FemaleAct Calculator

FemaleAct is an association of FINTA actors who live and work in Switzerland (FINTA stands for Women (Frauen), Intersex, Non-binary, Trans and Agender individuals). They use their professional experience to identify where structural change is needed in the performing arts and develop projects to accelerate it.

FemaleAct has developed the online tool «Kalkulator» over the last two years. It has been integrated in the FemaleAct website since December 2023. In 2024, the tool will be further developed in collaboration with the first users.

What does this tool comprise?

On the FemaleAct website, performing artists can quickly and easily calculate care costs outside regular working hours (7:00am-6:00pm).

The first version of the calculator focuses on childcare.

Tags

#care
#costs
#fair wages
#fair practice
#contracts

What does this tool do?

The calculator works out the childcare costs you will have to bear during rehearsals over and above the institutional options. The result can be downloaded as a PDF.

So you can:

  • enter into wage negotiations
  • contribute to a fair wage structure
  • raise awareness of work-life balance

Who is this tool for?

The FemaleAct calculator is available free of charge to both artists and employers.

Why is this tool important?

In performing arts projects (theatre, performance, film, etc.), work is often done outside regular working and institutional childcare hours. Artists therefore often incur additional childcare costs, which they have to bear privately.

The calculator helps to make these costs visible, enabling the additional care work to be adequately factored into cultural project budgets.

Impressum

FemaleAct association: femaleact.ch

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Illustration: Rachel Duc

Dampfzentrale Bern: Salary scheme for fair wages at cultural institutions in Switzerland

Dampfzentrale Bern commissioned the Centre for Cultural Management ZHAW to conduct the «Vorstudie Löhne Freie Kulturszene Schweiz» (Preliminary Study on Wages in the Independent Cultural Scene in Switzerland). Based on this, it has developed a scheme for fair standard wages for permanent employees at independent production houses in Switzerland.

This fair pay table is based on the Austrian model, «Fair Pay für Kulturarbeit». To date, no standardised guideline wages nor recommendations exist for employees in production, communication, management and technology at cultural institutions in Switzerland. The tpunkt professional association’s standard fees primarily affect freelancers.

ZHAW’s preliminary study provides an inventory of the current wage situation at independent production houses (focus: guest venues for dance and theatre). The results can also be transferred to cultural centres focusing on other genres.

Ergebnisse Lohnstudie Freie Kulturbetriebe Schweiz 2024 (DE)

Vergleich Gehälter Schweizer Kulturbetriebe (DE)

A salary scheme was created on this basis, enabling cultural institutions to commit to transparent, fair wages. Every cultural institution’s core business is the presentation, discussion and communication of artistic creation. The salary scheme is based on the idea that commercial and artistic professions should be given equal weighting at similar levels of responsibility. 

The study was conducted in German, therefore all documents are in German.

Use Case Gehaltschema Dampfzentrale Bern (DE)

Why is this tool necessary?

The salaries of permanent employees at Swiss cultural institutions are well below average when compared with similar positions in other sectors. This exacerbates the shortage of skilled personnel, weakens social sustainability and negatively impacts the qualitative consistency of work performed at institutions. To date, there are no standardised guideline wages and recommendations for employees in production, communication, management and technology at cultural institutions in Switzerland. The standard fees of the professional association tpunkt and the endeavours as part of the 2025–2028 cultural message primarily concern freelancers.

What this tool do?

The new salary scheme offers an easy-to-use, transferable, transparent modular system for application to all positions in a cultural institution.

Who is this tool for?

Cultural institutions in Switzerland that want to commit to fair, transparent salaries.

Focus: guest venues for dance and/or theatre

 

What does this tool consist of?

Its central element is a modular system that can be used for all positions in a cultural institution.  The basis for this was provided by the results of ZHAW’s preliminary study.

Information on wages in the cultural organisations (all values)

Information on wages in the cultural organisations (median)

Information on wages in the cultural organisations (average)

Impressum

Dampfzentrale Bern

Karin Bitterli (Commercial Director Dampfzentrale Bern), bitterli@dampfzentrale.chThe

t. Standard wages and fees

Professional and industry association t. Theaterschaffen Schweiz provides as a wage and fee guide for professionals in the independent performing arts. This allows you to calculate appropriate earnings for your work and conduct transparent and comprehensible salary or fee negotiations.

t. Theaterschaffen Schweiz set up a working group for the further development of standard wages and fees. They began their work at the end of 2021. In a broad consultation process, a wide range of actors in the sector from all parts of the country were involved in tool development and in determining benchmarks.

In the process of further developing standard wages and fees, t. Theaterschaffen Schweiz encourages professionals on stage and behind the scenes, as well as interest groups, to engage more actively in the discussions on wages and fees. There is still too little talk about money, both in the independent performing arts and in culture. The t. Standard wages and fees create more transparency and aim to promote a culture of negotiation.

What does this tool offer?

At www.tpunkt.ch/richtloehne there are two newly created tools available that are tailored to the special working realities in the independent performing arts:

Tags

#negotiation
#fairwages
#money
#budget
#fairpractice
#contracts

What does this tool do?

With the t. Calculator, freelancers and self-employed persons can calculate their salary or fee for the development and rehearsal phase. New gradations such as work experience, the level of responsibility in the project and the work region are included.

The t. Budget can be used to calculate the recommended price of a performance and the amortization costs per performance.

Why is this tool important?

Professionals in the independent theatre scene, cabaret and other branches of the independent performing arts have a right to fair remuneration based on their training and professionalism.

t. offers the first national calculation tool for more transparency and negotiation culture in the entire sector.

Who is this tool for?

It serves as a guide for individual artists, theatre groups, agencies, event organisers, theatres and private and public funding bodies.

Contact

t. Theaterschaffen Schweiz
www.tpunkt.ch

info@tpunkt.ch

Impressum

Working group t. Standard wages and fees

  • Cristina Galbiati, Co-President of t. Theaterschaffen Schweiz.
  • Eric Devanthéry, Management Board member of t. Theaterschaffen Schweiz.
  • Nina Mariel Kohler, Management Board member of t. Theaterschaffen Schweiz.
  • Christophe Drag, Administrative Manager Cie Philippe Saire
  • Gabi Bernetta, Producer, Bernetta Theaterproduktionen, winner of the Swiss Theatre Award 2018
  • Anja Lauper, Agent Kunstprojekte.ch / Tourbo-music.ch
  • Judith Rohrbach, former Co-Director Kleintheater Lucerne / Since October 2023, Head of Swiss Artists’ Exchange and Deputy Head t. Theaterschaffen Schweiz).

Project management office t.

  • Chantal Hirschi, Managing Director t. Theaterschaffen Schweiz).
  • Clara Gudehus, Head of Services and Projects

Supported by m2act /Migros Culture Percentage, Swisslos Kultur Kanton Bern, Schweizerische Interpretenstiftung, Federal Office of Culture

Sustainable Impact Tool

The Sustainable Impact Tool is a free working tool for cultural institutions and projects in Switzerland. It supports general and creative artists in systematically analysing their activities with regard to ecological and social sustainability. The effectiveness of sustainable action can thus be tested both at the institutional level and for individual productions, tours or events. The tool is refined on an ongoing basis.

What does this tool consist of?

The Sustainable Impact Tool enables the simplification of sustainability reporting through a variety of digital modules. Sub-elements enable the clear calculation of the CO2 footprint and further reporting modules for various areas of social sustainability are continually added.

 

Tags

#responsibility
#action
#sustainability
#reporting

What can this tool do?

The Sustainable Impact Tool supports an easily accessible and systematic analysis of the activities of general and creative artists with regard to environmental and social sustainability.

Who is this tool for?

The Sustainable Impact Tool is available free of charge for use by all cultural institutions, events, productions and tours in Switzerland. 

Why is this tool needed?

Simple reporting enables the prioritisation of measures based on their effectiveness for sustainable development. This makes it possible to monitor impact and deploy resources where they can have the greatest effect.

 

Impressum

The tool was launched by Pro Helvetia and the Migros Culture Percentage.