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Case study | Saint Maclou
Background
Saint Maclou is a major player in the home furnishings sector, specialising exclusively in flooring, with 1,300 employees and a turnover of around 200 million euros. Saint Maclou operates just over 130 shops.
The company is operating in a context of transformation and turnaround, requiring a rapid and effective restructuring of its HR function.
- Service: Interim Management – Interim Human Capital Director Assignment – 6 months
- Industry: Retail
- Location: France
The challenge
Against a backdrop of transformation, the HR function was facing a lack of resources and structure. The existing team was unable to fully address the company’s challenges, particularly in terms of frontline management, recruitment and the implementation of processes.
Beyond the immediate need for additional support, the aim was to stabilise the HR organisation as a whole. This involved recruiting suitable candidates, particularly Human Resources Managers, whilst building a solid foundation in terms of processes and tools.
The complexity lay in the need to act swiftly, whilst addressing fundamental issues, within a multi-site environment that was undergoing rapid change.
Establishment of the partnership
The process began with an in-depth interview, followed by numerous discussions to refine the requirements. This collaborative effort helped to clarify expectations, challenge certain assumptions and finalise the scope of the interim HR Director’s remit.
This phase was crucial in aligning operational and organisational priorities and ensuring the suitability of the candidates put forward.
The solution
Targeted and rapid recruitment: several suitable candidates were identified and presented within a short timeframe, meeting the expectations set out during the scoping phase. The final selection was made in less than a week.
Ongoing support: regular meetings were organised to monitor the onboarding process, make adjustments where necessary, and ensure a good fit between the new recruit, the team and senior management.
A holistic approach: beyond the scope of the assignment, the collaboration enabled progress to be made on key structural issues such as formalising HR processes and clarifying roles within the team.
Result
The interim manager’s involvement enabled the gradual rebuilding of a strong HR team, well-suited to the company’s challenges.
Key HR processes were put in place, improving the clarity and efficiency of internal practices. The quality of recruitment also improved, with candidates better aligned with the company’s needs and culture.
More broadly, this collaboration helped to stabilise the HR organisation in a challenging environment, whilst enabling several issues to be addressed simultaneously.
Client testimonial
“Against a backdrop of transformation, we needed both to strengthen our HR team and to structure our practices. There were multiple requirements: recruitment, implementing processes, developing frontline management and stabilising the organisation.
The process was smooth and collaborative, with in-depth scoping work that enabled us to clearly define our expectations. A key candidate was identified quickly, and the support did not end with recruitment, with regular follow-ups during the onboarding phase.
This collaboration enabled us to make progress on several areas simultaneously, to tackle fundamental issues such as job descriptions and to lay the first building blocks of our organisational structure. Today, our HR team has been rebuilt, our practices are more robust and the quality of our recruitment has improved significantly,” Stéphane Lefebvre, HR Director at Saint Maclou