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With the second wave of COVID-19 cases well and truly upon us, tighter restrictions are becoming more evident in many countries. This is particularly evident for our colleagues in France with a new national lockdown coming into force at the weekend.
We are of course all in this together and the same principles continue to be applied across Colart as a whole:
• The safety of people first
• Follow safety protocols including face (wear a mask), space (physical distancing) and hands (good hand hygiene)
• Limit the use of public transport
• Take responsibility self and others
As Dennis mentioned at the Town Hall, we will continue to invest in the environment at work to ensure everyone’s protection now and in the future with plans built into next year’s budget.
What we know in France…
With the French Government decision to implement a national lockdown, there has been a lot of work over the last two days to ensure our business continues to operate effectively. The commercial teams are working with customers regarding order delivery particularly to support the online service provided by our retailers. Indeed, whilst the Charbonnel shop in Paris will be closed, we will continue to accept online orders.
Everyone who can work remotely in France will work 100% remotely and if there is a requirement to attend the office, it will be a maximum of one day per week. This is in line with the approach taken in other Colart business units.
Our factory in Le Mans will continue to work as normal (this includes the weekend working) and our people have the required authorisation to attend the site. Ensuring their safety at work will continue to be a priority as it is in all our operational sites. The commitment of everyone in the Le Mans factory to continue to service the high order demands of the Colart group is both valued and appreciated. As Jonathan explained in the Town Hall, we have confidence this commitment will lead to a strong end of year performance.
End of year requirements…
As we approach the beginning of November, we ask everyone to focus on taking their remaining holidays before the end of the year. Whilst we have a push for performance for the end of the year, this must not be at the sake of your wellbeing. Taking your annual holiday entitlement is central to providing the rest needed to maintain our resilience whether physically or mentally.
I’d also like to remind you that Splash Perform will be going live on Monday 2 November – this implementation has been a big focus for the HR team this year and we are really excited about how the system can be used as a platform to enhance the progress and development discussion. As Jonathan mentioned in the Town Hall, the importance of Sustainability is a priority more than ever and the personal and professional development of our people and teams is fundamental to the Sustainability ambitions. Your local HR teams will be organising drop-in sessions over the next few weeks, so please make use of this to ensure you are fully equipped to get the most out of the discussions. Just as we see the principle of taking responsibility with respect to COVID-19, we also believe in the value of taking responsibility for self-development.
Exploring the survey results …
As explained in the last update, our next step is to really delve into understanding the employee survey results and we will do this by:
1. Exploring the results through local discussions to understand what you are really saying
2. Identifying actions to be taken whether locally or globally
3. Prioritising the actions that will make a difference
As well as leaders across the group initiating discussions, I would like to thank those of you who have stepped forward to support the above activity – it’s not too late to be involved if you are still interested … please let me know and I can tell you more.
Dennis mentioned in the Town Hall about how the survey highlighted the Diversity and Inclusion as a subject requiring reflection. These results together with seeing how the impact of COVID-19 varies depending on different demographic factors mean that it will become a focus for Colart, particularly for 2021. We will start by looking at what it means for us and how we would ensure our culture really reflects ambitions for diversity and inclusion in all its aspects.
Connected to this subject is the consideration of our gender pay reporting and you can read more on this subject by region by clicking on the following links:
– Diversity Pay Report Europe (in French)
– Diversity Pay Report North America
Our mantra…
As always, STAY SAFE – please take care of yourself (in all ways), get creative (remember the Wall and the Think Tank if you have some good ideas to share. As Dennis said in the Town Hall, we aim for Colart to have an open culture whereby every voice can be heard…so please keep talking to us using all routes available to you
1. Your line manager
2. Your local HRBP
3. The Q&A platform on the intranet
With a combined mindset of resilience and determination, the Colart Family will continue to successfully navigate together any challenges thrown at us.
Regards,
Jane Beeston
Chief People Officer