Becoming the preferred employer in the sector

"Becoming the preferred employer in the sector". Such is the ambition clearly displayed by the Group Elior, third operator of the European market of restoration under contract (1) (2.8 billion euros of turnover, 56.000 collaborators, presence in 13 countries) behind the two giants Sodexho Alliance and Compass. "My objective since my arrival in 2001 in a young group just introduced on the stock exchange is to accompany the growth sustained of the latter, including at the international, explains Catherine Chouard, DRH group, winner of the award of the DRH of the year awarded by Jury"Le Figaro"- Hudson end of 2004.". These include strengthening the sense of belonging to a company with multiple brands and signs the business often very local, and that is created through various partnerships and acquisitions. "Upon arriving in January 2001, Catherine Chouard has therefore embarked on creating the HR function to accompany the growth of the group in France and in Europe. "I started by moving on the ground and I went to the meeting of the teams of 70 sites in 5 countries, she explains." There are good local HR practices, but nothing really structured and coordinated at group level. "If, in France, the HR function was separately by branches of activity, it was almost non-existent abroad". In six years, Catherine Chouard is thus managed to create a real HR team: 300 employees including only 10 with it at the group level.

Ambassadors in schools

To become a "preferred employer in the sector," Elior has set a goal to attract the best candidates from upstream. In France, the HRD has thus implemented a network of 50 Ambassadors (operational and HR) whose mission is to maintain regular contact with the professional schools of hotel and catering hexagonal 60. Objective: to promote its trades and their requirements to the group. "We recruit on average 600 to 700 employees by year on the perimeter France 30 of executives", details Marie-Christine Cosson, Head HR development. To reinforce his image of European employer, Elior launched its first institutional recruitment campaign common to all of the countries of the group in the fall of 2004. Programmed depletion care of young talents in the next few years HRD "Indeed, we must continue to improve the image of the profession to young graduates, recognizes Marie-Christine Cosson." But last year, the prestigious Parisian school ESCP-EAP has contacted and invited to present all of our many trades in their walls. Internal studies on the labour market had shown them the high potential companies like ours in terms of employment.

Once recruited, it naturally integrate these young and less young graduates. "To help each manager to find its place among us, we have developed an integration kit common to all divisions in France as well as in Avenance Italy, to facilitate information on the Group and the reflexes in hygiene, safety and working conditions", details Marie-Christine Cosson. Finally, the course "Welcome Elior" welcomes new French managers and international for two days in Paris to better familiarize themselves with the group. On the menu: the visit of the main Parisian sites of the group.

Elior is also the University company, known as the "University of Elior management." "The course"Practices and behaviours managerial", intended for managers key in the 13 countries a particular ambition to share the fundamentals of management of the group.". "It will also strengthen the sense of belonging", notes Catherine Chouard.

Chief Manager qualification

Employees representing 80 of the workforce of the group, efforts are also numerous in their direction, in particular for their training and their evolution in the group. Claimed objective: 10 of employees must move towards 5 years coaching positions. Hence the creation by Elior, in partnership with the Ecole supérieure de cuisine française Grégoire Ferrandi, a professional qualification certificate of heads managers (bac level recognized training). Result: 80 of the employees who have successfully completed this training were promoted to the outcome. "This initiative responded to a real need as catering lacked training qualifying that new trade that combines the skills of head of kitchen and a small site manager", justifies Catherine Chouard.

To measure the results of all of these projects, the Group invested in 2005 in the acquisition of new information (for the perimeter France, United Kingdom and Spain) systems to provide indicators to quantify regularly progress in turnover, absenteeism, accidents at work.

And as a revolution is never alone, Robert Zolade, who heads the Group since the withdrawal of the second founder, Francis Markus, prepares a new stage in the development of society. OPA project via his holding company HBI that it has launched on Elior might indeed lead to a change of control and a withdrawal from the Paris stock exchange, where the group suffers from a sous-valorisation.