A moment with Camille Cartigny
Camille Cartigny is a Human Resource Development Manager. French-native, she has been in HR since she graduated in 2014. She has a very international profile and has worked for firms in Luxembourg, France and the UK such as ING, EarlyMetrics or Heroiks.
Full of energy, optimism and a solid drive for innovation, SAINOO sat down with her to draw on her experience and get some insights on where HR is going today.
“You have to be interested in what matters to people”
Hi Camille, many thanks for being with us. You are working as a Human Resource Development Manager; how did you get into HR?
I have a business school background, originally I joined SKEMA business school and I wanted to work in labour law because I loved it. I tried the double degree but I, unfortunately, didn’t get it.
It was a blessing in disguise as I wanted to specialise in labour law without going to general law school. So I asked myself; where is labour law applicable? The answer was Human Resources. And so from my second year, I started to specialize in that field.
Is this legal aspect of the Human Resources function the part you enjoy most in your role?
I love the legal aspect, the moving aspect of things quite complicated and all, but what I love most about my job is the strict as well as the flexible side.
Strict because you have a legal framework etc. and flexible because you deal with people. Therefore, we must always work to find the right balance between the two. What interests me above all is obviously the human being, otherwise, I wouldn’t be doing this job. Everything that is both about people and development.
In your opinion, what qualities should the Human Resources department of a company have?
For me, a functioning HR department is a department that is structured, with people who are open to people and to the changes that must take place.
An HR department must be composed of individuals who are constantly seeking to evolve, as they represent the company’s culture and are its main ally. The functions must be well defined, there must be exchanges, knowledge sharing, and cohesion within departments and processes, all with an open mind.
In the context of recruitment, what are the difficulties that HR teams face today?
There are several challenges. Everything depends on the level of maturity of the company. The employer brand is becoming increasingly important today and this is what we sell to candidates. We, as employers, need to stand out or at least be aligned with the market and with what candidates are looking for.
Depending on the sector, employee turnover remains a persistent problem. The market is very competitive in general. There are new generations coming in with higher expectations than previous generations. They are not afraid of change and have no trouble selling themselves, so they are not afraid of leaving their jobs.
In addition, companies and start-ups are now looking to hire similar profiles, so there is a shortage of these people on the market. Therefore, it is necessary for recruiting companies to stand out via their employer brand, their benefits etc.
Do you think we are moving towards more frequent turn-overs cycles? Do you still believe in careers?
Not necessarily. Everything will depend on what companies develop for their employees.
You have to be interested in what matters to people ie in terms of values. There are studies that show that before, what mattered was financial and work stability. From the moment people had it they stayed in the company.
Today people are looking for other benefits such as happiness at work, how the company contributes to that. Some companies like Google or Facebook have canteens, childcare services, gyms… the kind of things that people see as important benefits today. All this builds employee loyalty. Again, depending on the sector, obviously, if companies don’t evolve, if we don’t do things for people, we won’t have fewer employees who leave. There is no clear answer.
What needs to be changed in Human Resources to be more efficient?
I’ve realised that we have an ageing Human Resources mentality, it still works in an old-fashioned way sometimes and it’s a waste of time. This is changing.
Today there are many solutions that are not so expensive and that save time on many things. In HR time is precious, so wasting two hours on something that can be done in one hour is a catastrophe. This time you could have spent it talking to people, understanding their needs, putting other things in place…
Large groups do not change their way of doing things easily but in general, the old Human Resources profiles must evolve. The era of terror is outdated, we can no longer be terrors or compartmentalized to one thing. We must be able to take initiatives and implement them. HR has an expensive media cost and long-term interest is not always perceived, but if the department had the tools from the beginning, it could do more and be better and therefore generate a profit in time, in people and in comfort for employees.
What advice would you give to your colleagues? To get out of their comfort zone, to give themselves the means to evolve?
Yes, exactly! Let’s get moving! Companies are evolving, they are more and more digital. We too must digitize ourselves, we have no choice and this does not only mean an excel document. We must be at the heart of the company strategy. We are not only there to do our work in operational terms. We must understand the strategy behind it and be able to implement it.
What is your best experience as a Human Resources professional?
There are many more than one! As a Human Resources professional, all my experiences have enriched me personally, really.
In my first company, where I worked for three and a half years, I did two years in the UK and one year in France. It was complicated. In France people… complain a lot *laughs*. I had to manage about fifty people. I was very green, very young. When I left, I had 50 faces in front of me. They said: “Thank you! We know we haven’t been easy, but thank you for being at our side, for moving things along”. For me, there wasn’t better recognition than this. I told myself, HR was my vocation. It also helped me define my values, what I should do and how.
The people working in Human Resources must feel comfortable in their work and in their company in order to defend people’s interests as much as possible, to allow them to work as well as possible.
We advocate for the well-being of employees. If we don’t start with ourselves, the task is impossible. People come to us when they are not well, so if you are not well, you will not give a good image, it will be felt, you will terrorize others and it does not bring anything, because the people you have to help do not feel well in your office. The Human Resources office becomes a point of tension and it is not what Human Resources is, in my experience and perspective.
Are there influencers who inspire me on a daily basis?
Not so much, but I try to attend meetings, to open myself to what is being done. There are a lot of startups offering products etc. so I try to keep up with what is being done. On the other hand, I try to attend conferences on Human Resources issues. It allows me to get your head out of the water and have another vision, to see what is being done outside and adapt it to your mission. It doesn’t always work, but I’m fond of these experiences. I am also a member of a Human Resources club, we meet every month on a given theme and discuss what we do.
Thank you very much Camille, for your optimism, your energy, and your time. We wish you the best for the future and see you very soon!
Thank you!
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