Cost-cutting measures and job cuts at SRF
"SRF 4.0" is the name of the project with which SRF is positioning itself for the future. Savings and redundancies are unavoidable as a result. The measures are to be worked out by the summer and implemented by 2025 - there are no more specific details yet.
At today's SRF staff event, Director Nathalie Wappler presented the strategic corporate project "SRF 4.0", which aims to drive forward the digital transformation in the coming years. In the short term, SRF's staffing and financial framework must be stabilized by the end of the year. The corresponding cost-cutting and personnel measures are to be drawn up by the summer and implemented by 2025.
Following the completion of "SRF 2024", the digital transformation at SRF is entering the next phase: after the first three stages, the Executive Board has decided on the strategic corporate project "SRF 4.0" as the next step, which employees were informed about at a staff event today. In developing further transformation plans, "SRF 4.0" takes into account the uncertain starting position the company finds itself in due to the upcoming political processes.
In the short term and independently of the political process, "SRF 4.0" aims to stabilize SRF's staffing and financial framework and ensure a balanced budget from 2025 onwards. For the digital transformation and due to various cost-cutting programs, SRF has both reduced and increased jobs since 2020 - including for new digital job profiles. The measures now planned are a necessary step that could be postponed in 2023 due to other savings.
Declining advertising income and inflation
This is no longer possible: in order to achieve a balanced budget from 2025 onwards, further savings and job cuts are unavoidable. This step is particularly necessary due to the decline in advertising revenue and inflation. The exact scope and specific cost and job reductions will be worked out in the coming months as part of the "SRF 4.0" project.
As far as possible, job reductions are to be achieved through natural fluctuation and regular and early retirements. Nevertheless, redundancies are unavoidable. The social plan will apply to affected employees.
It is not yet clear in which areas of the company the planned downsizing will take place. This will be worked out over the coming months in the "SRF 4.0" project under the leadership of Kathrin Ruther, Head of Corporate Development, and Reto Peritz, Head of Entertainment. Together with a small project team, they will be looking at ways of reducing costs and jobs until the summer. The management will then decide on the appropriate measures and inform the employees promptly. To ensure that this work can be carried out with the necessary care and calm, all employees involved have pledged to maintain confidentiality. The savings measures now planned in the "SRF 4.0" project are in no way connected to any savings that may result from the political processes. These would be worked out in a separate project.
SRF 4.0" also includes the further, medium and long-term digital transformation of the company. The project team has been tasked with developing various scenarios for SRF's offering and future organization by the end of the year. With this approach, the Executive Board is taking account of the uncertain starting position that SRF and SRG are facing due to the upcoming political decisions.
