Election procedure

Why are new elections necessary?
The term of office of the incumbent Board of Trustees is four years ending on 30 June 2027. The employee and employer representatives will therefore be newly elected for the new term of office from 1 July 2027 to 30 June 2031.

Who is entitled to vote?
All members of the Administrative Boards with equal employee and employer representation of the affiliated employee benefits units of the Swiss Life Collective Foundation 2nd Pillar are eligible to vote. The employee representatives on the Board of Trustees are elected by the employee representatives of the Administrative Boards, the employer representatives by the employer representatives of the Administrative Boards.

Who conducts the elections on behalf of the Board of Trustees?
The Board of Trustees has commissioned Swiss Life Ltd, as the foundation’s manager, with organising and holding new elections.

Has the responsible supervisory authority been informed of the new elections?
Yes. The Foundation’s supervisory authority, the BVG and foundation supervisory authority Ticino, Eastern Switzerland and Zurich (ATIOZ), is aware of the current election regulations. New elections will be held on the basis of these regulations.

When will the new elections take place and how will those entitled to vote be informed?
In September 2026, the members of the Administrative Boards of the affiliated employee benefits units will be informed in writing of the new elections and the proposed candidates of the incumbent Board of Trustees. Additional candidatures may be submitted by 9 October 2026 at the latest.
If no further candidates are put forward, the persons nominated will be elected by acclamation.
If additional candidates are submitted, a secret electronic ballot will be held. To enable them to take part, the employee and employer representatives of the Administrative Board must register in the voters’ register by 9 October 2026 at the latest. The electronic ballot is scheduled to take place from 21 October to 18 November 2026, 12 noon. The votes are then counted and the election result determined.

What are the duties of the Board of Trustees?
The Board of Trustees is the top management of the Foundation in accordance with the law and the regulations. It ensures compliance with the statutory duties, determines the strategic objectives and principles of the Foundation and monitors their implementation. Its main responsibilities include:

• supervision of foundation activities and management
• monitoring tasks performed by Swiss Life on behalf of the foundation
• Approval of the annual accounts
• Election of Statutory Auditors
• Selection of pension actuary
• ensuring the foundation’s financial stability

How much time does a Board of Trustees mandate involve?
The activities include in particular: 

• Two ordinary meetings of the Board of Trustees per year (on site at Swiss Life Ltd)
• Up to two further meetings of the Board of Trustees per year by video conference
• Resolutions adopted by correspondence
• Two-day basic training (free of charge)
• One full-day Board of Trustees event per year
• Voluntary half-day training (annual)

Is the Board of Trustees’mandate remunerated?
Yes. The Board of Trustees’ mandate is compensated on a time basis. The members of the Board of Trustees receive an annual salary statement for their tax return.

Why is the Board of Trustees submitting a proposal for election?
The incumbent Board of Trustees draws up a proposal in accordance with the election regulations. Where possible, attention is paid to ensuring a balanced representation of the affiliated employee benefits units, the language regions and the employee and employer sides. The willingness of current members of the Board of Trustees to stand for re-election also contributes to continuity and to ensuring the high quality of work performed by the committee.

The proposed employee representatives include persons with managerial responsibility. Why?
Whether a person is considered an employee or employer representative does not depend solely on his or her management function. Rather, the decisive factor is whether the person in question, by virtue of their position, is able to decisively shape or represent the wishes of the company. As a rule, this applies to members of the Executive Board or persons with similar decision-making authority.
A management position alone therefore does not automatically rule out candidacy as an employee representative. 

What happens if no additional candidates are put forward?
If no additional candidates are put forward, the candidates proposed by the incumbent Board of Trustees shall be deemed elected. In this case, no electronic ballot will take place. This is called by acclamation.

What needs to be taken into account if additional candidates have to be put forward?
Each employee benefits unit may nominate one person as employee representative and one person as employer representative. The following documents are required to apply:

• Fully completed application form
• Brief justification of motivation
• Current extract from the register of criminal convictions (issued within the past three months)
• Current extract from the debt collection register (issued within the past three months)

The foundation may request further documents or information if this is necessary for checking the election requirements. Applications must be submitted by 9 October 2026 at the latest.

Who is eligible for election to the Board of Trustees?
The provisions of the election regulations apply. Only persons who are professionally active are eligible to be  members or substitute members of the Board of Trustees and have a good reputation and provide assurance of proper conduct. 

The following are eligible to be elected as employee representatives:

• Employees insured with the foundation who work in Switzerland
• Persons with a permanent, non-terminated employment relationship with an affiliated employer
• Persons with the role of employer representative on the Administrative Board are not eligible for election.

The following are eligible to be elected as employer representatives:

• Persons insured with the foundation who work in Switzerland and have an unlimited contract of employment with an affiliated employer without notice
• Self-employed persons who are insured with the foundation together with their employees
• Persons with the role of employee representative on the Administrative Board are not eligible for election.

As the language of correspondence and meetings is German, a good knowledge of German is an advantage.

Why are only one employee and one employer candidate per employee benefits unit eligible?
This regulation helps ensure that the affiliated employee benefits units are adequately represented and that individual large employee benefits units are not able to exert a disproportionate influence on the  composition of the Board of Trustees compared to smaller ones.

How many candidates can I vote for?
Employee and employer representatives are elected in separate constituencies. Three employee representatives and three employer representatives are to be elected to the Board of Trustees for the 2027 to 2031 term of office. Therefore, a maximum of three candidates may be elected per constituency. If this number is exceeded, the electoral system asks voters to reduce the number of candidates accordingly.

Why do voters have to register?
If additional candidates are submitted, the election will be held electronically. The login data for the election portal are sent only to registered voters. Employee and employer representatives of the Administrative Board must therefore register in advance in the voters’ register.

Why is the Board of Trustees using e-voting?
Renewal elections have been conducted electronically for many years. The process has proven to be efficient, reliable and user-friendly. This means there is no need to send and return physical voting documents. 

Do I need special technical knowledge?
No. The election portal is simple and user-friendly to operate. The individual steps are explained clearly and can be carried out using a computer, tablet or smartphone.

How are those entitled to vote identified?
A multi-step authentication procedure is used for participation. Registered voters will receive the necessary access data and the associated access code (TAN). Access to the electronic ballot will only be granted once this information has been successfully checked.

How do you ensure that each person entitled to vote can only vote once?
After successful registration and voting, participation will be noted in the voters’ register. The system does not allow anyone to vote again.

Do I need to install software to vote electronically?
No. No additional software is required to participate. Voting is carried out via a web-based election portal and can be carried out using standard internet browsers on a computer, tablet or smartphone.

Can I cast my vote in another way after the election period has elapsed?
No. After the fixed election period has expired, it is no longer possible to vote.

How is the anonymity of voting ensured?
The voters’ register and the electronic ballot box are technically separate. As a result, the vote cast cannot be assigned to any person entitled to vote. Anonymous voting is guaranteed.

Will contract or company data be passed on to third parties?
With the exception of the information required for holding the election, no contract or company data is disclosed to external bodies. The Swiss Life contract number is used exclusively to unambiguously assign an employee benefits unit during the election process.

Why does Swiss Life work with POLYAS?
Swiss Life uses the proven e-voting solution from POLYAS to conduct the electronic vote. The company has many years of experience in the field of digital elections and votes and meets stringent requirements in terms of security, confidentiality and traceability.

How are the data from the application form and extracts from the criminal records and debt collection registers used?
The personal data collected in the candidacy form and the register extracts submitted will be used exclusively to check the election requirements. If a candidate is a valid candidate, the following information is published on the election portal:

• First name and surname
• Year of birth
• Place of residence
• Employee benefits unit
• Profession
• Personal motivation

The required information will be sent to the external service provider POLYAS for holding the electronic ballot. Only Swiss Life foundation management employees responsible for organising the election have access to extended candidate data and register extracts. The documents will be deleted by 31 December 2026 at the latest. Further information on data protection can be found at: www.swisslife.ch/privacy-contract

What happens if an elected member of the Board of Trustees changes category?
Changes in role within a company do not necessarily have an impact on the mandate during the current term of office. However, if a change means that the prerequisites for membership of the elected constituency are no longer met, the person in question shall stand down from the Board of Trustees. In this case, a substitute member shall be appointed.

What is the role of the substitute members?
In addition to the ordinary members, substitute members are also elected or appointed. If a member of the Board of Trustees resigns during the current term of office, the corresponding substitute member shall take over and assume the mandate for the remaining term of office. This ensures equal representation of  employee and employer representation on the Board of Trustees.

POLYAS Schweiz GmbH, based in St. Gallen, has been supporting Swiss Life in holding electronic elections for many years.

The e-voting solution used enables elections to be conducted securely, transparently and efficiently over the internet. Strict requirements in terms of data protection, information security and voting confidentiality are met.