Anne Vogeleer, Talent Manager Electrabel GDF SUEZ Group

People make the difference at Electrabel, GDF SUEZ Group

Exciting times…

“The energy industry has undergone a lot of changes the last decade.  The energy markets are being deregulated in many parts of the world, which has created a much more competitive market. Today, the different central west-european markets are connected, creating one integrated market between the Benelux, Germany and France. But the challenges stayed the same, to guarantee the supply of energy at competitive prices with respect for the environment.

…but challenging times too!

In addition to these fundamental challenges there are a number of “HR-trends” today that most companies need to deal with.  For example, in Europe, we are confronted with an ageing population.  More people are exiting the workforce than entering it.  This will place pressure on companies in their search for talent.  Also, the generation entering the workforce at present—often called generation Y—does appear to differ somewhat to earlier generations.  They tend to be more individualistic and less keen on long-term commitment, although this probably makes sense in light of the broader social changes.  Another important trend is that companies’ needs, in talent and people, are increasingly diverse; and they keep changing.  Rarely do companies today look for a specific profile, knowing that this will cover them for the next 30 years.  Needs are constantly evolving; and it is becoming  difficult to find the clear-cut profiles we need today.  

People as the basis for differentiation

At Electrabel GDF SUEZ, we are aware that a performing production park and good service level are not enough to differentiate us from other companies.  Also one of the important ways for our company to compete is through our talent: our people. It are our colleagues —and not only our current employees but also our past and future employees—who will partly determine our future competitiveness in the market.   The success of our company depends on taking and implementing the right decisions, every day, by everyone. And as a supporting department, HR has an important task to perform in this connection.

The mission of HR is to help towards the success of the company by supporting the organization in managing its human capital on the most effective and positive way.

That is why the mapping out of a good HR strategy and policy is a business priority for our company, and we try to work on it at different levels and moments in time.

Moving upstream

Given the above types of challenges and in line with our people strategy, one of the first things we are working on is our collaboration with the schools and in particular our presence in tertiary education.  We need to improve the transition from tertiary education to the workplace.  The traditional model whereby people make a sudden transition from tertiary education to the workplace is being questioned.  We believe more in a continuum; a smoother, stretched out transition—with ongoing collaboration between educational institutes and employer across the employee’s career.  In fact, the collaboration between companies and educational institutes should begin very early on in the career development chain. That’s why industrial players are looking for vertical integration with the educational institutes.  All stakeholders—industry, education and government— should work on an adapted model in order to improve the technical qualification of the people going to the industry, especially in the Antwerp region.  

In an example of how this cooperation between government and industry could work, Electrabel has for two years collaborated successively with the federal unemployment benefits agency (RVA) to recruit and train individuals into a technical function.  We started with info-sessions, to which over 250 non-technical people attended. Following a further process of interviewing and assessment we eventually employed 20 people who we offered a two year training programme, partly funded by us and partly by government. This program was basically an accelerated technical education, after which we could kick-start the classic training programme we have here for new employees.  

In-house Recruitment… 

Companies have different ways of addressing the “people challenge”.  At Electrabel, we have chosen for in-house recruitment and career development strategy.  It means that we look for talent and competences, and less for the right candidate at the right moment at the right time. In our recruitment, we purposefully look for people from diverse backgrounds, for example with little or no experience. 

Electrabel expects professionalism from the people we hire. Firstly, they have to be rigorous in the execution of their work, and working to the highest standards. Secondly, we ask them to be pro-active by sharing knowledge and ideas, by personally putting into practice our shared values (Drive, Commitment, Daring and Cohesion) and planning their personal development and career path. Finally, our people have to be constructive by putting team interests first, by actively representing those values, both internally and externally, and to be our first ambassadors. It is when our corporate objectives and the personal objectives of our employees are aligned that our contribution that to our clients is the most efficient.

In order to attract the talent we need, we also have to offer them an attractive package. And for us, it means that we have to encounter three kinds of expectations. The “basic ones” include a correct pay, a meaningful work, fair assessments and respect for the work-life balance. The second type of expectations is related to the development possibilities, and for example intensive coaching, training, opportunities for growth and a motivating leadership. And finally, we also have to offer them a strong culture with shared values, and an open feedback process.  Every day, we are working on those three pillars to stay an employer of choice. 

…and long-term career development 

Through a performance management system and by encouraging an open feedback culture and maximum dialogue, we give the opportunity to our employees to develop themselves at each moment of their career. And we do this by promoting intern mobility and via varied and professional training programs. 

We are also convinced that development is a long term effort, and that the word “development” does not sound the same way to everyone. 

Once on board, we seek to develop the careers of our employees inside the organisation.  The skills we need are sometimes so specialised that we need to do a great deal of training and coaching first.  That is why we train our people, we coach them, and we invest a lot of time and energy in our people’s development.  And we are convinced that this is the right approach for us.  A ‘plug and play’ approach to development simply would not work for our company.  

Building a strong organization is a collective effort 

It is imperative that our people understand what is expected from them, and that is a collective effort—it is not only an HR challenge. Essentially there are three main actors in this task: the individuals themselves, the line managers, and the HR professional who supports or facilitates that interaction.  From the start, we try to be absolutely clear to our people that their destiny and their career are in their own hands.  And in order to do so, we make available a comprehensive suite of tools and resources to support them in their career.  There are thousands of tools and techniques out there for HR professionals but ultimately it all boils down to some key principles, especially keeping close to the field and being ready to hear and understand the needs of our internal clients. 

HR’s future

There are two key trends defining the future of HR according to me.  Firstly, the productivity of HR’s own processes needs to be improved.  Much of the administrative work can still be automated, freeing up HR professionals to focus on the more complex, value-creating work.  Secondly, HR needs to be closer to the field and to our métiers. On one hand it will help HR to better adapt their processes to the needs of their internal clients, and on the other hand it will reinforce our position as a strategic partner while working on the perception of the business about HR.  Our tools and resources need to be more user-friendly.  To conclude, I would say that we have to stay focused on our people. We will always need talent to help us take up the energy’s challenges of today and tomorrow.