Auchan Retail Romania: encouraging employees to Enjoy Life

Adina Nanu, HR and Transformation Director at Auchan Retail Romania, talked to Business Review about the key HR principles the company applies in order to keep its employees highly engaged as well as attract and retain talent.

How would you describe your HR policy?

Auchan Romania is one of the largest employers in Romania, with about 8,000 employees nationwide. For us, people are the engine and the source of energy, creativity, and joy. Through their responsibility and engagement, they are the ones who ensure the success and development of the organisation. Under the umbrella of our employer brand “Enjoy life”, you will find the pillar concepts of our human capital strategy: Auchan Human Project, Auchan StarTalents and Auchan Refresh. We’ve built an inclusive workplace over the past 16 years, where all our colleagues benefit from the same opportunities for promotion and professional development. We promote diversity, equity, and inclusion, as granted by both the Ethical Charta and the Ethics Committee, which supervise the implementation of these principles in our daily activities.

Work represents more than a third of the life of each employee, and its impact on their wellbeing goes beyond the limits of working hours. To address this, under our employer brand “Enjoy life”, we communicate what Auchan already does for its employees, promising a routine-free job that they can engage in joyfully and a work environment that makes them feel fulfilled, relevant, and capable.

What were the main initiatives the company dedicated to its employees last year?

In 2022 we analysed about 400 roles in our company and completely revised our approach to job grading. This way, we make sure that both payroll and the benefits we offer are not only equitable but also competitive. Additionally, the wellbeing and mental health of our employees is a top priority for us, so the medical insurance we provide also includes individual psychological counseling. Last year we also launched our Human Project “Enjoy Life”, which expresses the expectations and aspirations of more than 50 jobs and 250 functions. Emotion is at the core of Auchan Romania’s HR strategy, so we encourage employees to share positive feelings about their daily activities, challenges, accomplishments, and success stories. In 2022, our colleagues were rewarded for their loyalty and active contribution to the company’s endeavours in various fields. For example, through the

“My Job” project, a series of video episodes available on our LinkedIn and YouTube corporate channels, our employees gave voice to the principles of diversity that Auchan embeds in its HR strategy. Last but not least, “Compliance Week” is another significant annual project that helps our employees get accustomed to concepts like ethics and compliance and actively contribute to maintaining the highest ethical standards in our company.

What is your strategy in terms of attracting and retaining talent?

Our main tool for attracting new talents is Auchan StarTalents, a programme that supports the accelerated development of talented people in different areas. Through this tool, for example, we support the integration of young people on the labour market and we fight against the NEET phenomenon (not in education, employment or training) through internships and trainings. We contribute to the rapid development of young managers and also offer proffesional reconversion opportunities. As for retention, we have developed Auchan Refresh, through which we develop customised training plans for our employees. Under the slogan “YOU, to the next level,” we’ve created a centre for professional excellence in which different jobs or roles go through a series of premium evaluation, training, and development programmes. We aim to accelerate the development of professional capabilities.

3 HR challenges for the retail sector in 2023

The impact of the current social and economic trends
on the wellbeing of employees;
The recruitment process;
The retraining and further upskilling of employees.

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