At Lactalis Ingredients, a great deal of attention is paid to implementing CSR actions. However, it’s not just about taking action: the reflection and communication stages are just as important. They enable us to come up with a strategy that meets the needs of our employees and is sufficiently motivating to rally them around the company’s objectives. We are convinced that a participative CSR approach is the key to proposing the most appropriate actions possible. In this way, employees are involved at every stage of the process. Through interviews, four of them spoke about the actions taken and their role.

Participative development: giving a voice to those most concerned

At Lactalis Ingredients, we are proud to co-construct our commitments, our roadmap, and the resulting actions with those most concerned. This participative CSR approach originates in the Quality of Life at Work (QWL) committees to which employees are invited. Laurent Bocqueho, Operations Manager, often takes part: “We are regularly involved in the site’s QWL policy. We often put forward ideas that we would like to see developed“.

A single opportunity to speak up is not enough. Other concrete means are therefore proposed, in addition to the QWL committees. For example, Lactalis Ingredients employees were able to give their opinion via a management barometer. The very high participation rate of 95% perfectly illustrates the usefulness and desire for a participative CSR approach. In concrete terms, measures have been taken following this barometer which, according to Laurent Bocqueho, “commits each manager in the plant to working with the teams to put in place an effective action plan“.

No action without mobilisation

At Lactalis Ingredients, we value collective action as a guarantee of success. To achieve this spirit of community, we seek to engage employees and foster a genuine desire to take part in actions.

Our employees at the heart of the approach

As we said earlier, providing the opportunity to express oneself, to give one’s opinion and to feel listened to is a key step in getting people involved. For a fully participative CSR approach, this must be complemented by direct involvement in the actions taken. To cite just one example among many, we can mention the training courses offered to employees, but from a different angle: one where they become the trainers! Laurent Bocqueho expresses a positive opinion on this subject: “We offer our employees the opportunity to become in-house trainers […]. This fosters a sense of belonging to the company. I’m an internal trainer myself“.

Pursuing common objectives

Lactalis Ingredients’ CSR approach is built around set objectives to be achieved. These commitments act as a driving force, sparking enthusiasm among employees such as Antoine Teissier, Energy Engineer at Verdun: “I’m proud to work for a group that is committed and deploys substantial resources to achieve ambitious objectives“, or Céline Mangin, Quality and Laboratory Manager at Verdun, who points out that all the actions put in place “have enabled us to break a record at the site: 1 year without a workplace accident”.

The “Experience Lactalis” day is an opportunity to get together, but also to present or remind people of tomorrow’s objectives and challenges through a video. Laurent Louboutin, plant manager at St-Florent le Viel, has vivid memories of the event: “It’s a very important moment that encourages our employees’ commitment and makes us proud of our beautiful group.”

The QWL trophies

What could be more motivating than a reward?

At Lactalis Ingredients, our participative CSR approach includes a recognition system: the QWL trophies. Their aim is twofold: to reward initiatives around different themes while generating enthusiasm for the actions put in place. The method is proving effective: the desire to win trophies is clear among employees, who speak of the awards they have won with joy and pride. Laurent Louboutin was “lucky enough […] to win a trophy at the 1st edition” when he was at Bouvron. Laurent Louboutin expressed his “eagerness to win one with all the work done in St-Florent“. Similarly, Céline Mangin, Quality and Laboratory Manager at Verdun, is aiming for a trophy after the plant’s teams won “a second communication prize in 2021“.

Time to take stock: lessons and motivations for a participative CSR approach

Once the actions have been put in place, another challenge takes over: internal communication. This is just as vital for:

• • • Promoting the actions taken
    • Assessing progress towards objectives
    • Congratulating participants
    • Inspiring further actions

One sentence from Antoine Teissier sums up its importance: “All this information gives meaning to our days“.

With transparency as the watchword, information is passed on through internal communication tools such as the LSF actualités newsletter.  Antoine Teissier adds that “in each workshop, we have access to safety, quality, production and CSR indicators“. Lastly, the QWL trophies have a new role, as described by Céline Mangin: “the approach involves the creation of a poster listing all the actions carried out during the year, which is a good way for everyone to see what has been achieved.”

At Lactalis Ingredients, we are not satisfied with a simple CSR approach. We are looking for a participative CSR approach. We want to involve our employees in our CSR actions to create a voluntary commitment and make them more effective. Today, we are proud to see that this enthusiasm already exists, even among employees who have been with us for a short time. One more reason to join us!

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