Ultimate Blogging Challenge January 2026 - Whatever Happened to a Job for Life?

We Swiss are often perceived as reserved and proper. Loud emotions or behavior that deviates from the norm are generally not encouraged.

That’s why I was genuinely delighted when I came across the following photo on social media.

On the regular departure board at a train station, a train driver named Andi, apparently retiring that very day, is publicly thanked for his service and wished a good journey into the next stage of his life. (Third line.)

Way to go!

Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) is wholly owned by the Swiss Confederation. While organized as a company, it remains fully state-owned, with its highest governing body appointed by the Federal Council. Alongside Swiss Post (at least historically), it is one of the few remaining employers where an employee might realistically spend an entire working life. That seems to have been the case for Andi.

Not so long ago, long tenures, even lifelong careers, were common. My Dad is a similar example: apprenticeship, continuing education at the technical university, got a job at the company he retired from a good 40 years later.

This was also a time when many major employers were Swiss-owned. With globalization came pressure to maximize shareholder value, leading to mergers, acquisitions, restructurings, layoffs, and, in many cases, a loss of original values.

Switzerland’s corporate landscape offers several sobering examples. Swiss industrial icons like Landis & Gyr and Elektrowatt were absorbed by Siemens, while BBC became part of ABB, which later sold large parts of its power business to Japan’s Hitachi. Ownership moved abroad, often quietly, without collapse, but with lasting consequences.

Photo Credit: Patrick Wirth

Swissair, once the national airline and a symbol of stability, collapsed in 2001 after aggressive expansion and mounting debt. Its successor, SWISS, still flies under the Swiss flag today but is owned by Germany’s Lufthansa; a bitter pill for many proud Swiss citizens.

Two decades later, Credit Suisse, founded in 1856 and long seen as a pillar of global banking, imploded after years of scandals and governance failures, forcing a government-backed takeover by UBS in 2023. Another national icon, gone.

Even consumer brands weren’t immune. Mövenpick, long associated with Swiss quality and hospitality, was swallowed by Nestlé in a deal many Swiss still view as especially greedy, less a partnership than a quiet extraction of brand value.

I happened to work for three of the companies mentioned above. As a Human Resources professional, I witnessed firsthand how the focus shifted from “human” to “resources.” People were deployed, reassigned, overworked, demoted, and dismissed. Despite being told I was one of the few who genuinely cared about employee well-being, there was only so much I could do as an individual.

When I started my career, I deliberately aimed for large companies. They offered structure, training, development opportunities, and solid working conditions. If my 17-year-old son asked me for advice today, however, I would probably recommend something different: an “honest” small or medium-sized company with values and a culture he can truly identify with.

Colin is still living in the protected school bubble, but soon enough he’ll have to decide which path to take. It likely won’t be a lifelong career like Andi’s at a state-owned company, but I hope he finds work where he can grow, contribute, and feel genuinely appreciated.

Do you think lifelong careers still matter, or has stability given way to something else we haven’t quite defined yet?