barrier to women’s progression into leadership roles.

In 2025, a total of 57 employees across SMG locations were entitled to and took parental leave (18 women and 39 men).

Fostering Generational Diversity

SMG values the different perspectives, skills, and contributions of all age groups. Fostering generational diversity is a key pillar of the D&I strategy, with initiatives focused on long-term development and early exposure to the working world to increase visibility and progression opportunities at different career stages. SMG is exploring ways to promote development of more experienced employees, ensuring they retain access to opportunities for advancement throughout their working lives.

Young Talent @ SMG

Switzerland’s dual education system plays a central role in preparing young professionals through apprenticeships that combine on-the-job training with classroom learning. SMG supports this national model through its growing Young Talent @ SMG programme. As of 2025, SMG trained ten apprentices supported by ten certified Young Talent Coaches. On average, one in three apprenticeships transitions into a fixed-term or permanent role at SMG, which means the Group benefits from its training investment. This programme reflects SMG’s commitment to building a pipeline of digitally skilled professionals from the start of their careers.

Exploring Neurodiversity

Neurodiversity is a future exploration area within SMG’s D&I strategy, in recognition of the fact that individuals think, learn, and work in different ways. When effectively supported, neurodiversity can bring strengths such as creativity, precision, adaptability, and problem-solving. Early efforts in 2025 focused on expanding understanding of neurodiversity and identifying how SMG can better support neurodivergent colleagues through inclusive practices, communication approaches, and workplace design. As a first step, SMG collaborated with Women in Digital Switzerland (WDS) to host an awareness-building event featuring external speakers and a panel discussion. Insights from this work will inform the further development of SMG’s D&I priorities.

Fair and Competitive Compensation

SMG is committed to fair pay in all locations, with merit-based rewards and a comprehensive range of benefits aligned with local market practices. A key component of the reward framework is the Profit Growth Share Plan (PGSP),²⁰ which is designed to promote alignment between employees and shareholders.

In Switzerland, SMG continued to meet the standards of the Fair-ON-Pay Advanced certificate in 2025, confirming there is no systemic gender-based discrimination in its salary structure. The result is derived from a statistical pay analysis showing that the gender pay gap lies within the 2.5% threshold for the Advanced certificate, and is in line with Swiss federal standards.²¹

Basic Salary and Remuneration Ratio

Non-Discrimination

Fair and respectful treatment is anchored in the CoC and forms the basis for a healthy and inspiring working environment. SMG promotes mutual respect and tolerance to prevent discrimination, disadvantage, and harassment. In 2025, SMG investigated one incident of alleged discrimination, reported via its official reporting channels. The case was investigated with the help of the HR department, and closed by year-end.