In terms of pain or discomfort at work, when employees consult a lawyer it is often because it is too late. To better understand how organizations can act upstream, this week I decided to interview Karoline Jean-Charles, corporate therapist and founder of the company. keys to oneself.
What are the social challenges and new human resource problems that organizations face today?
Karoline Jean-Charles: According to a survey conducted by the ADP Research Institute before the pandemic, only 18% of respondents were fully invested in work, 17% felt extremely resilient at work, and only 14% trusted their leader and team leader. The U.S. Centers for Disease Prevention also reported that 71 percent of adults had at least one symptom of work-related stress.
In a globalized context, France is not exempt from this phenomenon which has increased with the pandemic. Employee engagement and resilience reached a record drop which led to the unprecedented “Grand Resignation” phenomenon in 2021.
It’s the end of the cultural hustle and bustle. Today, sales of personal development books and Feel Good Book are exploding.
I am part of the generation of digital natives and we are undoubtedly the first generation of workers who openly dares to take the risk of imposing a new philosophy of success and work. It is no longer confined to that of our social condition for our professional responsibilities, for the salary, we want more … We need sense, recognition, fulfillment, to feel and be part of a social project and this in all areas of our life also in the world of work. We do not hesitate to leave the financial stability and a permanent contract sought in the past by our parents to retrain in an artisanal way, for example. I no longer count the number of retraining people around me, in my private circle and during my consultations.
Companies tend to put in place mechanisms to strengthen the collective with various incisors such as team building, but without ever thinking that the heart of the collective is above all individuals and their particularities.
The word work comes from the Latin tripalium, but is it necessary to make it a place of suffering?
Karoline Jean-Charles: A proverb says ” do what you love and you will never want to work“. For me, life is too short to suffer. And above all, why suffer when companies have the means and the opportunity to make their employees happy?
If I take the metaphor of the family, when parents are ATTENTIVE to the individual and specific NEEDS of each of their children, then they grow and evolve in the best conditions. Attention, I am not defending a paternalistic vision of the company, but a humanistic vision.
My generation aspires to more than just a salary! We need to LOVE what we do.
The economic power of a company is the result of the work of its employees. The more they want, love what they do, are motivated and not simply resigned, the more productive and therefore “profitable” they are. That’s why I think companies have everything to gain from engaging people like me who work on holistic wellbeing.
You have worked 7 years in advertising agencies. What conclusion do you draw from your experiences? What was the trigger that prompted you to retrain to help companies support their employees?
Karoline Jean-Charles: I must admit that I am one of the lucky ones, I was hired before I even graduated from a large international agency. I also had the opportunity to choose the agencies I wanted to work for. Despite everything, this hasn’t stopped you from witnessing sexual harassment, hierarchical devaluation, overwork …
When you become a manager, you become a tightrope walker. Finding the balance between the performance expectations of his management and the protection of his team is very difficult to find when we are unaccompanied. And I’m not talking about managerial coaching, I’m talking about therapeutic support.
Because we have to juggle the expectations of our teams and our needs at the same time. I found myself choosing between keeping them or preserving myself and I chose my team. My bosses didn’t realize in time all that this could entail, which led to my burnout.
At the time this malaise led me to undertake a therapy to better understand myself and manage these complexities. Today I am convinced that if my company had informed me on the subject and offered to support me, I would have accepted it.
Now I know we cannot separate. Therapy allows you to learn to manage your emotions, learn to preserve others as well as others.
As a lawyer, I have the reflex to say that health problems are private and sensitive topics, she says on the contrary that companies should take an interest in the employees of their employees. What are the benefits for businesses?
Karoline Jean-Charles: Be careful, make no mistake, it is not about having the right to interfere in the private life of employees, but individual problems can be taken into account by collectives. Tobacco, stress, anxiety, burn-out prevention, obesity… these are issues that cost companies, people and society itself dearly.
Let’s face it, 70% of the causes of stress come from the world of work. Are you stressed on vacation? Generally not.
Do you exhaust yourself when you are not overworked juggling a busy professional life and your personal life? No.
So why shouldn’t the corporate world also have a role to play?
I find it deeply unfair to have to consult privately with people who suffer from their work. It is a threefold danger to them. They must take steps to find help, to find the time and financial resources to improve. The therapies have a not negligible economic cost and this is one of the main obstacles to consultation.
The benefits are ultimately multiple for companies. Acting on individual well-being allows you to act directly on the volatility and adhesion of employees with less work stoppages and absenteeism, better group cohesion, more creativity and innovation generated … Many elements that promote employee productivity and company competitiveness.
During the covid pandemic you offered an unprecedented program of ” Hypnosis for Healthcare Professionals at the Ambroise-Paré hospital in Boulogne-Billancourt. Can you tell yourself more? Is it a reproducible model?
Karoline Jean-Charles: Originally “Hypnosis for caregivers” is a civic and charitable initiative that I started with Rotary Paris Porte d’Orléans to support caregivers. I was wondering what I could do at my level to help.
There have been many incredible civic actions in favor of caregivers by individuals, artisans, traders and undoubtedly large companies. I am a bad cook, instead I wanted to help and a know-how. I only made them available with one of my colleagues Mathieu Boileaux.
The particular context meant that the use of human resources to register for my sessions was not a problem. Nobody felt judged to come and visit us. Thus was born the concept of Attentive Care! Support for therapeutic well-being dedicated to employees. The system, supported by the company, provides for collective or individual consultations in which each employee can decide to participate.
