The first regional club in France
“With the support of Medef 35 (formerly Confederation of Enterprises 35), the Ille et Vilaine club was created in April 2019 with the aim of promoting integration into employment within our territory. We were almost the first club created in France to support structures wishing to innovate a more sustainable business model”, This is summed up by Eric Chalain Belval, Group Leader of La Feuille d’Erable, a comprehensive company that symbolizes the Rennes recycling and recovery sector.
At the request of local businesses, he agreed to take the chair, particularly to highlight actions already taken and to encourage more SMEs to engage in comprehensive HR policies. Today, two Medef 35 people are responsible full time for developing the club and moving its community. In particular, through events such as ” Awards for comprehensive companies in Ille-et-Vilaine Created in 2019 to highlight the most innovative companies in the field whose 2023 edition kicks off on Thursday, March 23rd. 125 companies are currently participating in the club.
“No one is unemployed”
How do you best manage the organization of living together in a company moving forward? While things are changing on the part of public opinion, the majority of business leaders have realized that there is now an inextricable link between economic performance and social performance. If embedding is undoubtedly a problem with a company’s image, it has also become a factor in improving its performance. “We must regard the company as an ecosystem whose fair balance depends on the well-being of its employees”insists Eric Chalan-Belval.
Commitment charter
Whether large groups such as Groupama or EDF, small and medium-sized companies or small craft structures, companies register in the club for free to exchange best practices and create a common dynamic. Eager to take concrete initiatives in favor of the inclusion and professional integration of all those far from employment, 125 companies and structures from Brittany are committed within the community. Recruitment, job retention, or thinking about the whole HR policy… Very flexible, the club gives them the possibility to choose different types of actions: recruit political refugees, go to meet schoolchildren in neighborhoods that are difficult to encourage professions, hire disabled people, welcome school dropout youth for internships, etc.
Multiple partners
“Under the slogan ‘Les entreprises s’engage’, the club is a stakeholder in the French community of ‘companies committed to an inclusive society and a sustainable world’ initiated by the President of the Republic in 2018. However, each territory has full autonomy. Supported by state services and the province of Ille-et-Vilaine, the club works closely with many local institutional partners such as Pôle Emploi and local missions. We are fortunate to live in an experimental region that passionately loves social and cultural innovation. Eric Chalain Belval rejoices.
Facilitate integration paths
Exchange, cooperation, communication … Each club company undertakes to create a local simulation by sharing its best practices and learning from the practices of others, especially during the celebration days. “These moments of inspiring exchange help companies improve the quality of their welcome by leveraging highly concrete advice to advance their ability to integrate people with atypical profiles.”Eric Chalain-Belval analyzes. On a daily basis, companies can turn to the club for information and advice.
towards a new paradigm
Under the momentum of the legislator, inclusion has become more and more a subject of collective bargaining which has led to many agreements at the professional branch level as well as at the company level.” Besides the sometimes counterproductive restrictions, it is better for business leaders to commit on a voluntary basis to a more inclusive model whose impact is very beneficial to the employer’s brand. At a time like today where companies are struggling to recruit young people in particular, it is in their best interest to update their image. the club There to help and support them towards this new, more effective model that increases employee motivation, strengthens social bonds and can even improve productivity in the company.”Eric Chalain-Belval concludes.
What is the implication?
Inclusion is intended for all actions of a company that wish to prevent instances of discrimination relating specifically to disability, age, social origin, culture, gender, sexual orientation, physical appearance or social status.
(compiled comments by Olivier Sauvy)
“Evil thinker. Music scholar. Hipster-friendly communicator. Bacon geek. Amateur internet enthusiast. Introvert.”