Six months after completing its financial restructuring, in particular thanks to the support of the State, the Hauts-de-France Region, the urban community of CAPSO and its key shareholder, the Arc Group is looking towards the future, and has announced that in January 2021 it will be hiring 225 production operatives on permanent contracts (French acronym: CDI for “Contrat à Durée Indéterminée”).
In order to optimize production scheduling, Arc has decided to convert a large number of temporary assignments into permanent employment opportunities. This new intake of employees will help to better organize schedules and also to plan the transfer of knowledge as older employees near retirement age. Another reason for pursuing these jobs is to provide training for these new employees within the company, so that they are properly prepared, in particular with regard to observation of safety regulations. Arc will undertake the necessary investments to ensure the proper training of these new operators over the next several months.
This recruitment drive was facilitated by the Extended Short-Time Work Program (French acronym: APLD for “Activité Partielle Longue Durée”) signed in October 2020 with all the Arc Group’s trade union organizations. This scheme, put in place by the government last autumn to mitigate the effects of the health crisis and protect jobs, has allowed the Group to now start hiring, in anticipation of the return to normality on its various markets, in particular the hospitality sector.
As part of its corporate social responsibility, Arc is thus helping to reduce situations of job insecurity through its long-term commitment to these future employees. Arc has forged an innovative partnership with the Employment Center. The applicant selection process will be handled by the Saint-Omer Employment Center, using a Simulation Recruitment Method. This involves putting candidates in a number of life-like scenarios, and then assessing them on the basis of their ability to perform well in these tests. These various exercises have been specially developed by Arc and the Employment Center, based on the qualities these jobs demand. For example, the ability to assimilate safety rules will be an essential criterion in the assessment. The candidates’ aptitude to carry out certain operations will also be taken into account.
The recruitment procedure will be completely anonymous in order to guarantee its integrity and the objective assessment of applicants. The jobs offered will be open to all job-seekers, whether or not they have previously worked for the Arc Group on a temporary basis. The jobs are entry level, and employees could progress, for example, to production line supervisory posts in time.
According to Cyrille Rommerlaere, Employment Center Manger: “We are a long-standing partner of Arc France with a common objective: to meet the company’s recruitment needs and allow job-seekers access to long-term job opportunities in the local area. Our expertise and relationship of trust have allowed us to put in place an innovative recruitment process based on the potential of the company’s future employees”.
For Tristan Borne, CEO Europe, “This recruitment drive is part of the Group’s ongoing financial reorganization and transformation plan, made possible thanks to our partners and support from the authorities. I would also like to thank all our employees for their resilience and their commitment during these strange times. This recruitment drive reflects our confidence in the future and also in human capital. Since the Arc Group is now in a position to convert temporary jobs into permanent jobs, it has a duty to do so. Responsible governance must be more than a mere slogan”.
