| Article 1 | Name, registered office | |
| 1 | The name “Swiss Assessment” refers to an association, pursuant Art. 60 et seq. of the Swiss Civil Code. | |
| Article 2 | Aim | |
| Alignment | 1 | Swiss Assessment is committed to ensure that the selection and personnel development procedures, known as assessment centers, are based on the scientifically recognised quality standards of the assessment center technique. The focus of the association’s activities shall be the quality development of the assessment center method as well as the individual know-how in the same field. |
| 2 | Swiss Assessment shall offer its members a platform for the exchange of experiences, benchmarking, networking, further education and research as well as for publications. | |
| Independence | 3 | Swiss Assessment shall remain independent, politically neutral and non-sectarian. The association may enter into partnerships with other associations and organisations to meet its aims. |
| Article 3 | Membership | ||
| Categories of membership | 1 | Swiss Assessment consists of
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| Full members | 2 | Full members must be able to enter into contracts, either individuals or legal entities who ideally support the aims of the association through active participation. | |
| Patrons | 3 | Patrons are individuals or legal entities who are not actively involved in the association. They contribute with a donation; they have no voting rights and cannot stand for election within the association. | |
| Honorary members | 4 | Honorary members are individuals who have contributed with extraordinary merits to the benefit of Swiss Assessment. They enjoy the same rights and obligations of full members but are not required to pay a membership fee. They are elected by the association assembly, at the behest of the board. | |
| Joining | 5 | Any individual or legal entity who supports the alignment and aims of the association, and who represents the quality standards defined in the association’s mission statement in a credible manner, may become a full member of the association. A written application is required to obtain membership. The board decides on the application for membership. There is no entitlement to admission. | |
| Termination, resignation | 6 | Membership ends upon resignation, death or exclusion of the member. Members may resign at any time by submitting a statement to the board. The full membership fee for the current calendar year is still owed and non-refundable. | |
| Exclusion | 7 | Members who do not meet their obligations towards the association or who cause damage to the association can be excluded by the board. Excluded members may appeal in writing against the decision within 30 days and request a decision of the association assembly, whose decision will be final. | |
| Entitlements | 8 | Full and honorary members are entitled to the following:
Full members and honorary members are entitled to publish their membership as follows: Member of the “Swiss Assessment” Association. |
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| Obligations | 9 | All members are obliged to protect the interests of the association, to comply with the statutes, regulations and instructions of its bodies and to pay the annual membership fee. Honorary members are exempt from the obligation to pay the membership fee. | |
| Article 4 | Financing, liabilities | |
| Financing | 1 | The association is financed through
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| Liabilities | 2 | The association shall only be liable with its own assets. Personal liability of the members of the board and of the association members for the obligations of the association is excluded. |
| Insurance | 3 | The association shall not be liable for accidents, damage to property and liability claims arising from association activities carried out by members. Members need to take out their own insurance cover. The association must take out liability insurance to cover claims against it, arising from statutory liability provisions for personal injury or property damage. |
| Article 5 | Financial year | |
| 1 | The financial year is the calendar year. | |
| Article 6 | Bodies | |
| 1 | The bodies of the association are:
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| Article 7 | Association assembly | |
| Ordinary association assembly | 1 | The ordinary association assembly is the supreme authority of Swiss Assessment. It is held annually by 30th April at the latest. |
| Convene the Assembly | 2 | The ordinary association assembly shall be convened by the board. The members shall be invited in writing, at least 30 days before the general assembly is due to take place, with the agenda announced by the board. |
| Extraordinary association assembly | 3 | An extraordinary association assembly can be requested by the association assembly itself, by the board or by a written request of members representing a fifth of the membership. It must be convened at least 30 days in advance, stating the agenda and proposals to be discussed. |
| Business | 4 | The general assembly has the following tasks and competencies
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| Proposals | 5 | Proposals to be put in front of the general assembly must be submitted to the Board in writing, at least 20 days before the general assembly is due to take place. |
| Voting rights | 6 | With the exception of patrons and subject to any legal restriction, all members shall be entitled to vote and to be elected, starting from the year in which they turn 18. Each member who is entitled to vote, either individuals or legal entities, can cast 1 vote. |
| Required majority | 7 | The general assembly shall take decisions based on a simple majority of the valid votes cast. Should the vote be tied, an ordinary proposal will be deemed to have been rejected. To be elected, the absolute majority of votes is required in the first round; should a second round become necessary, a relative majority shall suffice. The dissolution of the association requires the votes of at least two thirds of the voting members. |
| Assembly Chair | 8 | The meeting shall be chaired by the President or, in their absence, by the Vice President or another board member. |
| Assembly business and requests | 9 | Business items which are not included in the agenda can only be addressed if the general assembly decides to do so with a two-thirds majority. |
| Voting rights Chairperson | 10 | The Assembly Chair shall be able to vote and to stand for election. |
| Secret ballots and elections | 11 | Secret ballots and elections can be requested by a third of the voters present in the general assembly. |
| Article 8 | Board | ||
| Leadership, representation | 1 | The Board is the management body of the association. It officially represents Swiss Assessment externally and is accountable to the general assembly. | |
| Composition | 2 | The board consists of 5 to 7 members. | |
| Election, term of office | 3 |
The members of the Board shall be elected by the general assembly for a term of two years, which may be renewed for a maximum term of office of up to 6 years. A by-election shall stand until the end of the term of office of the Board member being replaced. A representative of a legal entity may be elected. However, Board membership is a personal position. Ideally, Board membership should be made up of a good blend of practitioners who work for HR departments and practitioners who work as external consultants. |
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| Establishment | 4 | With the exception of the President, the Board shall establish itself. | |
| Tasks and competencies | 5 | Tasks and competencies:
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| Article 9 | Financial Auditors | |
| Financial Auditors | 1 |
The general assembly shall elect 2 auditors for a term of 2 years each. The term of office is limited to a maximum of 6 terms. The auditors review the annual accounts and the financial books of the association. They report to the association assembly and submit a request for approval of the annual accounts and for the discharge of the board. |
| Article 10 | Quality Commission | |
| Quality Commission | 1 | The Quality Commission shall be responsible for the further development of the AC standards and checkpoints as part of the certification process, as well as for carrying out the certification. They can also express opinions on other quality issues. |
| 2 | The Quality Commission shall submit well-founded proposals for the further development of the AC standards and checkpoints to the Board of Directors, which have been produced either by their own work, by the work of certified members or by the work of individual association members. The Quality Commission shall consult the Scientific Advisory Board before implementing relevant content changes to the Swiss Assessment certification. The Board shall make the final decision on the submitted proposals for the further development of the AC standards and checkpoints. | |
| 3 | The Quality Commission is at least composed of (1) the chairperson, (2) a member of the Board, (3) one individual from the group of quality auditors who carry out the Swiss Assessment certification, and (4) one individual from the group of certified members. | |
| 4 | The Quality Commission shall appoint new quality auditors to carry out the Swiss Assessment certification process. Quality auditors must meet two criteria: independence and expert knowledge. Independence means that auditors shall not work as assessors or hold any other function for an assessment center provider active in the Swiss market, whether as employees or freelancers. Expert knowledge requires that auditors hold at least a master’s degree in psychology from a recognized university and demonstrate relevant expertise in assessment methodology. | |
| 5 | The chairperson shall be elected by the general assembly for a term of 3 years, which can be renewed. The chair shall have the casting vote in decisions of the quality commission. | |
| Article 11 | Scientific Advisory Board | |
| Scientific Advisory Board | 1 | The Scientific Advisory Board shall advise the Quality Commission, in particular on changes and further developments to the content of the Swiss Assessment Certification. It shall contribute scientific expertise and ensure that the content is evidence-based and aligned with current research. |
| 2 | The Scientific Advisory Board shall consist of national and international experts in the field of assessment centers with an academic background, specifically individuals with a recognized record of peer-reviewed publications on assessment center methods. Members shall be appointed by the General Assembly upon proposal of the Board, at the request of the Quality Commission. | |
| 3 | The Scientific Advisory Board may issue opinions, recommendations, or expert reports at the request of the Quality Commission. The Board shall ensure that the recommendations of the Scientific Advisory Board and the proposals of the Quality Commission are transparently integrated into decision-making processes. | |
| Article 12 | Working groups | |
| Working groups | 1 | The board can convene working groups on relevant topics of the association, within the framework of the aims of the association. |
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The group of certified members (Expert Members) shall form a permanent working group. As a special right, the group of certified members shall provide one individual as a member of the quality commission. The group of certified members may, in particular, submit a request to the Quality Commission to adjust the AC standards or checkpoints as part of the certification process. In consultation with the Board member responsible for media work, the group of certified members shall prepare requests to the association assembly regarding the use of the total additional contributions of the certified members intended for the active public engagement of the quality label. |
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| Article 13 | Dissolution and liquidation | |
| Resolution | 1 | The decision to dissolve and liquidate the association requires a two-thirds majority of the valid votes cast at the association assembly. |
| Allocation of assets | 2 | After deduction of all liabilities, the remaining assets shall be allocated to a non-profit purpose. This decision requires a two-thirds majority of the valid votes cast at the association assembly. |
| Article 14 | Final provisions | |
| Resolution | 1 | The present statutes have been approved by the ordinary association assembly on 17th January 2025 in Zurich and came into force on the same date. They replace the statutes dated 13th March 2006, revised on 17th March 2008, revised on 2nd March 2009, revised on 3rd September 2012, revised on 19th November 2012, revised on 15th January 2019. |
Issued in Lucerne, 13th March 2006, revised 2nd March 2009, revised 3rd September 2012, revised 19th November 2012, revised 15th January 2019, revised 17th December 2025.
Swiss Assessment
Anna Luca Heimann (Quality Commission), Sophie Weissfuss (Communication), Guillaume Python (External Presentations, Science–Practice Transfer), Urs Tschanz (Media), Mireille Régis (Website), Gian-Rico Bardy (Board Coordination), Andreas Scheuber (Finance and Membership Administration)
Appendix
This appendix is an integral part of the statutes.
The association assembly of 2nd March 2015 set the membership fees with effect from 3rd March 2015 as follows:
Swiss Assessment membership fees from 3rd March 2015
Full members
– individuals / legal entities CHF 350.-
– students CHF 100.-
Patrons CHF (to be defined by the parties)
Honorary members do not pay membership fees.
The membership fees are considered as an annual fee for the current association year, regardless of the actual date of the member’s entry or exit. Membership fees cannot be paid pro rata.
Zurich, 3rd March 2015
Swiss Assessment
Patrick Boss
(former) President