In 2012, Manutan created a sports center attached to its headquarters located in Gonesse (95). Valérie Laquay, director of this facility, takes stock of the practices and their effects on employees and the operation of the company.
Why did you create a sports center?
Valerie Laquay: It is a system that is integrated into the company project and embodies its values. A specific building has also been created and built. There has been a great deal of thought around human ambition at Manutan and the management team has supported and continues to support the subject in a very proactive manner. The head office was opened in 2011 and the sports activities building in 2012.
How does this equipment work?
V. L. : Sports activities are very accessible since the building is at the heart of the site. The membership fee has been €50 for several years and allows you to practice a dozen sports: basketball, badminton, table tennis, ball sports, racket sports, archery, climbing, etc. We also have two squash courts, a fitness room, a cardio room and a gymnasium complete with all the equipment. The classes are supervised by professionals who provide technical, tactical and physical advice on the use of the equipment and the practice itself. It is not just a place for “sporty” consumption, it is a place for supervised practices. There are approximately 850 people on the site, 260 of whom are registered for sports activities. The sports center welcomes approximately 300 people per week.
The membership fee has been €50 for several years and allows you to practice a dozen sports: basketball, badminton, table tennis, ball sports, racket sports, archery, climbing, etc.
Photo credit: DR
What are the repercussions of sports practice?
V. L. : This system helps create social ties. It’s about being together, progressing, improving, having fun, and it’s really a decision taken by management. The members of management and management use the sports center every day and participate in the actions undertaken by the sports center. It’s also a place of discovery, meaning that you have a lot of people who had never practiced, for example, archery or climbing because these are fairly specific practices that require either a financial investment or places to practice that are quite difficult to find. This place allows them to discover new activities while being accompanied by professionals. It also allows them to meet colleagues and, above all, to improve other skills and qualities. Through the practice of sports, we see the bond being created directly. This simplifies relationships between people. The hierarchical link is no longer at the center of the relationship. We are among athletes. This facilitates communication and the creation of bonds. Sport creates a collective, strengthens the pride of belonging and creates a relationship of benevolence with others. This place allows to break down the silos between employees. A logistician can play with the finance manager or a maintenance technician with an executive, it is a very common pattern.
How do you present the sports center to new employees?
V. L. : The visit to the sports center is part of the welcome process for new employees to show them all the possible activities. They can come and practice a sport in order to integrate more quickly into the team and the company. Some arrive at Manutan on Monday, register the following day and are already practicing on Wednesday. Many employees choose their teleworking days based on the day they can come to the sports center and practice the sports activities that interest them.
How do you measure the perception of this device?
V. L. : Through Great Place to Work surveys, we found that 91% of employees say that the premises and equipment contribute to creating a pleasant working environment. Internal surveys resulted in an overall satisfaction rating of 4.59 out of 5 for the sports center and helped identify areas for improvement. The notion of social connection has existed since the beginning and it has really been reinforced by Covid. Today, we feel a desire to practice sports activities and to have events and activities to get together, whether in a competitive or leisure spirit. People want to spend time together and that is truly the particularity of the evolution that I have been able to see over the past few years.
Do you have an Olympic programme?
V. L. : In anticipation of the Olympic Games, we are going to organize several actions. First, a connected challenge in all 25 European subsidiaries. For three weeks, in June, we will have about 400 participants who will group together in teams of 3 and whose objective will be to take as many steps as possible during the challenge. The goal is to reach at least 10,000 steps per day. There will also be quizzes on the Olympic Games, duels between teams and individual and collective rankings. The idea is to really have maximum accessibility, not at all something reserved for athletes but, on the contrary, that can be practiced by everyone. The goal is to encourage people to adopt healthy behaviors, mobility behaviors.
2024-07-03 10:38:10
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