For this former ADP executive, employee commitment is above all based on concrete recognition: training, health, day-to-day attention.
What is your definition of corporate commitment?
It is the ability of an employee to consider that the meaning of the company's action, on the one hand, and the return it gives him personally, on the other, justify efforts in terms of work, innovation and a concern for loyalty over time. Employees are asked to do three things: produce, innovate and be loyal. For them to do these things well, they need to feel that they are being recognised. And this recognition exists if they feel that the company recognises their work, responds to their ambitions in terms of training and promotion, and pays them enough attention in small ways, such as appropriate employee savings schemes or preventive health care. At ADP, we were the first to offer all employees the same medical check-up as the Comex members. It's just one example, but this kind of gesture counts for a lot. It's evidence like this that makes people want to make a long-term commitment.
And the role of the local manager in all this?
You're only happy if you feel you're making a contribution. And you'll contribute all the more if you feel you're getting something back. For the manager, it's exactly the same mechanism as for any employee. The commitment they show every day - by keeping their teams in good order, giving them a good education, delegating intelligently - needs to be recognised by their own hierarchy. So we need to offer them a suitable working environment, training and promotion opportunities, and what I call «zakouskis»: five concrete forms of attention that the company can pay to its employees. This involves taking into account the situations of carers, parenthood (when the crèche closes or the grandparents are far away, everything changes), health prevention, sport and financial education. These are simple but decisive steps.
Is it a worthwhile investment for the company?
Of course it is. But you have to remember that the real wealth of a company is its people. The quality of its people, and the fluidity of information. I've seen companies lose cohesion simply by moving site, because the location wasn't attractive to employees. These are signals that shouldn't be ignored!
How did you manage the move of ADP teams from Paris to Roissy?
There's always a good reason for a move, and you have to fully accept it. In our case, it was to reinforce ADP's credibility with the airlines and to demonstrate an operational presence on the ground. In 2013, during a snow crisis, I was advised to stay at headquarters in central Paris and not go to Roissy. I went anyway, which enabled me to manage the crisis much better, both operationally and in terms of media coverage. The move was necessary: to be legitimate, you have to experience the reality of operations. But personal constraints also had to be respected. So I introduced a conscience clause: every employee could refuse the transfer to Roissy, without justification. Very few have done so, but it has avoided a lot of tension. And for those who refused, we offered them a job at Orly. Between Paris, Orly and Roissy, we offered real flexibility. It was a powerful message: employees' voices count.
How does teleworking fit into this?
In a company like ADP, with workplaces that are often a long way from home, teleworking has been a real step forward, particularly for support functions such as lawyers. Avoiding the daily commute to Roissy is a considerable improvement in quality of life. But the risk is isolation. Working alone, in a kitchen, with no collective framework, can be detrimental to commitment. That's why I've proposed the creation of decentralised teleworking centres in Paris, close to employees' homes. The idea was to combine flexibility with human contact. The project didn't come to fruition, but I remain convinced that it's an avenue for the future. In any case, the more companies show their employees a little extra attention, the more they build loyalty.
