Did you know there are more than 2x as many companies with 49 employees, than with 50 in France? Why?
Because once a company has at least 50 employees inside France, more than three dozen French labor regulations take effect. These regulations include, but are not limited to establishing three workers councils, creating a health and safety committee, introducing profit sharing, annual collective bargaining, and submitting restructuring plans to councils if certain workforce changes are required. If you Google this topic, or any other about European or United Kingdom labor law, you’ll find a lot.
But here’s the point – if you’re planning on setting up shop, creating a subsidiary, or doing business in any country in Europe or the United Kingdom – you better know what you’re dealing with. To be clear, this perhaps applies even more profoundly to businesses that already are headquartered in Europe and the United Kingdom, where business crosses country boundaries much more readily. Look, regardless of how you feel about Machiavelli, he pretty much nailed it back in the 16thcentury…
“…He (i.e., /she/ leaders/ organizations/ businesses, etc.) must also learn the nature of the terrain, and know how mountains slope, how valleys open …. Such knowledge is useful in two ways: first, one learns to know one’s own country and can better defend it; second, with the knowledge and experience, one can easily comprehend other terrain.…” - The Prince, Nicole Machiavelli
And now -- more than ever, knowing the terrain is critical. Why? Because the workforce landscape is rapidly changing. And your organization is on a journey… where missteps can be costly.
According to Oxford Economics, Workforce 2020 research that was conducted in conjunction with SAP:
- 82% of companies in Europe say they are increasingly using contingent, intermittent, seasonal, or consultant employees
- Yet, 41% of Europe employees say their company provides the right tools to help them grow and improve job performance, and 37% of employees say their company encourages continuing education and training to further career development.
- Just 33% of executives in Europe say their company plans for succession in key roles.
And this is just a peak into the terrain. Fortunately, we know the terrain in Europe and global workforce and talent issues very, very well.
As a testament, we’re proud to be recognized by European market analyst Fosway Group (formerly Elearnity) as a Strategic Leader in Talent Management. Their new 2015 Fosway 9-Grid™ for Integrated Talent Management evaluates vendors across performance and potential, as well as market presence and cost of ownership.
We believe this report is a further testament to not only our comprehensive, unified talent management suite, but also to our strategy and direction in talent management—especially in Europe, which is the primary focus of their report.
Being recognized as a strategic leader in talent management by Fosway Group means that we are at the forefront and set the pace for talent management solutions in Europe. We know the terrain better than anyone and can help ensure you’re headed in the right direction with your talent management programs. As this report further validates, our proven experience in Europe gives you the confidence to plan strategically-- yet act tactically and get results fast, based on what makes sense for your business.
For more than 29 years SAP has continued to provide leading human capital management solutions, and with the additional of SuccessFactors 14 year leadership in cloud talent solutions-- no one has a better understanding of the changing workforce terrain in Europe (or around the world) than SAP. And no one can help create a path that’s right for you and your business than SAP- SuccessFactors.
