In the first place, ‘sustainable business’ for us translates into sustainable people management.  At the Colruyt group we work from the fundamental belief that co-workers are inherently motivated to make a positive contribution if a number of conditions are met:

 

Firstly, there needs to be sufficient clarity about the direction we wish to follow and which resources will be allocated to make that possible.  Furthermore, it is important that at least these resources are present or will be created: a very broad training and development offering (4.5% of our wage costs go to training and development), a low threshold and open communication system and last but not least, appreciation and support.  Trust—having trust, showing trust—is absolutely key in this, and generates positive energy.  And from this positive energy, positive action can follow when the necessary resources (financial and other) are made available. 

 

This principled approach has made it possible to grow our staff number and make it more diverse.  Today at the Colruyt group work 62 different nationalities, men and women, young people and older people, highly educated and less educated, etc.  One of the key success factors for a diversity policy is offering equal opportunities and hence investment in training.  Hundreds of people at Colruyt are learning another language, computer skills, team work, cooking, etc.  Because at the end of the day an HR policy  is successful only if everyone can find his or her place in the organisation, deliver useful work, receive the necessary appreciation thereof, and which finally will translate into real work satisfaction.

In its steady growth, the Colruyt group has always strived for a balance between environmental concerns, societal issues and economic factors.  Or otherwise put, the effort and investment made in these three areas (environment, people and society) make that today we live and work in a growing business.  This type of approach is these days called ‘sustainable business.’  We would also describe it, with reference to our core activities, as ‘society-nourishing’ business. 

 

We have in fact always been of the opinion that sustainable growth can only be guaranteed if we assess everything we do according to their possible impact on the afore mentioned three domains.  

 

By adopting this approach over the past 10 years a certain dynamic has emerged which has led to numerous initiatives: the installation of wind turbines and solar panels, the building of a common water purification station, hundreds of initiatives around waste prevention, waste recycling and much more.

This pursuit of sustainable growth can also be understood in context of our vision on entrepreneurship and our ‘people-vision’: in our business operation we strive to engage all in the joint endeavour to deliver valuable goods and services, without waste of national treasures, which is appreciated and is affordable for potential users.  Simultaneously it is necessary to create sufficient added value so that other societal needs can also be addressed.

 

The core values—Simplicity, Respect, Teamwork and Service—are in the company DNA.  These values are kept alive on a daily basis by focusing on the associated points of interests: efficiency, the individual, the team, and quality.  If in addition the essential level of trust and a high degree of conscientiousness are present, then indeed significant things can be achieved.  This entrepreneurship is for many a key driver of job satisfaction.

 

What one observes and senses in the stores is the tremendous engagement of the Colruyt co-worker.  We work on the assumption that a spontaneous love for the job, for the discipline, will develop; that a spontaneous connection with the tools or machine will develop.  Also, there is the comradeship, the friendship with the people we work.  We also know that frustration and alienation threaten at any time.  This is why such effort is made year on year to organise work in such a way that alienation is reduced, and so that our natural motivation, our spontaneous tendency to apply ourselves and enjoy ourselves, can be kept alive.  That is why there is a daily focus on avoiding the demotivating factors, the factors that drain our available energy.  Not a paradise, but each day somewhat better.

 

As cherry on the cake the Colruyt co-workers benefit for many years now (since 1988) from a system of financial participation.  Initially set up for group executives, the system was later extended to every member of staff.

 

This type of approach to business we could call ‘value-driven business’, whereby in each domain (economy, society, people, environment) the key drivers are commitment, engagement and responsibility.  This type of approach is closely related to the concept of ‘sustainable business.’

The above vision is the result of a step-by-step approach and evolution whereby ‘strong commitment’ and ‘accountable and value-driven business’, together with a direct and accessible communication system are the key foundation stones.  Nevertheless, this evolution has not reached its conclusion and we are in full development to a new phase; a phase whereby our stakeholders actively participate in our mission: ‘together creating sustainable added value, by value-driven craftsmanship in retail’.