Vincent Sponton [TBS Education 2012]

Vincent, can you tell us a little about your background?

I began my career in sales management at Procter & Gamble before moving into training and management. I quickly developed a taste for human resources and, after obtaining my specialized Master's degree in "Human Resources Management", I went on to perform a wide range of human resources functions.

I've explored many different worlds, including banking, industry and, more recently, the healthcare sector. For the past 3 years, I have been involved in human resources development at the Clinique du Pont de Chaume in Montauban.

"Retaining caregivers is a real challenge".

Can you tell us about the shortage of nursing staff?

The main shortage concerns nurses, aggravated in their case by the training needs generated by the increase in specific skills required for the smooth running of the department.

We have to recruit them, but also train them so that they all have a specific diploma, for example to work in the operating theatre. One of the consequences of this talent shortage is, of course, staff turnover. Even if we have more people coming in than going out over the course of the year, staff departures remain a real problem. Retaining our nursing staff is a real challenge.

You've worked in a wide range of sectors. In your experience, what's special about the world of healthcare?

What I'm seeing is a high level of absenteeism (on the order of 25%) and its impact in terms of replacement. As some of our services are standardized, we have to have a prescribed number of nurses and care assistants per department: their absences systematically lead to replacements.

To this end, we maintain a fairly large replacement pool of employees who are not assigned to one department, but can be mobilized for other departments. We also have recourse to fixed-term contracts, and are coping with a fairly specific evolution in the sector. A number of nurses and care assistants prefer to work on a daily or weekly basis, rather than on a traditional 3 or 6-month fixed-term contract, or even a permanent contract. In particular, they see a twofold advantage in doing so: they can choose their own schedule and benefit from the 10% precariousness allowance.

"It's a chosen flexibility and it's quite revealing of the new relationships at work".

Is it fair to say that in your sector, employees no longer have to put up with this form of flexibility?

Indeed, it's a chosen flexibility, and it's quite revealing of the new relationships at work. Today, this flexibility comes at the expense of companies, which may find it difficult to find the staff they need to maintain their services. This explains why companies in the sector are constantly recruiting.

Beyond the difficulties of scheduling, this transformation implies cultural changes in terms of integration, commitment, company stability and skills development.

Do you work with temporary employment agencies?

In our sector, the use of temporary staff has fallen sharply for budgetary reasons. Company rates are regulated and a significant proportion of revenues are financed. Private companies in the healthcare sector are not as profitable as one might imagine. For this reason, it is necessary to manage operating costs as effectively as possible.

What recruitment arguments work well with the new generations?

The main argument is the promise to support them in their integration and professional development. A new graduate has already completed a few internships and acquired a little experience: it's now a matter of transforming these initial experiences into skills. When they are recruited, they are directed towards a department of their choice, which corresponds to their skills, or towards the pool department, which will enable them to work in several departments. Gradually, they will be able to develop skills in their specialty. An intensive care nurse does not deploy the same know-how as a dialysis nurse.

"It's all about turning first experiences into skills."

In the same vein, we offer all nurses with between 4 months and 2 years' seniority the opportunity to take part in a training course they choose from a catalog. We also emphasize the "work/life balance" features of our establishment. We have departments in which our caregivers work weekends and weekends, but they don't have to alternate between day and night shifts (some establishments impose a systematic day/night alternation) and can choose the days they wish to work in addition (if they so wish). Added to this are specific paid vacations and overtime hours that can be worked or paid according to the employee's needs.

What are their expectations?

Life-pro-life balance is one of the strongest demands. For young employees in particular, it seems that a strong commitment to work is no longer the norm, and that the private sphere is taking up more and more space. The company is trying to adapt, to invent new things. We are vigilant about the number of consecutive days worked or the number of weekends worked. But our main constraint is that employees in the same department should all have identical schedules, for reasons of fairness and to ensure that the department runs smoothly. Integration remains one of our strong points. We welcome a lot of future trainees, which is the beginning of the integration process. Secondly, successful integration requires close support from the manager and reliable monitoring of the integration process. Finally, the last component we can activate is career development. More than upward development, we can work on developing specific skills and accountability within the department.

You're part of the ELSAN Group, France's leading private healthcare operator. How do candidates and employees perceive you?

We're part of a group, but what we're defending is the culture of our establishment, its values, its corporate project and its management autonomy. It's also part of our group's values: proximity and social ties. This is what we present to our future recruits and employees.

Because we're based in Montauban, our employees don't necessarily see themselves as being geographically mobile within the Group. Above all, our employees want to work at home, in Montauban. Not all of them are interested in the possibilities that the Group could offer. The issue may be different in Toulouse for other groups.

"We're part of a group, but what we're defending is the culture of our establishment."

Is Montauban a handicap or an advantage for recruiting young people and caregivers?

Quite an advantage. We work in our local employment area. For young people coming out of school, it's a choice to locate close to their families and friends. We recruit trainees from IFSI training centers in Montauban, Cahors, Albi and Agen. The question of attractiveness may arise for doctors. We attract them with an attractive establishment project, prospects for career development and a pleasant living environment close to the Toulouse conurbation.

To conclude?

Attracting and retaining staff are real challenges for the healthcare sector. While candidates may be attracted by a better salary, they remain in a facility for other reasons: a job in line with their expectations and visions, the opportunity to develop in their profession and quality of life at work. These are real challenges for the HR function in this sector, as in others.

Interview by Romain Lanusse-Croussé (TBS Education 2008)