Can you both introduce yourself?
Sylvie: I am Sylvie Notarnicola, Luxembourgish and active for 44 years in Human Resources: first in the interim, the banking sector, then in consulting and administration. I ended my career at CFL but retirement not having satisfied me, I now take on the role of Human Resources Manager at Maison Moderne on an interim basis.
Marita: Marita Putz, German, I am both a teacher and also a trainer for future teachers in charge of the Luxembourgish and German department. I have been working in the Prolingua language training center for 25 years!
Marita, did you quickly realize that you would work for Prolingua for a long time?
MP : I didn’t know at first. On the other hand, I can assure you that from the first days I felt very good at Prolingua and this feeling has never been denied. The work, the students, the colleagues and the atmosphere that reigns between everyone immediately appealed to me. This loyalty, or longevity shall we say, today gives me a certain legitimacy and has also enabled me to progress within the company.
Sylvie, is loyalty a personality trait that “can be detected” in a candidate?
SN : No of course, loyalty is created and won over time. That said, the employer from the recruitment stage has a role to play in building this loyalty.
Being loyal to your employer means above all sharing certain values and certain objectives. In this sense, anyone who applies for a start-up feeling rather close to the values of a century-old multinational is unlikely to be very loyal. It is a reciprocal commitment of sharing and respect and we can here make the analogy between a company and a couple or a family.
What does this loyalty bring as Professor Marita?
MP: It brings a certain comfort and efficiency in the exercise of my functions, it is obvious. I know the company perfectly, its processes, but also the people who work there. What is more, I am not the only one who has worked at Prolingua for so long, I have worked with certain colleagues for more than 20 years. The turnover is very low within the company. I also know the clients well, in particular the companies, their activity and therefore their needs. This is particularly useful for the training of teachers who will give courses in these companies.
Sylvie, why was this criterion important when you called on Prolingua?
SN : I like companies which convey a family spirit and which value loyalty. This is the case with Prolingua, as with Maison Moderne, moreover, the two companies have a fairly similar history. So I in turn have always been loyal to Prolingua when, as HR manager, I was looking for a service provider specializing in language learning to train employees.
Prolingua has always made tailor-made, that is to say training adapted to the needs of its customers. During the preliminary interviews, I always noticed that the trainer knew the company and understood our needs. Finally, knowing that I could count on the same person for several years was a huge gain in time and efficiency.
Do you think the students or the employees are sensitive to it?
M.P: I think the students appreciate it, moreover some explicitly ask to keep the same trainer. It’s reassuring for them I imagine and then of course, a link is created between the trainer and the learner over time. In other words, a teacher’s loyalty to the company that employs him can be passed on to the students, who in turn become loyal to a teacher.
SN: Having the same teacher is a real added value, the employees confirm that to me. Taking a course is a bit like going back to school and school, the teacher of a subject does not change every week. It would be destabilizing for the students as well as for the teacher and counterproductive on both sides as well.
Sylvie, how is turnover detrimental for the company? How to reduce it?
SN : It is not only detrimental in terms of image, but also very costly for the company. A failed recruitment mobilizes many resources, human but also financial which have a price for the company.
The company must be attentive and grateful to its employees: try to understand what has meaning and value to them. The new generations are more attentive to the prospects of career development, well-being or to extra-financial criteria than the past generation, which we gained loyalty by offering material or pecuniary advantages, for example.
Find our training offers on
Prolingua.lu
–
