Back on track an HR department, and lead reorganization projects

Business Travel

The HR issue concerns the "Business Travel" entity of American Express France, then Europe Business Travel is an entity of 1,200 people in France in 2014. It manages business travel for companies by offering a complete tailor-made offer (reservations hotels, flights, train, car rental…). This entity has four platforms in France: Sofia Antipolis, Lyon, Bordeaux and Toulouse where advisers are involved in taking calls. The HR manager of the France entity left his position at the end of May 2014. He is currently assisted in his duties by two senior HR generalists, an HR management control manager, an HR assistant who also monitors PR files. Note: the social relations manager is attached to the “social relations” department.

It is in this context that Amexco is looking for a solution allowing, on the one hand, to ensure the transition between the departure of the old one and the arrival of a new HR manager and, on the other hand, to manage projects either in progress or to start and/or to come according to the HR structure which will be put in place in June 2014.

The challenges are as follows :
Uncertainty about the new organization for Business Travel France, given the departure of the HRD on May 31 and the reorganization not yet completed at European level

Social context :
Staff representative elections are in progress for the Business Travel entity.
A project to relocate the teams of this entity now spread over three sites (Nation, Cergy and La Défense) to integrate the premises of Rueil.

It was presented to the Personnel Delegate that it was the same employment pool (-50 min from site to site) and that the provisions of the employment contracts were applicable (mobility clause).

The mission

AP provided its services to support the HRD function and to lead the ongoing projects.

This mission was led by mission director Jean-Louis Fidric and transition manager Anne Boussaingault.

Its main tasks :

  • Optimization of working time management
  • Analyze employment contracts by category
  • Analyze the uses or conventional clauses (if they exist)
  • Analyze load plans and seasonality rates (if they exist)
  • Restore to the HRD and validate the working time organization architecture
  • Present to social partners
  • Present to operational managers (deliver them a communication kit to present to their employees)
  • Organize a workshop phase with Bodet, then involve operational staff, then organize a deployment phase
  • Put in place the action plan concerning the agreement on the working time to be carried out in parallel with the above-mentioned phase
  • Establish and present to management for validation the draft memorandum of understanding (drafting in collaboration with lawyer)
  • Negotiate with Staff Representatives, sign and start deployment
  • Establish amendments to all employment contracts (if necessary and according to the clauses included)
  • Ensure communication and interface with UK teams
  • Explain the French social constraints
  • Negotiate the measures to be deployed
  • Respect the deadlines (in compliance with French legislation)
  • Participate or accompany (according to the wishes and needs of the HRD) in the recruitment of the replacement of the HRD Business Travel
  • Working with teams: perception and reality, the stages of motivation, understanding to maintain team motivation and gain their support in a challenged context
  • Identify talents and skills, strengths and weaknesses (possibility of using motivational tools or organizing micro-seminars)
  • Perform all operational tasks related to the HR function (not listed)

Difficulties

Cultural, between French teams and a US group managed in Europe from UK

Results

In 6 months, this complicated and high-stakes mission was successfully completed on schedule. The projects have been carried out, and the target organization set up.

Mission objectives

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