Translations

VITAME develops social dialogue for a continuous improvement approach

3. Labor relations / working conditions

Working conditions

Sector Services

Year 2013

Country France

Transmitter

Context

VITAME is a SME founded in Lille (Nord) in 2006, which employs 29 people. It helps keeping care-dependent persons at home by providing personalized services: wash and change of clothes, housework, delivery of meals adapted to the needs and financial ressources of customers.
VITAME is a company that integrates CSR in its daily life and in its social project: putting human first (respect, listening, collaboration), and offers the customers ever "more quality"
To achieve this, VITAME chose the method of spreading best practices of Non-Violent communication within the compan, social dialogue, and an approach of continuous improvement to guarantee the respect of its quality approach. All these measures make it possible to run profitably a private company in the "play ground" of the economy of solidarity.

Objectives

> Social objectives
> Motivation and participation of the employees in the company's progress
> Continuous improvement of the quality of customer services
> Economic objectives:
> Agents who are motivated and present in their company
>Service quality and financial balance thanks to a collective approach

APPROACH

The director listens to his employees
He uses a system of tools and concepts devised to help people establish benevolent relationships with themselves and with others. The principle is to communicate with the other without harming him.
It enables cooperation to be put first, so to defuse conflicts caused by an inappropriate communication.

A culture of continuous improvement based on feedback and traceability:
Every time an employee notices something wrong, whatever the subject, he writes a problem sheet (or improvement suggestion). Counter measures are implemented right away. Such sheets are mostly written by field employees, who can provide a more concrete feedback. All employees can speak freely about the company. The sheets are computerized, to guarantee their traceability and facilitate their use.
Using the continuous improvement method makes the employees play a role in quality and its inprovement.
Intervening persons accomplish their missions as near to their home as possible home; it is called "over-sectorization". It enables to reduce transport time, work hardness and absenteeism.
To combat work hardness and to improve work conditions, Vitame used the studies of the CFDT (French Union) "Acting against hardness at work" and integrated the thinking and actions presented in this document.VITAME also works with ARACT (Regional Agency for the Improvement of Work Conditions) on the causes of absenteeism: a workgroup was able to implement several actions which can reduce absences, including feedback interviews (respecting strictly medical confidentiality and in the employee's best interest).

CONTRIBUTION TO COMPANY PERFORMANCE

•   Turn-over 2010/2012: +62% for meal and +15% for services
•   99% of recipients were satisfied in 2012
•   QUALICERT Certification: 99% conformity

Benefits

> 9.6% of disabled workers
> 100% of employees under permanent contract
> Reduction of work hardness
> Absenteeism rate falls by 50% and social dialogue is permanent
> Listening and implication of employees