How did you end up joining the Lactalis Group ?

I joined the Lactalis Group as soon as I finished my postgraduate studies in Human Resources. It was a very fast process ! I don't think there is a typical route into this job, but my Sciences Po (Paris Institute of Political Science) degree, a Masters in law and, more importantly, my postgraduate studies at ISFOGEP (The Higher Studies Institute for Human Resource Management), gave me a good knowledge of HR.  
I was given two months initial training on a production site. My settling-in period was made easier because my site's HR Manager made me feel confident and used both teaching materials and her experiences within the Group to provide me with a wealth of information. I felt secure, supported and encouraged and therefore ready to start my first job.

What does a Site Human Resources Manager do every day ?

The job varies depending on the site and the situation. My main tasks are ensuring that the Group's HR policies are implemented on a daily basis, supervising the administrative management of the staff (payroll, contracts, absenteeism, temporary staff etc.), ensuring that there are enough staff to cover the factory's objectives, managing the general discipline of the factory (safety, hygiene etc.), and ensuring that new staff are welcomed and integrated. There is also the rich communicative element of the job : meetings with Managers, managing employee relations, internal and external partners, etc.

Which skills do you develop on a daily basis ?

It is a very complete position because it requires some very technical skills, but there is also a very 'down to earth' side : you have to be able to relate to the staff. You have to be flexible, open, inquisitive, fair and strict, and also be able to quickly understand the specific characteristics of a site. Since I have been in this position, I have become more independent, more able to cope with stress in difficult situations and better able to negotiate and persuade. Now I want to transmit my enthusiasm for this job to new employees and make the leap from having been a trainee to becoming an instructor !

What about your future ?

Who knows what tomorrow has in store ? A new site, working abroad, specialising in a particular field, a horizontal transfer towards a new job... there is no end of possible challenges. Geographical mobility is a real advantage if you want to make progress in the Group : in my case, I started in Normandy, then went to Brittany and am now working in Jura !