Employee Engagement: How Pierrot Made History with an International Industrial Project

Christine Bénard, a Senior Advisor at Sociabble with over 20 years of experience in senior management at large corporations, shares some of her most 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. Here is the first story, focusing on an experience with an employee named Pierrot.

At the time, I was managing Valeo Climate Control Europe and based in Nogent-le-Rotrou in France, one of the Group’s largest industrial sites, specialized in the manufacture of heating and air conditioning systems for major car manufacturers. We had organized a quality competition between the different production lines, and the Nissan Micra line team won!

To celebrate this achievement, we invited all employees working on this line, along with their spouses, to lunch at a magnificent location: an old mill on the banks of a river. The management committee was present, with each member seated at a different table. The weather was beautiful, it was summer, and the atmosphere was relaxed and warm.

For my part, I was sitting at Pierrot’s table, an operator who was about to retire after a long career at the factory. I think he was with his wife. Of course, I had already met him at the factory and exchanged a few words with him, but this time we were able to chat in an informal setting, which is always nice!

During the meal, Pierrot spoke up:

“Ms. Bénard, we understand that you need to open a factory in Romania to supply heating and air conditioning units to the Dacia plant. We’re not stupid; we know it wouldn’t be competitive to ship them from Nogent-le-Rotrou.”

His words struck me. We had been communicating about this project for months and felt a certain unease about the site in France. I thought this comment was a victory: our communication efforts seemed to be paying off.

But Pierrot continued:

“What we don’t understand is why we are not more involved in this project and in the transfer of know-how.”

It was a lightbulb moment. Although we had recruited a Romanian team that was training on site alongside experienced operators, Pierrot was expressing something else: a need for recognition and direct involvement.

A few days later, I went to see him at the factory. I thanked him for his message and suggested that he go to Romania for a few weeks to participate in the project there. The aim was to help finalize the production line, train the operators, produce the initial samples, and ensure the success of the full production day with Renault/Dacia.

Pierrot had never flown before, never left France, and didn’t speak English. However, he dared to take up the challenge, reassured by the support we had put in place, particularly with the team of French engineers and technicians.

He left for several weeks, proud to represent his colleagues and contribute his experience to the project. On the day of the full production run, I had invited senior executives from Renault and Dacia. Pierrot, as lead operator, explained his role. He was moved, and so were we all—even the clients. That moment embodied how essential people are to the wellbeing of a company.

The day was a resounding success. The Division went on to receive numerous awards, including Renault Group’s best factory prize and the Usine Nouvelle/Insead trophy for the best European factory. Pierrot returned to Nogent, proud to share his experience with his colleagues. He played down the opening of the Romanian site, which proved to be complementary rather than competitive.

Of course, this success was not solely the work of Pierrot, but he contributed greatly through his courage, expertise, and positive influence on his colleagues.

If only I had had Sociabble! The impact of Sociabble on Pierrot’s story

Sociabble would have helped turn this story into an inspiring example of communication, collaboration, and recognition, both internally and externally. Here’s how the platform would have amplified this experience:

1. Broader and more transparent communication

With Sociabble, the company could have shared the challenges and progress of the project in Romania more effectively with all employees.

• A dedicated channel for the project: The progress and objectives of the plant would have been regularly shared via videos, articles, and interactive Q&A sessions accessible to all employees.
• A stronger connection: Automatically translated messages in local languages would have enabled every employee, wherever they were, to feel informed and involved.

These efforts would not only have allayed the concerns of the French teams, but also strengthened their sense of belonging as part of a common vision.

2. Pierrot, an inspiring ambassador

Thanks to Sociabble, Pierrot could have shared his unique experience in Romania directly from his smartphone.

• Authentic stories: Pierrot would have posted daily messages about his discoveries in the new country, his interactions with local teams, his key role in setting up and finalizing the production line, and even his active participation and exchanges with the client on the day the line reached full capacity.
• Engaging visual content: Photos, videos, and anecdotes would have allowed his colleagues to experience his adventure in real time, creating a strong emotional bond between the French and Romanian teams, united around a common victory: our client’s satisfaction.

These posts would have not only promoted Pierrot, but also demonstrated how important field staff are to strategic projects.

3. Greater recognition

Sociabble would have offered Pierrot a platform to receive the recognition he deserved and motivate other employees to get involved.

• Recognition campaigns: Pierrot’s posts could have been highlighted by management to emphasize his courage and expertise.
• Collective encouragement: Likes, shares, and comments from colleagues could have reinforced his sense of pride and fostered a culture of engagement and collaboration.

With Sociabble, every contribution would have been visible, recognized, and celebrated, creating a positive ripple effect throughout the company.

4. Best practices shared globally

The lessons learned from Pierrot’s experience would have been centralized and accessible to all employees worldwide.

• A hub of expertise: The successful stages of the project (skills transfer, intercultural training, and production management) could have been documented and shared on the platform.
• Promoting exchanges: Sociabble would have enabled the French and Romanian teams to collaborate more closely, strengthening their sense of belonging to a global project.

This sharing would have created a culture of continuous learning within the group, facilitating the success of future projects.

5. A powerful external impact

Pierrot’s story would have spread far beyond the company thanks to Sociabble’s sharing features.

• Visibility on social media: Employees could have shared Pierrot’s posts on their own social media accounts, highlighting the company’s human and innovative values.
• Attracting new talent: These authentic stories would have shown that industrial jobs offer unique opportunities for personal development and real impact.

With Sociabble, Pierrot’s story would have been a powerful employer brand lever, attracting talent and improving the image of industrial professions.

6. Creating an inclusive and unifying culture

Finally, Sociabble would have helped reduce divisions between sites in France and Romania, strengthening a sense of unity and collaboration.

• Positive narrative: The posts would have presented the Romanian plant as a complementary partner, highlighting the joint success of the two sites.
• Involve everyone: Sociabble would have enabled every employee to contribute and share their own stories, promoting an inclusive and participatory culture.

With Sociabble, Pierrot’s story would not have remained just a nice local anecdote. It would have become a powerful example of collaboration, recognition, and commitment, touching all of the Group’s employees and attracting external talent. Sociabble would have transformed a human adventure into a source of inspiration shared on a large scale, demonstrating how people, supported by the right tools, are at the heart of any project’s success.

Empowering people to transform engagement into collective success

Pierrot’s story is much more than just an anecdote: it embodies the importance of people in the success of a company’s strategic projects. Thanks to his courage, expertise, and commitment, Pierrot not only contributed to the success of the plant in Romania, but also inspired his colleagues and demonstrated that every employee, regardless of their role, can play a key part in large-scale initiatives.

With Sociabble, this adventure would have been even more successful. The platform would have allowed Pierrot’s experience to be shared on a much larger scale, highlighting his career path and strengthening the commitment of the entire company. By connecting teams, facilitating knowledge sharing, and amplifying recognition, Sociabble would have transformed this story into a real source of inspiration for employees, managers, and even external talent.

Ultimately, Pierrot’s story reminds us that employee engagement is not limited to tools or processes. It is based on the ability to listen, engage, empower, and connect individuals around a common goal. And when a platform like Sociabble amplifies that engagement, the impact is multiplied tenfold, for the benefit of employees, projects, and the entire company.