self employment in Switzerland

Part-time self-employed in Switzerland. What you need to pay attention to

In addition to a permanent employment, many people in Switzerland are also self-employed. What should you watch out for in order to avoid conflicts with your employer?

Many employees dream of self-employment. However, as the loss of a regular income poses a high risk, it is advisable to pursue self-employment as a secondary activity at first.

A part-time living as a self-employed is not only allowed in Switzerland, but also increasingly popular.

Non-competition and job performance

In general, you have to make sure that your self-employed job does not compete with your employer or negatively affect your performance at work. This is regulated by the law as follows:

Duty of loyalty: The loyalty obligation is regulated in Art. 321a OR. It states that you must not compete with your employer and negatively affect his interests. So make sure, for example, that you are not working on the same market as a sideline or even take over customers from your employer.

Rest time: The law prescribes a daily rest period of at least eleven consecutive hours (see Art. 15a ArG). Therefore, you should avoid engaging in self-employment for long hours after work.

Working hours: The maximum weekly working hours are regulated in Art. 9 ArG. For workers in industrial companies, office staff and some other employees, 45 hours per week apply. For all other employees it is 50 hours.

Before you decide to run a part-time business, you should take a close look at your own employment contract and discuss it with your supervisor in order to avoid future conflicts. Also a written confirmation from your employer could serve you well.

Sole proprietorship (Einzelunternehmen ): ideal for a self-employed

We are UB flexi group

UB flexi group supports you in your step towards independence. Numerous people have already happily founded their own company with us. We recommend self-employed people to start with a sole proprietorship, as this can be set up quickly and involves only a few bureaucratic obstacles. If you prefer to avoid an unlimited personal liability, we recommend a limited liability company (GmbH ) or a public limited company (Aktiengesellschaft).