“Engaging our employees and partners on the challenges of ecological transition”: Sharon Sofer’s HR project
“I was already personally involved in ecology, before participating in the Business Convention for the Climate (CEC)explains Sharon Sofer, president of Startup For Kids. I thought I was already virtuous by the sole action of Startup For Kids, I quickly measured how much, even being a small structure, we had the power to change a lot! »
“2023 will be the year of transformation”
Joining the adventure of the CEC, an entity bringing together 150 companies invested in the ecological transition, acted for Startup For Kids like an electric shock: “2023 will be a year of transformation for us with ambitious goals in terms of impact”says the leader of the company dedicated to the education of 6-20 year olds through digital technology.
A revolution that begins with the content of the workshops offered to children and young people: “Our goal is for 100% of our events to become ‘ecology first’: whether it’s a public speaking course or an escape game, we will rewrite the scenarios and scenarios by integrating environmental themesshe develops. We are also going to launch new workshops related to sustainable development, on low tech in particular. »
A new team sensitive to ecological issues
While almost the entire team was renewed last September, Sharon Sofer paid attention that the candidates were sensitive to the theme of sustainable development : “I hired people who showed a real appetite for education and ecology, more than for events or human resources. »
Internally, a person is also dedicated to these topics of ecological and digital transition. Its role is, among other things, to draw up the carbon footprint of the structure and to carry out an impact study, both on the education component, on that of gender equality and opportunities, and on the impact on medium term on the stakeholders: the young people supported but also the partners. All this with a view to reducing the negative externalities of corporate events and employee behavior. “We are also going to have our partners, both private and public, sign an environmental charter”says Sharon Sofer.
“Have actions in line with his speeches”
The business manager is also working on “the internal ecology of its employees”: “We make sure that they feel good at work (reasonable working hours, lots of feedback, optimized onboarding process with awareness of ecology, etc.). It has implemented a quarterly internal indicator on a scale of 100, including criteria co-defined by the team, and intended to measure the well-being of employees.
“It’s important to be aligned, to have actions in line with your speeches. I have come to a point where I wonder if a company that does not take into account its impact on the environment is still justified. »
“Creating a global CSR strategy to unite our teams”: Barbara Bourlet’s HR project
Why prioritize the CSR strategy in its 2023 roadmap? According to Barbara Bourlet, recruitment manager at Prelys Courtage, a mortgage brokerage brand, this project responds to two difficulties that many HR professionals face:
- The cannibalization of candidates: “In an extremely tense market, it is not uncommon to be overtaken by a competitor in the recruitment of a candidate… The war for talent is increasingly fierce! »
- The splitting up of teams on several sites which makes it difficult to maintain a strong sense of belonging to the company.
The CSR commitment: a favorite argument for some candidates
“From the first job interview, we integrate the CSR component at the end of our presentation of the companydevelops the recruiter. We see that candidates are asking us more and more questions about this and that it can be the favorite argument that will push them to join us! »
However, if the company has adopted a charter including 16 CSR commitments (benevolent management, solidarity actions, well-being at work, dematerialization of customer files, etc.), it wishes to give more coherence to its action: “We have set up isolated initiatives at the level of each site: beach cleaning, blood donation, gifts to underprivileged children at Christmas… But we lack coordinated projects at the national level to unite our teams! »
Strengthen the sense of belonging to the network
It is to support these great local initiatives and launch larger-scale actions that a collaborator has been recruited: “In the same way that a co-optation program must be brought to life for it to be a success, this CSR action plan must be orchestratedemphasizes Barbara Bourlet. Camille’s mission will be to federate teams that almost never rub shoulders and to create a common feeling of belonging, because we are organized into a network of agents and franchisees, spread across the whole of France. »
Different avenues are being studied: playful applications, gamification, Climate Fresco, CSR competition or challenge, the results of which may be announced at the company’s National Convention.
This first year will be a test: “We will sail on sight. You have to dare to make a mistake, then you will take the necessary step back to see what worked or not. What formats to sustain? Which events mobilize the most? Face-to-face or remote meetings? »
