news 2021

Reconciling career and militia service in the fire department and civil defense faces new challenges December 14, 2021 Militia service in the fire department and civil defense is an important component of disaster relief in Switzerland. A new study by the University of Applied Sciences Graubünden has examined the attractiveness of militia service in the two organizations and the role of employers.

Autonomy is something people cherish. Those who long for independence in their daily working lives may decide to become self-employed. This step toward greater freedom should after all contribute to greater life satisfaction. But does self-employment actually live up to these high expectations? Researchers at the University of Basel have investigated the topic.

An Eawag study has shown that it makes good sense to recover domestic energy, for example from warm shower water. The study refutes concerns that this form of heat utilisation could have a negative impact on waste water treatment plants. In fact, utilising the energy closer to its source reduces energy losses in the waste-water system.

A study conducted by researchers suggests innovative projects carried out within UN entities can drive institutional change and foster a culture of entrepreneurship in the entire organization. Researchers at the University of Geneva demonstrate that innovative projects spearheaded by United Nations (UN) country offices are remodeling the institution and expanding its role.

Researcher on conducted a large-scale study of discrimination on an online recruitment platform. The findings showed that, depending on the occupation, both men and women suffer from discrimination, and that discrimination against foreigners depends, among other things, on the time of day. Discrimination in hiring is a major societal problem.

A study performed in Ticino in Spring 2020, on data of SARS-CoV-2 serological tests run on healthcare workers, shows that COVID-19 antibodies are detectable in up to 10% of the participants. Such a result are comparable with the ones of the Corona Immunitas study conducted on the Ticino population. More importantly, it shows that healthcare workers with exposure to COVID-19 patients have only a slightly higher absolute risk of seropositivity than those without, suggesting that the use of protective measures in hospitals aiming at reducing nosocomial viral transmission are effective.