During a workshop organized as part of the World Forum for a Responsible Economy, Keolis Lille Métropole presented for the first time its CSR charter to external parties. The discussions were fruitful and challenged the company. Interview with Thierry Duc and Laureline Burggraeve.
The Keolis Lille Métropole CSR Charter was developed in a collaborative manner by approximately 20 employees “We have set up several meetings on the subject. The team listed everything we were doing in terms of CSR, carried out a benchmark, and listed the convictions we had in terms of CSR for the company. The group then pitched to the management committee, which approved the overall proposal. “Following this work, we came to present this charter and the genesis of this approach at the World Forum in 2018," explains Thierry Duc, corporate project director. During a dedicated workshop, about 15 people discovered the Keolis Lille Métropole charter, presented to the public for the first time. “We were looking for feedback. What resulted was that the charter was quite complete and that it was a good internal and external tool. The way it was written allowed us to imagine many initiatives. The exchanges were very enriching.” During its presentation, Keolis was asked about the ways the charter would be used. "This was very challenging for us, because at the time, we were not yet at this stage. These remarks encouraged us to think about how we could mobilize our employees.”
Proving through action
Since then, Keolis Lille Métropole has launched numerous initiatives. In October, the company will issue an internal call for volunteers to mobilize its collaborators. "We are going to create a network of ambassadors: "the makers of responsible ambitions". The idea is to prove, through acts, that we have ambitions that are carried out in a concrete way. "The aim is to have two Makers per site," explains Laureline Burggraeve, CSR Project Manager. The makers' role will be to present and explain the responsible ambitions, a direct translation of the CSR charter. They will also implement very concrete actions, specific to each site. "We launched an experiment this summer. This program has been designed to provide a framework of autonomy, so that the Makers can have the necessary latitude to carry out their missions. Each month, they will organize an event at their site: screening a documentary, organizing a game, harvesting the beehive for sites that have one. We relocate the strike force, and we rely on volunteers to carry out real actions. This system is in line with the dynamics of the charter: "It is much easier to mobilize employees based on a charter. The charter was drafted by employees, who did not base it on the SDGs or the pillars of ISO 26000, but on their daily lives, which makes it easier to adopt. We mention education, social innovation and responsible consumption," adds Thierry Duc. On the external front, the company has just published its CSR report, an idea that emerged during the World Forum: "Presenting, exchanging and getting feedback is very important and it's the principle of events like the World Forum, especially the workshop sessions, where you're in a small group and people can express themselves easily. This pushed us to work on the external side. We have launched communication campaigns and we will have the CSR report that we have organized around our ambitions. And it's not over yet, things will evolve again next year".
