16.02.2023 - Departure into new times

The wLw team looks forward to 2023 with a little respect, but also full of confidence. In the coming months, many new concepts will be tried out and a lot will be done again so that help can continue to be provided in the future.

New partners, new approach, new association year: In the third year of its activities, the association moves into a second location, grows in terms of staff and now also offers training.

Growing team

At the beginning of 2022, the association employed just three people. The team starts the new year with five permanent employees and one intern from WMS Aarau. This not only requires more workspace, but also poses new challenges for the managing director Tobias Schär.

My responsibility is to trust my staff and see that they are given the tools they need to work effectively.

Tobias Schär, Founder and Business Manager

The work structure remains largely unchanged, but Schär feels that despite ever-ongoing optimisation efforts, more staff are simply needed. "We are at the limit, but a lot of it is positive stress," he says.

From August 2023, the team will be supported by additional permanent employees and interns. Schär says: "It gives me great pleasure to be able to offer young employees a protected environment in which to grow and learn. And of course it is also the case that an internship costs less than a full-time job".

He shows no scruples, because he knows what the club has to offer. "You have to work with what you can afford - and with our current trainee (Matthew) we have really been able to find a diamond in the rough," says Schär.

Available resources slow down

Growth is currently limited by the fact that the association is largely self-financed. Around 95% of the total income comes from the contributions to expenses that the association receives for preparing and sending out laptops. Here, too, an adjustment was made at the turn of the year.

"Newly we reward the partners who also actively support us to continue our work. This would not be possible without laptops. So-called Circulation partner pay a smaller Contribution towards expenses per device and also save some of our own resources, as we take care of the data deletion, collection and return of the goods," says Schär.

One of Schär's operational goals for this year is to create and implement a clear fundraising concept for the association. This will be made possible as part of her bachelor's thesis at the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts.

It is both exciting and demanding to carry out such a task for your own employer. But just the fact that I receive this trust shows me that I am taken seriously.

Romina Kalt, Office Manager (60%)

Schär and Kalt hope that many of the opportunities that appear in this way can then be materialised. The goal is and remains: the state and cantons should participate in the success story - with equipment or financial help.

Not only laptops

Those who cannot support the association with laptops do not have to despair, because in the meantime wLw can also help with the appropriate use of other hardware. A few weeks ago, for example, the team was allowed to help with the Sanitas around 600 HP docking stations, which would otherwise have been scrapped.

A separate command centre for the second location has also been found in the meantime. In order for the monitoring of all infrastructure, network and other components of the wLw processing world to function, this must also be kept in view. As chance would have it, the green.ch a few weeks ago and asked whether a disused command centre could be used in some way. Benjamin didn't have to be asked twice: "It'll be cool: let's use it!" was the Head of IT Operations' response.

The situation used to be different when companies wanted to provide the association with screens, because these need space and are a logistical nightmare. In the meantime, the association also coordinates the resale of such equipment and thus saves a lot of resources for repatriation and other expenses. As a rule, the proceeds are donated to charity.

We are grateful for every donation, and in every case we also check beforehand whether we can use something or not. It would be a shame if we were then simply an IT temporary waste warehouse: That is not the goal. Every company that thinks of us makes a direct or indirect contribution to making Switzerland more digital for everyone.

Tobias Schär, Founder and Business Manager

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