To attract young graduates, companies must show that they are fighting for jobs

“After forcing me to come to the office when it wasn’t necessary, my boss finally gave me the option to telecommute from my parents’ home. And again, because she did me a favor ”, Léopoldine breathes (her first name has been changed). Since joining the company in December 2020, she regrets that her supervisor did not want to adapt her management to the new living conditions imposed by the health crisis. We will not take it again: this young graduate of Essec and the Louvre school is looking for a new job. And she will now look twice to find out how companies have taken care of their human resources since the arrival of the Covid-19.

Economic crises are an indicator of corporate culture. “They highlight their flaws, their advantages, and especially their human resources practices”, points out Christine Erhel, director of the center for employment and work studies at the National Conservatory of Arts and Crafts.

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To perfect their reputation with young graduates, Mathieu Gabai, president of Epoka, a business consulting firm specializing in human resources and communication strategy, recommends that they reassure candidates. “Young graduates are waiting. There are fewer offers and more candidates. But just because there are more applicants does not mean that they are good profiles. It is essential to continue to attract the best ”, he notes.

Beware of backlash

Especially with a GDP growth of 5.8% announced by the International Monetary Fund for France in 2021, these young people should be particularly coveted in the coming months. “At the end of the crisis, growth will have an impact on employment: employers will fight to find the best candidates”, anticipates Arnaud Bioul, senior partner of the Michael Page recruitment firm. And to recall, as a warning, that ” in the years 1990-2000, companies that performed poorly in terms of employment experienced a strong backlash. At the level of an employment pool, a company can hardly hide that it does not invest in its human resources ”.

In lean times, companies have everything to gain by showing that they are fighting to preserve jobs. Even if it means offering things that were unimaginable before the pandemic, such as at Disneyland Paris, where the “multi-skill CDI” was tested. This formula allows an employee to be trained in several trades which he could be called upon to perform as required. This innovation, which makes it possible to limit recourse to partial activity, was favorably received by the CFDT, the majority within the amusement park. “The adaptation to a crisis situation is favorably perceived. When negotiations are well conducted, social dialogue can testify to the company’s ability to rebound, or on the contrary, show its limits ”, notes Christine Ehrel.