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Announcement From Startup Forecasts Work Hours Between 80 and 100 Per Week, Annual Salary of 70,000 Swiss Francs, Few Days Off and Attracted 1,200 Applications in Just Three Days Despite Public Criticism
A job opening published by the Swiss startup Forgis forecasts work hours of 80 to 100 per week, an annual salary of 70,000 Swiss francs, and few Sundays off, provoking online backlash in Switzerland by questioning legal limits, remuneration, and the work model in startups.
The job vacancy published by the industrial intelligence company Forgis generated strong reactions on social media by establishing a weekly workload between 80 and 100 hours, as reported by the Swiss newspaper Blick, following the disclosure on the company’s official profile on LinkedIn.
The announcement details that candidates for the product growth associate position must accept long hours, with occasional concessions of “some Sundays off,” a condition that attracted attention due to the volume of hours concentrated throughout the week.
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According to calculations from the French newspaper Le Parisien, this requirement represents days exceeding 14 hours of continuous work, without regular weekly rest, a scenario described as extreme within the contemporary European labor market.
High Workload and Below Median Salary
Despite the high workload, the reported annual salary is 70,000 Swiss francs, equivalent to approximately 75,000 euros, a figure that falls below the local median salary estimated between 78,000 and 80,000 francs, according to data cited by Blick.
The announcement clarifies that the remuneration includes 1% in company stock options, without detailing liquidity criteria or timeframes, information that also contributed to the controversy surrounding the proposal.
Another highlighted point is the explicit statement that the company does not believe in work-life balance, a statement present in the original text of the job posting and widely reproduced by users on social media.
Restricted Academic Profile and Competitive Internal Culture
Regarding the desired profile, Forgis requires a master’s degree, preferably from prestigious institutions such as ETH Zurich, Munich, Oxford, or Cambridge, as specified in the announcement.
The description of the internal environment also draws attention for its frankness, stating that the company does not consider itself a family, but rather colleagues engaged in a common mission, within a declared logic of coopetition.
According to the text, the internal culture combines mutual support with constant competition, a strategy presented as healthy to drive performance, even if described directly and without rhetorical concessions.
CEO Justification and High Demand for the Position
In an interview with the newspaper Blick, Forgis’ CEO, Federico Martelli, stated that the proposal reflects the working style of Silicon Valley-inspired startups, emphasizing that no one is obliged to apply.
Martelli also highlighted that he is looking for founding members, not traditional employees, an argument used to explain the high weekly workload and the level of commitment expected from candidates.
Regarding legality and personal choice, the executive declared that he believes it is legitimate to use one’s time as one sees fit, adding that many people share this view, which he claims explains the initial uptake.
In a post on LinkedIn, the CEO reported that about 1,200 people applied for the position in just three days, a number cited as evidence of interest, despite public criticism of the proposed model.
The announcement remains online, but the company stated it has already begun reviewing applications and is no longer accepting new submissions, temporarily closing the selection process that spurred extensive debate.
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