“The Hill We Climb”. This was the title of the poem read by the young poet Amanda Gorman at the inauguration ceremony of the new President of the United States on 20 January 2021. This title perfectly reflects our state of mind as we look back over the 12 past troubled months. The COVID-19 pandemic is everywhere. It has disrupted not only our lives but also the Swiss health system. The crisis we have been experiencing since March 2020 has affected us all considerably. It has affected our private lives, our working lives, our hobbies, our dreams... In 2020, everything was brought to a standstill.
The pandemic we have been going through for over a year has turned everything upside down. Fear and uncertainty have taken over. The consequences are only just beginning to be felt and will stay with us for many months, if not years. The health, economic and social crisis has shaken many of our convictions. And yet. Thanks to resilience, courage and our capacity to adapt and, sometimes at the cost of overwhelming sacrifices, the system has held strong. WE have stood firm. The Swiss health system has also resisted. Hospitals have stood firm thanks to the outstanding work carried out by exemplary medical staff. Our social insurance systems have held strong thanks to solid foundations. However, we are paying the price and will continue to do so, because entire sections of the Swiss economy have been hit hard. Above all, physical and mental health have never been so badly affected. Especially among young people and the elderly. Everyone in fact. And yet, we must continue to climb that hill and find innovative solutions to remain loyal to our spirit of solidarity and our origins. In order to remain close to you, our customers. To achieve this, Groupe Mutuel has strengthened its internal sales force to improve its services, particularly in German-speaking Switzerland. We have also expanded our teams to better support you. What have we done to minimise the consequences of this unprecedented crisis? We have made every effort to provide uninterrupted, high-quality, fast and efficient services to our customers. We have protected the health of our employees who represent the foundation of the company’s future development. These two principles have driven our approach during the crisis.
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We repaid 101 million Swiss francs to close to 80% of our insured persons. We donated 1 million Swiss francs to SMEs thanks to the DireQt campaign supported by QoQa. And we donated 1 million Swiss francs to the “Chaîne du Bonheur” to help those in need. We temporarily suspended the deadlines for all our commercial rents in order to help SMEs, and even offered up to two months’ rent to a number of craftsmen, shopkeepers and restaurant owners who were experiencing financial difficulties. We also put in place a number of measures to help those who are currently facing hardship, such as by waiving reminder fees. Or offering payment facilities. We have been proactive, responsive and supportive. We have placed human values at the heart of our business, our transformation and our strategy. In these troubled times, the financial results for 2020 are therefore somewhat anecdotal, but they remain balanced in the health sector (AOS/OKP). And on the rise for supplemental insurance. Business results have increased significantly in the corporate sector, where we are once again able to strengthen our market shares.
ACTIVITY REPORT 2020 OF GROUPE MUTUEL
