The first territorial club in France
“Supported by the Medef 35 (formerly Union des entreprises 35), the Ille et Vilaine club was created in April 2019 with the aim of encouraging inclusion in employment, within our territory. We were almost the first club to set up in France to support structures wishing to invent a more sustainable business model”, summarizes Éric Challan-Belval, leader of the La Feuille d’Érable group, an inclusive company emblematic of the Rennes recycling and recovery sector.
At the request of local businesses, he agreed to hold the presidency, in particular to give more visibility to the actions already undertaken and to encourage more SMEs to engage in inclusive HR policies. Today, two people from Medef 35 take full-time responsibility for the development of the club and the animation of its community. In particular through events such as the ” Trophies for inclusive businesses in Ille-et-Vilaine created in 2019 to highlight the most innovative companies in this field and whose 2023 edition takes place on Thursday March 23. 125 companies are currently involved in the club.
“No one is unemployable”
How to manage to organize living together in a company to better move it forward? At a time when things are changing on the side of public opinion, a majority of business leaders have understood that there is now an inseparable link between economic performance and social performance. If inclusion is undoubtedly an issue for the image of the company, it has also become a factor in improving its performance. “We must consider the company as an ecosystem whose fair balance depends on the well-being of its employees”insists Éric Challan-Belval.
A charter of commitment
Whether large groups such as Groupama or EDF, SMEs or small craft structures, companies register for the club free of charge to exchange best practices and create a common dynamic. Eager to undertake concrete initiatives in favor of the inclusion and professional integration of all those who are far from employment, 125 companies and structures from Brittany are committed within the community. Recruitment, job retention, or reflection on the whole of the HR policy… Very flexible, the Club gives them the possibility of choosing different types of action: recruiting political refugees, going to meet schoolchildren in neighborhoods difficult to encourage vocations, hire disabled people, welcome young school dropouts for internships, etc.
Multiple partners
“Under the banner” Les entreprises s’engage”, the Club is a stakeholder in the French community of “companies committed to an inclusive society and a sustainable world” initiated by the President of the Republic in 2018. However, each territory has of complete autonomy. Supported by State services and the Prefecture of Ille-et-Vilaine, the Club works closely with many local institutional partners such as Pôle Emploi and Local Missions. “We are lucky to live in a territory of experimentation that passionately loves social and cultural innovation”, rejoices Éric Challan-Belval.
Facilitate integration paths
Exchanges, cooperation and networking… Each company in the Club undertakes to create local emulation by sharing its best practices and learning from those of others, particularly during theme days. “These moments of inspiring exchanges help companies to improve their quality of welcome by benefiting from very concrete advice to progress in their ability to integrate people with atypical profiles”, analyzes Éric Challan-Belval. On a daily basis, companies can turn to the Club for information and advice.
Towards a new model
Under the impetus of the legislator, inclusion is becoming more and more a subject of collective bargaining resulting in numerous agreements at the level of professional branches as well as at company level.« Beyond constraints with sometimes counterproductive effects, it is preferable that business leaders commit on a voluntary basis to a more inclusive model whose effect will be quite beneficial on their employer brand. At a time like today when companies are struggling to recruit young people in particular, it is in their interest to modernize their images. THE Club is there to help and support them towards this new, more virtuous model which increases employee motivation, strengthens social ties and can even improve productivity in the company”concludes Éric Challan-Belval.
What is inclusion?
Inclusion is aimed at all the actions carried out by a company wishing to prevent situations of discrimination linked in particular to disability, age, social origin or culture, gender, sexual orientation, physical appearance or social status.
(Comments collected by Olivier Sauvy)