The perfect balance.

As a former registered nurse, I retrained with SBB to be an engine driver. And that’s how I found my dream job. I love the journeys through Switzerland. And that hasn’t changed at all, even today. Quite the opposite: today, I find my 50% job a wonderful change to my parenting tasks. 

Thanks to shift work, I can work early mornings or at the weekend. And this is a benefit to us as a whole family. Together with grandparents, we can manage childcare without outside help. This makes us feel that we, as parents, are always there for our daughter, without me having to give up my career. 

Better quality of life.

I love my job - for me, it’s more than just employment. It gives me a little distance from the sometimes stressful times at home – which I’ve appreciated especially as a young mother. SBB made the transition to motherhood easier by giving me 18 weeks of maternity leave. This helped me settle into my new role. Then I was able to return to work as an engine driver with a 50% workload. At the moment, my work-family balance is just right. But I know that I could increase or decrease my workload at any time. 

As an SBB employee, it’s not just me but also my partner who benefits from a cheaper GA Travelcard. We don’t own a car so this is a great advantage. It’s meant we can travel more often to our holiday home in Ticino. And because at SBB I have more holiday than usual, these excursions have become not only more frequent but also longer.

Talking as equals.

I get on really well with my supervisor. Whether it’s a professional or a private challenge, I can always talk it through with him as an equal. And it never puts him out. Even if someone in our family gets ill, we find a solution together that suits us both. That can’t be taken for granted and I really appreciate it. 

At SBB, dialogue with employees plays a central role. Because of my pregnancy, for safety reasons I was no longer allowed to be in the engine driver’s cab or near the tracks. So SBB arranged an exciting office job for me as an alternative. Today, if I don’t feel fit enough for a journey, we come up with an alternative solution together.

Full steam ahead to a professional future.

I got to know the further training options at SBB when I started as an engine driver. And in the future? It’s quite possible that I’ll take advantage of another programme. For me it’s good to know that I can continue my professional development within the same company. Ultimately, mobility will change in the future.

I’ll continue to take part in SBB events that are targeted towards women and mothers in the future. At these events, I can build networks and discuss issues. And who knows what career opportunities might arise?