Ms. Grüninger explains that she feels she is getting more tired than before. From design to fabric purchasing, from unpacking to bookkeeping, as a generalist she does almost everything on her own. That is why she is glad to have her two employees, whom she can trust completely. Right from the start, Pia Grüninger has employed two women part-time to replace her. One of the women is already of AHV age, the other will soon be. A "retirement" of the employees in the true sense of the word is out of the question for Ms. Grüninger. She says that she relies on a certain level of maturity on the part of the employee, on experience and sensitivity in dealing with customers, on reliability and also on enjoying the work. Format's customers range in age from 40 to 80. Ms. Grüninger laughs and says: "I make fashion for grown-up women!". And why sacrifice the expertise and many years of professional experience of employees just because they receive AHV?

However, if one of the ladies wants to give up her part-time job, Pia Grüninger thinks it would be best to look at seniors@work and certainly not the university website that students use to look for part-time jobs. Nothing against students! But for a middle-aged clientele, a trained textile saleswoman with lots of experience is more sustainable.

FormatBasel: www.formatbasel.ch/