Empowering Employees: Jean-Marc’s Story, or How to Bring out the Extraordinary

Christine Bénard, a Senior Advisor at Sociabble with over 20 years of experience in managing large industrial groups, shares her memorable stories from the field in this series of articles. Through these stories, she explores the key drivers of employee engagement and imagines how, with today’s tools—notably Sociabble—these dynamics could have been amplified. After Pierrot’s story, here is Jean-Marc’s.

Pierrot wasn’t the only one who caught my attention. I liked going to the factory every morning, every afternoon, and every evening, at each shift change. I went there spontaneously, sometimes alone, but also as part of routines we had established with members of the Management Committee: reviews of the implementation of QRQC (Quick Response Quality Control) lines, start-up reviews, ergonomic improvement projects, etc.

These tours of the factory made me love my job. We met extraordinary people who were courageous and resilient, but also resourceful and creative. On a human level, even brief exchanges were very enriching. The operators loved this difficult job of assembling components on the production lines, and they were proud of it! Their experience and expertise meant that they themselves held most of the keys to improving quality, productivity, and ergonomics.

This only confirmed for me, if any confirmation was needed, that the most important asset in a factory is the women and men who work there. I was committed to taking care of them. For me, it all started with putting accountability mechanisms in place to make everyone’s work both stimulating and rewarding. This also allowed for continuous improvement in costs, quality, and lead times, which was essential in a highly competitive environment where the threat of offshoring was very real.

Jean-Marc, operator and… committed singer!

Jean-Marc, whose stage name was Belart, was not only an operator: he was also a poet and singer. One day, during one of my factory tours, he came up to me and gave me a music CD: “Les gens de dehors” (The People Outside).

He wrote, composed, recorded, and pressed this CD without anyone’s help. It was a personal project, an independent endeavor: it told the story of a man who became homeless. I was blown away.

When your teams include talented individuals capable of leading such personal projects, it would be a real waste not to mobilize them in their work environment as well.

But how many managers, sometimes even the most committed and competent ones, infantilize their teams by trusting only processes, tools, and above all, themselves? We have all been guilty of this to some extent, although we do not do it with the intention of causing harm—quite the contrary!

But it is essential to remember, from time to time, the benefits of “unleashing energy”: giving a voice and more power to those on the front line, whether they are dealing with a customer or a machine. Calling on their creativity and common sense, whether to deal with the unexpected or simply to nurture a culture of continuous improvement, is a valuable approach.

Empowerment and the most effective levers

Suggestion programs: when the best ideas come from the field

In the automotive sector, we used a tool inspired by the Toyota model: suggestion programs. The idea was simple: operators, who are closest to the realities of production, are often best placed to identify improvements in terms of quality, productivity, and ergonomics.

In Nogent-le-Rotrou, we had a structured program:

• Online for white-collar workers, with an automatic approval process.
• On paper for operators, via cards subject to manual validation circuits.

The results were impressive: a large number of ideas generated, a high conversion rate, and employees proud to see their initiatives implemented, sometimes in a “short cycle,” by themselves.

Internal challenges: accountability through emulation

Another powerful lever for accountability was internal challenges. We regularly organized quality or performance competitions between production lines.

A particularly notable challenge was the one organized on the Micra Clim line. All teams, across all shifts, were involved. Each line had to achieve continuous improvement targets in terms of quality and productivity.

The objective?

• Encourage independence and initiative.
• Create positive group dynamics.
• Encourage pride in a job well done.

This little bit of “competition” had a tremendous effect: everyone felt like they were part of the collective success, and the results exceeded our expectations.

Cross-functional projects: empowering people to grow

Finally, another effective method for giving employees more responsibility was the implementation of cross-functional projects.

Rather than leaving strategic issues solely to managers, we involve atypical and committed individuals in key projects involving multiple functions.

• These employees were assigned tasks outside their usual scope of work, exposing them to new responsibilities.
• They were promoted within the company, which offered them opportunities for advancement.
• Their work was recognized not only by their peers, but also by management.

These teams, organized in project mode, have helped to break down barriers within the company, strengthen the spirit of collaboration, and cultivate the pleasure of “succeeding together.”

Suggestion programs, internal challenges, cross-functional projects: three incredible keys to empowerment, and therefore to commitment and results. And yet, at the time, I saw several difficulties that were slowing us down:

• The tendency to run out of steam
• The lack of effective communication: I always had the impression that no one knew what their colleagues were doing. And when a good idea came up, sharing it across the board was a real challenge, first within the factory itself, but even more so with other production sites.

That was back then, but…

If only I had had Sociabble! How accountability could have been maximized

With Sociabble, these initiatives could have been amplified and deployed much more widely.

• Digitalized and interactive suggestion programs
  • Jean-Marc and his colleagues could have submitted their ideas directly online, with photos, videos, and detailed explanations.
  • Everything would have been managed via a digital form, simplifying validation and speeding up implementation.
  • Thanks to the Service Desk feature, suggestions would have followed a clear and transparent workflow, ensuring fast and efficient processing.

• Highlighting initiatives to inspire other sites
  • The best ideas could have been highlighted on the internal news feed, encouraging other plants to adopt these best practices.
  • A badge and recognition system would have made it possible to reward the most committed employees, creating healthy competition.
• An impact across the group
  • With Sociabble, challenges such as the Micra line’s could have been shared across multiple plants, strengthening collaboration and a culture of continuous improvement.
  • Cross-functional projects would have benefited from a dedicated discussion space, facilitating collaborative work between different teams.

Jean-Marc, a talent to share and a source of inspiration

But Sociabble would not only have been used to share professional ideas. Jean-Marc could also have shared his passion for music, inspiring his colleagues and contributing to a more human and collective corporate culture.

• A space dedicated to internal talent: Jean-Marc could have posted an audio clip from his CD, a video of him singing one of his compositions, or even an interview recounting his career and his passion for writing and music.
• A small live concert broadcast to everyone: Imagine Jean-Marc performing at an internal live event, broadcast on screens in the cafeteria and accessible on employees’ phones. A unique moment that could have brought teams together and created a dynamic of sharing and conviviality.
• Encouraging other talents to express themselves: This sharing could have inspired other employees to reveal their own talents—music, photography, sports, crafts—creating positive momentum and strengthening team spirit.
• Initiatives such as “Les Talents de l’Entreprise” (Corporate Talent) could have been launched, highlighting committed and creative employees.

Because a company is not just about work and processes. It is also a community, with shared talents and moments that bring people together and give meaning to the collective experience. Furthermore, it is always beneficial to encourage any initiative that helps maintain a healthy work-life balance for employees!

And today?

Jean-Marc’s story reminds us that every employee has hidden talents, and that the key to a successful business lies in its ability to reveal and empower them.

Encouraging initiative, involving employees in decision-making, and recognizing success are the keys to creating a virtuous circle of engagement.

Inside the CD, there was a little dedication: “May my song bring you luck.” Yes, it probably brought me a lot, both professionally and personally. If, 20 years after the fact, I am volunteering for an association that helps homeless people and those living in poor housing conditions, it is perhaps no coincidence. Thank you, Belart!