Corinne Conte has a very sympathetic ear these days. As president of Randstad Sourceright France, She empathizes with many clients facing a very dynamic period in the French regulatory environment. As the country grapples with a host of social and economic issues and forthcoming labor law updates, employers increasingly look to the expertise Randstad Sourceright can offer to help make sense of the changes ahead. Even though Corinne is busily addressing client questions these days, she still made time to provide her insights on the evolving French market.
Please describe your background and your current role within Randstad Sourceright.
After 7 years in auditing and consulting with Andersen & Bearing Point, helping big companies to pilot or restructure their organizations, I joined Randstad 11 years ago to manage back office and E-solutions for our clients. As a member of the Randstand French board of directors, I worked with my team of around 100 professionals to create and implement a wide range of digital solutions and innovative processes for staffing and recruitment businesses. Since January 2014, I have been leading Randstad Sourceright in France to develop RPO & MSP solutions for the French market.
France is one of the most dynamic labor markets in Europe but also one of the most complex. How has this complexity made it difficult for organizations to attract and retain talent?
While the unemployment rate is around 10% in France, and 23% for people under 25, our labor market is still one of the least flexible in the world. Local labor regulation every year is becoming more complex and administrative, which makes it hard for employers to size their organization to their needs, especially when a reduction is necessary. In recovery or growth phase, this factor also influences employers to limit their recruitments. As a consequence, this trend of greater increased protection for workers limits external mobility as well as the capacity to hire the best candidates.
How can outsourced solutions enable employers to navigate around the complexities while remaining compliant to the many layers of French labor regulations?
Outsourced solutions such as RPO solutions for permanent workforce recruitments and apprenticeship and internship contracts bring both flexibility and HR expertise to employers: flexibility because these solutions, provided by a business partner such as Randstad Sourceright, can be easily scaled up or down depending on the clients' needs (based on economic or seasonal cycles); and expertise because we provide specialists of recruitment in terms of methods, tools, best practices, and performance management. These specialists also ensure strict compliance to labor regulations throughout the program’s range of services.
How can HR leaders in France deliver more strategic value to their organizations that result in enhanced business performance?
The recognition of HR leaders as major players in enhancing business performance is quite recent in France. Following R&D and supply chain’s golden age, and then finance’s emergence in the power seat (cash is king), it is now time for HR to become the new center of interest. While HR leaders are still managing very operational issues and emergencies, scarcity of talent is driving employer branding and total talent acquisition to the forefront of organizations’ focus. To meet these strategic goals in a short period of time, HR leaders are looking for specialists to rapidly achieve a higher level of excellence.
View a video response
The French government is spurring employers to engage younger and older workers throughout tax law changes. How can companies best respond to these requirements?
With the application of the recent Cherpion law, companies will have to increase the percentage of apprenticeship contracts to 5% of their workforce in 2015. This short-term target is a real challenge for a majority of French companies that have no or few HR resources allocated to that issue. Apprenticeship contracts are generally two years long and can require extensive back office and administrative management (sourcing, contract management, onboarding, follow-up, subsidies management, etc.). There is also a high seasonality factor, as main tasks must be performed over six months from April to October. Some companies are moving to outsourced solutions to deal with their lack of resources, the seasonal nature, and to access specialists who have deep understanding of these apprenticeships.
Bonus Question: What three new places in the world would you like to visit in your lifetime and why are they important to you?
I was lucky to have the opportunity to visit many countries and places as a student and in my professional life. My three favorite places are Australia, Ireland (mainly for the people) and, of course, France. Isn't it the most beautiful country in the world!!!