02 Jun The keys to worker loyalty
On account of the celebration of Workers’ Day we asked ourselves: What are our workers like? Why do they work at Rieusset?
So we got busy and we undertook an internal documentation project to obtain a detailed image of our team and we can truly say that this has confirmed relevant data. Would you like to know about the results?
What does the detailed image of our workforce show?
We started by doing a global and sociodemographic study of our workers to see where we are and what we are like. We analyzed the number of workers, their gender distribution, origin, ages and how long they have been working at Rieusset.
- Number of workers
Currently Rieusset is a medium-sized company (according to EU Regulation 651/2014) made up of 126 active workers distributed throughout the traditional work areas of a company that works independently: quality and technical assistance, pre-press and printing, handling, warehouse and logistics, administration and finance, and personnel, among others.
Among the active workers, in compliance with the regulation that establishes that at least 2% of the contracted workers must be people with disabilities, at Rieusset we have 3 people with recognized disabilities.
In addition, we work with companies that employ people with disabilities or people at risk of social exclusion who, among other things, do gardening work, and also with centers that train these groups, thus having temporary workers on internships.
- Gender distribution and origin
With regard to gender distribution, we are working on increasing the current 25.3% of female workers. This figure is in line with the average female occupation in industry in Spain, which according to the INE 2021 report is at 29.6%.
Despite having implemented an equality plan that places a special focus on gender equality, when hiring personnel of both genders we find ourselves faced with the difficulty that derives from the gender gap in the professions. In our specific case, due to the industry to which we belong and the type of machinery we operate, an overwhelming majority of the professional profiles that we find are male.
As regards origin, the vast majority of workers are from Spain but there are also some with origins as diverse as Ecuador, Uruguay, Morocco, Guinea-Bissau, Italy or France.
- Distribution by age and seniority
In terms of age, and as we can see in the following graph, we have a team of senior talents, since 42% of our team is over 50 years old. Half of the team ranges between 30 and 50 years old and 7% are under 29 years old.
The average age of the workers is also explained by their length of staying with the company. If we look at the following graph, we see that despite the fact that most of our workers have been hired in recent years –since they have a seniority of less than 14 years– 20% of the workforce have been with us for over 30 years! This is what makes the team’s bond with the company evident.
We currently have several generations working together and we consider that this generational confluence allows us to take advantage of the richness and diversity of each one of them, with the younger new recruits allowing us to create the foundation for future growth thanks to their motivation to learn and their new culture, and the senior employees bringing with them their expertise from years of work.
From the whole study there are 3 findings that we have found significant:
- Our team’s gender distribution means that we must continue to work on our equality plan
- The improvable representation of young employees in our team
- And, above all, the considerable seniority of a large part of our workers.
This last point particularly aroused our curiosity, wherefore we asked some of our “old-timers” what motivates them to continue with us for so many years.
Why do we have such loyal workers?
We sent these questions to middle management workers, managers, administrative staff and engineer officers who, for privacy reasons, participated anonymously. We have divided them into 2 groups:
- Those who have been with us for more than 10 years were asked: “Why do you find it interesting to do your professional development at Rieusset?”
- Those who have been with Rieusset for more than 20 years were asked: “Why have you been working at Rieusset for so long? And what do you take with you from all the years of experience at Rieusset?”
We start with the group that joined Rieusset between 2001 and 2011 (they have been at Rieusset for more than 10 years).
Why do you find it interesting to do your professional development at Rieusset?
Worker 1:
“After the years of experience with the company it seems interesting to me to do my professional development at Rieusset for several reasons.
Mainly I consider it very important to have a stable paying job that allows me to have personal development simultaneously with the professional one.
Furthermore, I consider that the capacity and opportunity for continuous learning and specialization regarding the job is another interesting and very important reason.
To conclude, and including the two previous reasons in a good work environment and the achievement of objectives, they allow me to obtain personal and professional satisfaction that undoubtedly makes it interesting to do my professional development at Rieusset.”
Worker 2:
“At Rieusset I have been able to develop as a professional thanks to the commitment to training in specific areas of my department, allowing me to put the knowledge I have acquired into practice.
I have been able to develop my individual potential and collaborate with building a solid team.
Thanks to the trust and communication among the people of the team we have learned to:
– Strengthen ourselves in delicate situations that required a lot of commitment from the members
– Motivate ourselves to develop important projects for Rieusset
– Laugh in order to face even the “rainiest” days
– Work through collaboration, assessing the potential of each person in the team to focus our effort on achieving the objectives set by Management.
In short, every day I learn to be a better person and improve as a professional.”
Worker 3:
“Because in the years that I have been working at Rieusset, the facilities, machines and ways of working have been improved.
In addition, the proposals of the workers have always been listened to.”
For their part, the group of workers who started before 2001 and who have been at Rieusset for more than 20 years answered the following questions:
Worker 1:
Why have you been working at Rieusset for so long?
“Throughout these years that I have been working, I have been learning a trade, assuming more functions and taking on more responsibilities in different jobs, which I considered a very attractive personal challenge.
Another important factor are the employment benefits obtained during this period, which are very difficult to match.”
What do you take with you from all the years of experience at Rieusset?
“Satisfaction for having learned a trade.
Very good moments and others that were not so good, but above all very good people.”
Worker 2:
Why have you been working at Rieusset for so long?
“Rieusset has allowed me to develop personally and professionally. I started when I was very young and I have been able to grow within the company, acquiring greater responsibilities and having the facility to train for it.
Additionally, it has given me work security and stability.”
What do you take with you from all the years of experience at Rieusset?
“Rieusset is like my home, the only place I’ve ever worked. There are a lot of shared moments, laughter and also worries, but above all I take with me the people I have met.”
Worker 3:
Why have you been working at Rieusset for so long?
“Because I have felt very comfortable with the work environment.
Because it has given me the opportunity to develop myself professionally.
Because I like the job I do.”
What do you take with you from all the years of experience at Rieusset?
“It’s my home, my family, it has given me everything.
I entered as a kid without any experience in the workplace; I have made great friends, met very good people, excellent colleagues and human beings.”
Recognition, training and camaraderie, the keys to worker loyalty
As we have seen in the first part of the study, at Rieusset we have a very complete, enriched and consolidated team with many years of experience.
Thanks to the responses of the workers, we have learned that the keys to loyalty are the possibility of continuous training, the recognition and appreciation of all the workers, the solvency of the company and, above all, camaraderie and a good working environment.
Our goal is to continue working on these aspects and to continue developing workplace wellness plans in order to achieve the greatest well-being and happiness for all.
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