Sprache

Statutes

Article 1 Name, registered office
1 The name “Swiss Assessment” refers to an association, pursuant Art. 60 et seq. of the Swiss Civil Code.
Article 2 Aim
Alignment 1 Swiss Assessment is committed to ensure that the selection and personnel development procedures, known as assessment centers, are based on the scientifically recognised quality standards of the assessment center technique.
The focus of the association’s activities shall be the quality development of the assessment center method as well as the individual know-how in the same field.
2 Swiss Assessment shall offer its members a platform for the exchange of experiences, benchmarking, networking, further education and research as well as for publications.
Independence 3 Swiss Assessment shall remain independent, politically neutral and non-sectarian. The association may enter into partnerships with other associations and organisations to meet its aims.
Article 3 Membership
Categories of membership 1 Swiss Assessment consists of

  • Full members
  • Patrons
  • Honorary members
Full members 2 Full members must be able to enter into contracts, either individuals or legal entities who ideally support the aims of the association through active participation.
Patrons 3 Patrons are individuals or legal entities who are not actively involved in the association. They contribute with a donation; they have no voting rights and cannot stand for election within the association.
Honorary members 4 Honorary members are individuals who have contributed with extraordinary merits to the benefit of Swiss Assessment. They enjoy the same rights and obligations of full members but are not required to pay a membership fee. They are elected by the association assembly, at the behest of the board.
Joining 5 Any individual or legal entity who supports the alignment and aims of the association, and who represents the quality standards defined in the association’s mission statement in a credible manner, may become a full member of the association. A written application is required to obtain membership. The board decides on the application for membership. There is no entitlement to admission.
Termination, resignation 6 Membership ends upon resignation, death or exclusion of the member. Members may resign at any time by submitting a statement to the board. The full membership fee for the current calendar year is still owed and non-refundable.
Exclusion 7 Members who do not meet their obligations towards the association or who cause damage to the association can be excluded by the board. Excluded members may appeal in writing against the decision within 30 days and request a decision of the association assembly, whose decision will be final.
Entitlements 8 Full and honorary members are entitled to the following:

  • Participation in the decision-making processes and organisation of the association’s activities, within the framework of the present statutes (subject to voting rights);
  • Participation in association activities, events, professional training courses, etc.;
  • Participation in publication projects initiated by the association;

Full members and honorary members are entitled to publish their membership as follows: Member of the “Swiss Assessment” Association.
Obligations 9 All members are obliged to protect the interests of the association, to comply with the statutes, regulations and instructions of its bodies and to pay the annual membership fee. Honorary members are exempt from the obligation to pay the membership fee.
Article 4 Financing, liabilities
Financing 1 The association is financed through

  • Membership fees
  • Income from ongoing association activities
  • Other third-party subsidies
  • Revenue from contributions, bequests, donations
  • Income from the association’s assets
Liabilities 2 The association shall only be liable with its own assets. Personal liability of the members of the board and of the association members for the obligations of the association is excluded.
Insurance 3 The association shall not be liable for accidents, damage to property and liability claims arising from association activities carried out by members. Members need to take out their own insurance cover.
The association must take out liability insurance to cover claims against it, arising from statutory liability provisions for personal injury or property damage.
Article 5 Financial year
1 The financial year is the calendar year.
Article 6 Bodies
1 The bodies of the association are:

  • the Association Assembly,
  • the Board,
  • the Auditors,
  • the Quality Commission
Article 7 Association assembly
Ordinary association assembly 1 The ordinary association assembly is the supreme authority of Swiss Assessment. It is held annually by 30th April at the latest.
Convene the Assembly 2 The ordinary association assembly shall be convened by the board. The members shall be invited in writing, at least 30 days before the general assembly is due to take place, with the agenda announced by the board.

Extraordinary association assembly		 3 An extraordinary association assembly can be requested by the association assembly itself, by the board or a by a written request of members representing a fifth of the membership. It must be convened at least 30 days in advance, stating the agenda and proposals to be discussed.
Business 4 The general assembly has the following tasks and competencies

  • Approve the minutes of the previous association assembly
  • Approve the annual report
  • Approve the annual accounts after having reviewed the auditor’s report
  • Discharge the Board
  • Approve changes to membership fees
  • Approve a programme of activities with an annual budget
  • Approve the mission statement
  • Approve changes to the statutes
  • Elect the President
  • Elect the other members of the Board
  • Choose the auditors
  • Elect the Chair of the Quality Commission
  • Advise and decide on important proposals put forward by the Board or by the members

Proposals		 5 Proposals to be put in front of the general assembly must be submitted to the Board in writing, at least 20 days before the general assembly is due to take place.
Voting rights 6 With the exception of patrons and subject to any legal restriction, all members shall be entitled to vote and to be elected, starting from the year in which they turn 18. Each member who is entitled to vote, either individuals or legal entities, can cast 1 vote.
Required majority 7 The general assembly shall take decisions based on a simple majority of the valid votes cast. Should the vote be tied, an ordinary proposal will be deemed to have been rejected. To be elected, the absolute majority of votes is required in the first round; should a second round become necessary, a relative majority shall suffice.
The dissolution of the association requires the votes of at least two thirds of the voting members.
Assembly Chair 8 The meeting shall be chaired by the President or, in their absence, by the Vice President or another board member.
Assembly business and requests 9 Business items which are not included in the agenda can only be addressed if the general assembly decides to do so with a two-thirds majority.
Voting rights Chairperson 10 The Assembly Chair shall be able to vote and to stand for election.
Secret ballots and elections 11 Secret ballots and elections can be requested by a third of the voters present in the general assembly.
Article 8 Board
Leadership, representation 1 The Board is the management body of the association. It officially represents Swiss Assessment externally and is accountable to the general assembly.
Composition 2 The board consists of 5 to 7 members.
Election, term of office 3

The members of the Board shall be elected by the general assembly for a term of two years, which may be renewed for a maximum term of office of up to 6 years. A by-election shall stand until the end of the term of office of the Board member being replaced. A representative of a legal entity may be elected. However, Board membership is a personal position.

Ideally, Board membership should be made up of a good blend of practitioners who work for HR departments and practitioners who work as external consultants.
Establishment 4 With the exception of the President, the Board shall establish itself.
Tasks and competencies 5 Tasks and competencies:

  • manage the association according to the principles of the statutes and the mission statement,
  • implement the decisions taken by the general assembly,
  • plan the long-term development of the association,
  • develop a program of activities with an annual budget,
  • take leadership decisions on matters such as issuing regulations and instructions for an efficient and orderly management of the association,
  • employ paid personnel,
  • have spending authority for unplanned expenses of up to a maximum of 10% of the previous year’s budget,
  • set up working groups to carry out temporary projects and tasks,
  • prepare and run the general assembly of the association,
  • perform all tasks not expressly assigned to another body,
  • officially represent the association.
Article 9 Auditors
Auditors 1

The general assembly shall elect 2 auditors for a term of 2 years each. The term of office is limited to a maximum of 6 terms.

The auditors review the annual accounts and the financial books of the association. They report to the association assembly and submit a request for approval of the annual accounts and for the discharge of the board.
Article 10 Quality Commission
Quality Commission 1 The Quality Commission shall be responsible for the further development of the AC standards and checkpoints as part of the certification process, as well as for carrying out the certification. They can also express opinions on other quality issues.
2 The Quality Commission shall submit well-founded proposals for the further development of the AC standards and checkpoints to the Board of Directors, which have been produced either by their own work, by the work of certified members or by the work of individual association members. The Board shall make the final decision on the submitted proposals for the further development of the AC standards and checkpoints.
3 The Quality Commission is composed of the chairperson, a member of the Psychological Institute of the University of Zurich (Chair of Work and Organisational Psychology), a member of the Board and one individual from the group of certified members.
4 The chairperson shall be elected by the general assembly for a term of 3 years, which can be renewed. The chair shall have the casting vote in decisions of the quality commission.
Article 11 Working groups
Working groups 1
 The board can convene working groups on relevant topics of the association, within the framework of the aims of the association.
2

The group of certified members shall form a permanent working group.

As a special right, the group of certified members shall provide one individual as a member of the quality commission.

The group of certified members may, in particular, submit a request to the Quality Commission to adjust the AC standards or checkpoints as part of the certification process.

In consultation with the Board member responsible for media work, the group of certified members shall prepare requests to the association assembly regarding the use of the total additional contributions of the certified members intended for the active public engagement of the quality label.
Article 12 Dissolution and liquidation
Resolution 1 The decision to dissolve and liquidate the association requires a two-thirds majority of the valid votes cast at the association assembly.
Allocation of assets 2 After deduction of all liabilities, the remaining assets shall be allocated to a non-profit purpose. This decision requires a two-thirds majority of the valid votes cast at the association assembly.
Article 13 Final provisions
Resolution 1 The present statutes have been approved by the ordinary association assembly on 15th January 2019 in Zurich and came into force on the same date. They replace the statutes dated 13th March 2006, revised on 17th March 2008, revised on 2nd March 2009, revised on 3rd September 2012, revised on 19th November 2012.

Issued in Lucerne, 13th March 2006, revised 2nd March 2009, revised 3rd September 2012, revised 19th November 2012, revised 15th January 2019

Swiss Assessment

Simon Hardegger                       Nadine Eggimann
Board Affairs                               Communication

Appendix

This appendix is an integral part of the statutes.

The association assembly of 2nd March 2015 set the membership fees with effect from 3rd March 2015 as follows:

Swiss Assessment membership fees from 3rd March 2015

Full members
– individuals / legal entities CHF 350.-
– students CHF 100.-

Patrons CHF (to be defined by the parties)

Honorary members do not pay membership fees.

The membership fees are considered as an annual fee for the current association year, regardless of the actual date of the member’s entry or exit. Membership fees cannot be paid pro rata.

Zurich, 3rd March 2015

Swiss Assessment
Patrick Boss
(former) President