Interview of Jean-Louis DENIS, Sales Director – La Martiniquaise

The word tension is now a trend word: tensions on raw materials, on energy, on purchases and above all on recruitment. But behind these tensions, there are solutions, which allow us, as companies, to innovate, to step out of our comfort zone, to challenge ourselves.

What actions have you put in place to find candidates for the most challenging positions today?

 

Today, there are many jobs in tension in many sectors: in the agri-food industry, in catering, in the RHF but also in logistics (some difficult jobs such as delivery drivers do not find candidates) , due to departures at the time of the health crisis but also to a high age pyramid.

Within La Martiniquaise, recruitment has become long for field sales positions or at headquarters and for marketing positions. We are looking for people with technical skills but also desire and motivation so that they remain faithful to our company and its values.

To develop the attractiveness of our company, we have worked on several points:

• We have already realized the importance of communication and have developed a better organization of this service. We have also set up a Group institutional communication to convey our culture and our businesses.
• At the HR level, internally, we have recruited recruitment officers for “beginner” jobs such as Heads of GMS sectors or line operators.

We also have recruitment agencies that publish advertisements and sort applications for more expert profiles. We are obviously looking for technical skills but also temperament: we evolve in a friendly universe, consumers must have a good time around our brands. It is important to establish this mindset within the marketing and sales teams so that it “sweats” into our strategies.

Sometimes we call on recruitment firms to support us on these issues. For some professions, it is essential that the firm has expertise in the culture of our sector and our company. Our RHF customers are constantly evolving, and we follow these developments. We therefore expect a cabinet that does the same. Hence the importance of having recruitment consultants who are immersed in our business, such as Leaderia.

• On social networks (Instagram and LinkedIn), our communication is very oriented towards professionals in the Away From Home, Wine Shops and Supermarkets sectors. But we also have students and working people in our followers that we can seduce. It also allows us to spread our corporate culture.
• We have also created a pool of candidates that includes our former interns. They form a club and are intended to meet to discuss informally on different issues and this allows us to keep a link with them.
• Finally, we have modified our HR policy so that it is more agile and can adapt to the different generations present in the company and those to be attracted.

 

We often talk about the Employer Brand, for you, how does it fit into the recruitment and retention of employees?

Through the various channels (social networks, site, newsletters, etc.), we organize ourselves in an “urbi et orbi” way.

For us, it is very important to have a message that gives a strong sense of belonging. For example, pay slips are accompanied by a newsletter on group news with a spotlight on a profession and testimonials from employees on this profession.

The manager also has a role to play with his team and the tools at his disposal. Listening and exchange are the bases of the construction of the Employer Brand. The idea of ​​a top-to-down hierarchy no longer works (has it ever worked?). The culture, which makes the Employer Brand, is a fair balance between what the company brings and what the employees bring

Missions of sales people, buyers and R&D profiles are now more complex, how do you improve their working conditions and their tasks?

Listening, understanding and exchanging are important to improve working conditions and support teams with kindness. But benevolence is also the ability to say things when necessary, in the right way and at the right time. As a manager, I adapt to my audience when it comes to interacting with my teams. It’s all about having common sense. Over 20 years ago, my first manager told me, “Management is 3 things: common sense, common sense, and common sense.”

Management is above all human relations, directly or indirectly. Sometimes you have a natural sensitivity, a talent, but you have to know how to use it.

The role of the manager is also to detect flaws, but sometimes this is difficult. Privacy must be respected. You have to know how to adopt the right posture and adjust the distance. You must therefore pay attention to your environment, listen and observe your team to prevent possible difficulties.

With my team, we are on a set of 20 people, so to motivate and encourage employees, we celebrate all the small daily victories, 2 to 3 times a week, with moments of sharing such as breakfasts, informal. This allows us to share good times together and create a friendly atmosphere, dear to our company. It is a pleasure to discover his teams in a moment of relaxation.

Finally, after common sense, I think it’s important to give meaning to your teams, but without forgetting that work is only a part of life and not all of life.