France-based employment agency Start People, one of Recruit Group companies, is committed to sustainability. Since 2012, they have been evaluating themselves using the Ecovadis platform to measure their progress. Ecovadis provide ratings across environmental, HR practices, business ethics, and responsible purchasing to help companies assess and improve their sustainability.
In 2018 Start People was awarded a score of 81%, resulting in advanced certification and gold supplier status. This places them among the top 1% of France's temporary staffing agencies.
Start People's approach to staffing, measured within the Ecovadis system, is having a real, positive impact on the lives of employees, and their clients too.
Investing in training
Start People use every means at their disposal to train temporary employees while meeting the clients' needs. This training policy translates into significant investments. 80% of the training plan budget is used on the training of temporary employees. This has real effects on the long-term employability of our employees. After completing their training, 97% of employees achieve certification and 90% have a job.
100 Chances 100 Jobs
Start People are dedicated to the employability of young people. Thirteen Start People agencies have been involved in the 100 Chances 100 Jobs project, which aims to help young people find employment. The project helps people 18-30 years old by providing individual support from a network of local companies.
In 2018, Start People helped 150 young people in order that they could successfully pass job interviews and 20 young people from the project worked a total of 6500 hours for Start People's clients.
Helping disabled people find employment
In 2018 Start People hired more than 1,100 disabled temporary workers. Initiatives included recruitment campaigns, training sessions, awareness raising actions and workstation reorganizations. Start People also participate in the National Week for the Employment of Disabled Workers where companies are approached to find job opportunities for disabled workers.
Damien, a disabled worker who benefited from the 100 Chances 100 Jobs program joined Schneider Electric in April 2018 as a temporary worker. Today, he's employed under a permanent contract, which has allowed him to gain self-confidence and fit into a team.
Sedrick, who is also disabled, was provided training through Start People: "When they offered me training, I accepted because it was an opportunity to stay in this company and be trained at the same time."
Today, Sedrick is really satisfied with the training: "I wanted to work, be paid and not to go back to school at the age of 43. This work-study contract is a good compromise: 3 weeks working and 1 week training fits my needs. It allows me to work and obtain a diploma while getting paid."
Maintaining sustainability
Start People recognize that maintaining sustainable activity is a real challenge. Initiatives are encouraged from the various agencies and best practices are shared among the network.
Efforts are also being made to increase the proportion of disabled workers and to find innovative ways to promote diversity within the company.