People and organisational performance

Paperjam: In the quest for performance, what role does an HR department play alongside the CEO? Does the role involve executing a roadmap, or guiding corporate strategy?

Dorothée Schneider: The answer is not A or B, it's A and B: there's a roadmap to implement, and a capacity to participate in the construction of the strategy. The HR director has to shed light on situations, seize opportunities and anticipate the unknown... by starting from a different angle to that of other directors: that of people.

How can we combine the quest for performance with ever higher aspirations in terms of work-life balance?

Performance is achieved through a balance between private and professional life. It's by putting in place tools that enable us to respect the former that we create a situation that enables the latter to perform well. The two are not mutually exclusive; they complement each other.

Talent acquisition

The job market is dominated by the 'war for talent'. How does this play out in practice in your own recruitment processes? What difficulties are you facing?

In 2024, we received 20,000 CVs for 650 vacancies. Our challenge is to find candidates with the professional attitude and passion we're looking for... especially as we've decided not to go actively hunting for employees with other players in our sector.

What 'weapons' does your company use to fight this battle? And what additional 'weapons' would you like to have at your disposal if you had the power to change regulations and laws?

If we could change regulations, it would be those that affect professional qualifications. In regulated professions, we would need to be able to speed up the process of approving foreign diplomas, and incorporate greater linguistic flexibility, to make it easier for people who are multilingual but not Luxembourgish-speaking to be taken on.

Employer branding

Applied to your organisation, what is your definition of 'employer branding'?

Above all, it's a question of humanity, a corporate culture deeply rooted in our collective identity. Whether it's our staff, volunteers, blood donors, donors or beneficiaries, this unique link with the public is at the heart of what makes the Red Cross so special.

In the light of this definition, how important is HR in promoting this 'employer brand'?

If human resources doesn't take charge of this issue, who will? But we're not alone in this development... It's with all the professions and all the employees, by helping them to become our ambassadors both internally and externally, that we can do it.

Reskilling and upskilling

In terms of upskilling, what are the priority needs that you have identified within your organisation?

First of all, we're supporting our employees who want to get a qualification to enter new professions - this is essential with the number of regulated positions we have. There's also a need to rapidly acquire skills in artificial intelligence: these new tools will help us to reduce administrative burdens and find solutions quickly, as well as freeing up our energies to focus on what is at the heart of our various businesses.

And what tools and systems have been put in place within your departments to support ongoing employee training?

We offer training across the board. Compulsory or on-demand training, interpersonal skills, training pathways for certain functions or professions, digitisation of teaching, mentoring to coaching... We have so many specific cases that we have to diversify our tools and systems as much as possible.

Talent retention

Is the 'war for talent' also being waged on talent retention? And if so, what is your conclusion? That attracting talent today is just as complex as retaining it?

We are in a sector governed by a collective agreement... the consequence of which is that the war for talent is not waged with our 'competitors', but with the state or hospitals. To retain talent, the best 'weapon' is to develop the skills of our management, promote our strategy and, above all, our employer brand: the opportunity to work in line with your own values and those of the company.

What have been the main changes, or what changes are underway, in your company's 'employee pathway'?

We insist on internal mobility. Because of the many services we offer, people like a qualified educator can work in 60 different places, in around twenty different functions... This mobility is also one of our tools for retaining the best people.

New ways of working

Flexibility, teleworking... Since the covid crisis, the desire for new ways of working has become more pronounced than ever. How can we respond to this paradigm shift without hampering business performance?

We need to invest in our work tools. The future Red Cross House, which is still under construction, is an opportunity for us to introduce new ways of working and cooperating, while making personal and collective organisation more flexible and efficient.

At the same time, how can we meet the challenge of employee commitment, which studies show is falling?

The Red Cross is a purpose-driven organisation. It's the best way of responding to the need for commitment: people don't come to work for us by chance anyway. We do it because we want to have a positive impact on society, to make it more humane.

Employment law

What is your view of the employment rulebook? As it stands, do you see the Luxembourg Labour Code as a partner for employers? Or, on the contrary, something of an adversary?

The person most entitled to complain about the Labour Code is the manager of a small team. They have to juggle between their operational imperatives and the obligation to comply with all the rules... The code is fairly balanced: it protects employees and doesn't hinder activity... What needs to be done is also to train and raise awareness among employees so that they understand both their obligations and their rights.

If you had the power, what additional provision would you like to introduce into Luxembourg law to meet your needs more effectively?

Adapt the protection of staff representatives. Some people take advantage of this status to adopt behaviours that we would never accept from an employee aligned with our work ethic. And we are powerless to ask them to do the bare minimum.

Digitalisation

How are you transforming digitalisation into an ally of the HR function?

Digitalisation is an opportunity to improve the traceability and accessibility of information and to reduce the complexity of certain procedures. It's a way of speeding up decision-making, while harmonising practices and increasing transparency.

But what obstacles do you still face at this stage?

It's the old debate: should you adapt the structure to the tools, or the tools to the structure? It's rare to have software that corresponds 100% to our situation or our practices. Not to mention the usual resistance to change, which of course has to be listened to... and then managed.

Benefits

How important is salary attractiveness today in recruiting and retaining talent?

Our collective agreement enables us to attract employees from companies that don't have one... For recruitment, it's an attractive tool. For retention, it's a framework that prevents us from being as flexible as we could be, since remuneration is defined by qualifications, not functions.

Aside from remuneration, what other factors can you rely on to make your business more attractive?

Internal mobility is a tool, as is the possibility of adapting working hours to personal circumstances. It's a way of offering a better work-life balance, especially in jobs that involve a high mental workload. Today, almost 50% of our employees work part-time, and most of them change their working hours on a regular basis.

Mobility

A fleet of electric vehicles, incentives to use public transport... In your company, what measures have been, are being or will be taken to improve mobility?

The main initiative over the next few years is the Red Cross House. It will welcome our employees, beneficiaries, blood donors and volunteers, without imposing any particular means of access. On foot, by bike, by train, by tram, by car, by bus... All forms of traditional or soft mobility will be relevant, and everyone will be able to use the means of transport best suited to them.

More generally, what are the points to watch out for in terms of the green transition?

The only good use of energy is the one we don't make. Here too, for example, the Maison de la Croix-Rouge will be exemplary in this respect. As well as being built to the highest environmental standards, it will reduce the number of journeys between the various sites it replaces. The building itself will pollute less, and its use will reduce the impact of all our activities.

CSR

What are the biggest challenges for your organisation in terms of new CSR obligations?

The right to disconnect is essential in view of the mental load of our activity and therefore the need to be able to cut the links when resting. While urgency sometimes requires a rapid response for the good of the beneficiary, the challenge is to organise work so that no-one has to take their tasks home with them. Disconnecting should not be a privilege, but a right for everyone.

How do these same obligations impact your internal upskilling or external recruitment processes?

The impact is through the duty of prevention. It's our responsibility as employers to understand that work-related fatigue doesn't disappear with an adjustment to an employment contract - or with a change of employer. We put a lot of effort into analysing high-risk jobs, providing training and detecting suffering among our employees, as we have done through the helpline we have set up. We are not the only ones with this obligation: it's a concern that must go beyond the confines of individual companies, it's - in a way - a political and collective issue.

Gen Z

They're said to be less committed, more demanding, and perhaps even difficult to grasp... Is Gen Z really turning the working environment upside down?

It's a generation that's more demanding... and I think that's rather good... It forces us to reinvent ourselves, to adapt. It's a generation that brings with it issues around sustainable development and the environment, or mental health. We need to listen to them, understand them and support them. And when it comes down to it, the questions this generation is asking... every generation has to ask them.

What advice would you give to newly recruited 25-30 year olds?

Take notes, don't just rely on your memory. Listen to what you're told, be yourself... but at the same time, be persistent, have a bit of patience, and don't give up: with effort and a bit of time, you can achieve more than you think.

Diversity, equity & inclusion

As HR director, how would you define your role and responsibilities in relation to DEI issues?

DEI is not just a question of process, it's also a question of skills - in the most objective sense of the term. We want to be pioneers in this field, and that means that it's a collective process, made possible by the commitment of everyone, from the top to the bottom of the pyramid. These values must be reflected in our relationships with our customers, as well as with our colleagues.

Is the 'exemplary' company a utopian dream or a possible goal?

I'd love to see it one day... but that's an illusion. The exemplary company is an evolving ideal. The closer we get to it, the more it slips away. This ideal must guide our strategies, our choices and our behaviour... but we mustn't think that we'll ever be able to achieve it.

Read the original French-language version of this interview  /