The Top Employers Institute conducted a survey of 52 companies certified as Top Employer in France with more than 600 companies, similarly rated, from southern Europe (Spain and Italy) and from northern Europe (The Netherlands, Germany and Austria). The survey focused on 5 major themes: remuneration practices, benefits and work conditions, training and professional development, skills development and corporate culture. Results? For established trends or new trends, France, country of equality often instrumental in operating good practices remains a country apart.
Compensation and Benefits
2014 Trends : flexible pay is no longer the preserve of executives and bosses. For 4 years from 2010 to 2014, employees of the Top French Employers companies are more than 85% likely to receive flexible pay and share in the profits of the business. This represents an increase of more than 20% over the period.
VS Europe: Where the flexible remuneration figure is shown as a percentage, at the same level, for all EU bosses and managers, the remuneration of non executive French employees is better. Between 10 and 20% of them benefit from flexible pay compared to between 5 and 10% for the countries of the north and south of Europe.
Benefits and Working conditions
2014 Trends: Means of communication have multiplied for the most consulted [or- listened to] employees 50% of French Top Employers use social media and blogs in their communication media. The survey also shows in 4 years, not only that over 90% carry out internal investigations but also, in particular, that they communicate the results and ensure they follow action plans.
2014 Trends : Society imposes a social role on the company. With an average increase of 15% in the range of benefits and in the number of companies offering them, in the last four years 'the better being in a company' is regarded as imperative and is a genuine concern of the Top Employers France.
2014 Trend: Teleworking is rarely found in France. Only 1/3 of Top Employers France offered teleworking to their employees.
VS Europe: Among the Top Employers in the North, more than 60% have enabled teleworking, notably at all levels of the company.
Training & professional development
2014 Trend: Towards training that is more tailored to the individual. Over 4 years, there is an increase of 10% in specific training programs or individually tailored programs. Where the Top French Employers are generous in the range of training they offer, they focus their effort mostly on training related to post.
2014 Trend: The transition from Manager to Boss. Since 2010, there is a net increase, with 80% of the Top French Employers using leadership programs, notably an increase in leadership programs for female staff.
VS Europe: However only 38% of the French Top Employers assess their managers on their ability to develop employees compared to 67% in the countries of the South and 77% in those in the North.
Evolution and Management of talents [or- skills]
2014 Trends: Career path, a return to realism, the end of theories. The Top French Employers have invested heavily this year in the definition of the career path. The vision for the future is a strong concern for employees and the HRD has attempted to respond by giving visibility to possible gateways in their organizations. Traditionally reserved for the middle management, the trend today is on the rise for leadership and for support functions.
Vs Europe: Where 90% of the Top European Employers offer career paths for the top and middle management, conversely, they are offered for no more than 60% of non-executives, a reduction of 10 percentage points compared to France.
2014 Trends: Tracking performance, the recognition of 360°. Going further, even if employees are increasingly approached to give their opinion about their boss (by 7-12%), normally, issues with the management is one of the major reasons for young people leaving a business.
2014 Trend: Recruitment a market which is growing once again. 50% of the Top French Employers reported not to have any problems with recruitment in the previous investigation. Reducing to no more than 27% in 2013. Is this in anticipation of the start of a recovery?
VS Europe: Of The Top Employers of southern Europe 70% still do not feel any shortage of resource in this area.
Managerial Trends 2014: Social responsibility of businesses. There is momentum for the defence of, and support for, local individual action. CSR practices are in vogue with a growth of more than 10 percentage points for initiatives developed by companies. A strong point in France where the CSR criteria are taken into account in nearly 85% of the Top Employers in their purchasing policy. The other strong point for French companies is the involvement (10 percentage points) of all employees in activities such as training, volunteering, specific actions, sponsoring and foundations.
2014 Trends: France, country of human rights... from good intentions to reality!
On diversity, not only guided by laws, the Top Employers in France, are generous and almost exhaustive in this area regarding age, disability, gender, level of education, social origin….etc.
VS Europe: Where the Top Employers in the North of Europe are just a little better, those of the South focus on generations and disability. Note that, despite the good intentions of the Top Employers in France, when we look at the figures; the results are no better, far from it.
Similarly for the feminization of companies. Where the responses are the same for all of Europe, to the question "what is your target in 5 years?" the French Top Employers Institute is more optimistic, (40% on average at business level and 26% at the level of CODIR.) Is this a lack of realism or of good intentions?
Tendency 2014: Tutoring, a practice of integration, current everywhere in Europe... except France. On the procedures and tools for integration of new employees, the Top French Employers grant a mentor or a guardian in less than one in two cases (45%). For them 'young' populations are a "mass population" the latter expecting the company to give them consideration on an individual and personalised level.
VS Europe: However, tutoring amongst our neighbours is well established. Historically strong in the countries of the North, where it reaches 80%, for budgetary reasons, it stands at 70% for those of the South.
This survey indicates that France has a favourable position on the European stage compared to both Northern and southern countries. The Top Employers in France make legal constraints a real force and generally go further than the law demands. Like the CSR where these are only communication actions, driven by the Managing Director (MD) or CEO, here they are actions where employees are participating or even acting as drivers and initiators. They have understood that today staff and the public are looking for extra “soul” in the company. With this survey, it also appears that, due to its revolutionary past, the Top Employers in France are often more egalitarian internally than their European neighbours. Overall, on many aspects, even where differences remain, they grant more advantages amonst executives than with the non executives.
Methodology:
- Investigation between the 1st June and October 30, 2013.
- 52 certified companies Top Employers inFrance,44 in 2013 and39 in 2012 and 645 companies inEurope
- Analysis of the main differences between the Top French Employers companies and those rated in Europe of the South (Spain, Italy) and Northern Europe (The Netherlands, Germany, Austria).
I would be happy to read what you think about the above, leave a comment below. Thank you
