Hu-man E-Book

Aurélien Herquel

• Herausgeber: Renaissance du livre
• Kategorie: Fachliteratur
• Sprache: Französisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2018

Seitenzahl: 74

Beschreibung

We bear witness today to the emergence of various work-related illnesses, such as burnout. The employee suffers, and the cost of this suffering amounts to billions of euros per year for each Member State of the European Union. It is now time for small, medium and large-scale companies, and for administrations, to include more humanism in their business model, thus fostering their staff’s fulfilment while taking into account the economic imperatives of the market.

This is what the “Hu-Man” label offers, a resolutely European project by its design and values, combining growth and humanism.The companies and administrations wishing to obtain this label must be committed to respect a number of principles based on social cohesion, gender equality and inclusion; all of which are presented in this book.

Today, companies can no longer neglect the human factor; it has even become a critical social and economic issue in the race for competitiveness.Adopting “Hu-Man” is not only believing in your company but above all believing in the future, together.

Aurélien Herquel was set to pursue a career in international finance after working for years as an auditor, an anti-money laundering officer, a risk manager and a compliance officer for major American groups around the world. But, after one of his colleagues passed away in front of him at the office, he decided to focus on the human.It was on that faithful day that “Hu-Man” was born.

Leseprobe

Hu-Man

For a successful growth

Aurélien Herquel

Hu-Man – For a successful growth

Renaissance du Livre

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Renaissance du Livre

@editionsrl

corrections : catherine meeùs

foto cover : shutterstock

layout : cw design

isbn : 978-2-507-05604-9

All rights reserved for all countries.No part of this publication may be reproduced.

I, Steven Kiely (BA, MA),  hereby declare this text to be revised  in the English language.

Limerick, Ireland 29/03/18

Preface

Throughout my political career, liberalism has always nourished my commitment as a man and as a citizen. For me, it’s the only doctrine that offers a global understanding of the common good and that creates conditions of well-being for all. “Liberal” doesn’t mean less state but rather “better state”.

I’ve carried this profound conviction as much at national level as at European and international levels. It confirmed my belief that the market economy can’t be virtuous without a fair state, namely a state that guarantees the benefits of freedom, a state that fulfils its functions of governance and the fair redistribution of created wealth.

This principle is at the root of the creation of the European Union: coming together, producing and creating wealth together in order to redistribute it in a more equitable manner to all the populations and regions of Member States.

Competitiveness and growth do not represent objectives in themselves; they are merely means at the service of man. Economics for the economy’s sake leads to abuses, to exploitation, and to partisan interests. On the other hand, the wealth created by the European Union has the face of freedom, promotes collective progress and allows fulfilment for all. The concepts of growth, development and human progress are at the very heart of the European construction. There is no development without growth, but growth does not guarantee development or human progress and that is why the European Union is more than an international organisation: the European project is a model of successful globalisation on a regional scale, rooted in strong democracy, and in a social market economy which has been providing more prosperity, safety and solidarity for more than 60 years.

At present, only 1% of the Member States’ GDP is transferred to the European budget. As a comparison 28% of state GDP is transferred to the federal level in the United States. In today’s world, I’m convinced that in a more present and improved Europe with a larger budget, the European Union would achieve productive synergies to the benefit of all in economic, social and environmental areas.

Globalisation is not a worldwide bogeyman operating at the service of few and the expense of many. It certainly needs to be regulated, framed and given a human dimension through our large international structures for it is not only about increasing economic exchanges.

Humanised globalisation is a positive phenomenon. It allowed continents to develop progressive and emancipative abilities that were inconceivable even just thirty years ago. It opens the mind, it builds bridges, it forges bonds.

By definition, a company must generate steadily increasing profits to subsist. This benefits the company, its Member State and, furthermore, the European Union. Nowadays, however, there is a crucial factor that should be considered: the increasing costs of professional stress-related illnesses, as well as absenteeism, that each year represents tens of millions of euro in losses for our companies and in state expenditure.

In order to build the future, we must move the economic and social pillars of Europe forward together under an inclusive approach.

Promoting employee professional fulfilment is socially and economically vital. As working hours tend to increase,it is crucial that employees be stimulated by their activities. It is crucial too to reduce diseases brought about from difficult or mentally exhausting professions.

The Hu-Man project is a resolutely European project, deriving its design and values from a combination of economic growth and humanism. It offers the injection of a sufficient quantity of humanism in each company’s business model by promoting employee fulfilment and by defending humanist values within the company.

This book offers a sharp and very subtle analysis of the ills of today’s world and tries to provide solutions based on social cohesion, gender equality and inclusion.

I am convinced that this initiative will have a major societal impact and that it could become a reference for relations between companies and their employees within the European Union. Hu-Man is a perfect vector for social development in Europe.

I strongly support this initiative that brings together the common values of universal consciousness. Hu-Man is destined for a promising future. Its implementation will provide added value to the socio-economic projects of the European Union Member States and will be its inspiration.

As Nelson Mandela wrote: “We are human only through the humanity ofothers.”

Louis Michel,

Minister of State,

Member of the European Parliament,

President of the ACP–EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly.

Foreword

After a detailed analysis of the economic sector, of geopolitics and of the growing xenophobic and separatist movements in Europe, I asked myself: “Why is it that European citizens are turning away from the wonderful project that is Europe and succumbing to political parties that advocate break-up and refuse to progress towards a common future?”

The answer was crystal clear. Europe has not built on the ERASMUS programme and simply doesn’t appeal to citizens anymore. Europe no longer has a visionary and federal project that could create that passion and that sense of belonging to the beautiful structure that it is.

The other observation is the constant race for “short-termist” productivity. That factor leads to serious consequences on the employees’ morale, on company performances, and consequently, to burnout. Indeed, in my opinion, work is not a trigger but an aggravating factor of burnout. That is the reason why I created Hu-Man, the first European labour humanisation label that enables combining a source of fulfilment for employees with a quest for wealth and growth for companies, leading to the creation of a more encompassing circle of virtue on the societal scale.

The world is changing, and I am indeed deeply convinced that companies wishing to create as much wealth in the future as they do now, will only be able to do so if they inject humanism into their business model.

That is why I offer, with this publication, a new federal and European vision of the economy based on three pillars: social cohesion, gender equality and inclusion.

The “Hu-Man” label’s philosophy reflects my thinking: “Talent is important, passion is primordial, entourage is crucial.”

Born in France, the country of liberty, equality and fraternity, I am convinced that these values can and must be developed and taught within Member States of the European Union; but especially that through these, Europe has a major role to play in the global race for productivity by combining these values to the market economy for successful growth that will, in the end, be beneficial for everyone.

Introduction

At a time when workers are on a quest to find meaning and employers are on a quest to find ways to retain talent, “happiness at work” seems to dominate discussions. If it is not rapidly questioned, this paradigm may, unfortunately, cause great damage.

The first aspects to look into are the terms themselves. By definition happiness is ”a lasting state of contentment, satisfaction or serenity”. In the Latin languages, the term for “work” (travail, in French), comes from the word tripalium, which was a three staked device used for shoeing animals or as a torture instrument to punish slaves. It would be difficult a priori to reconcile these two terms. Are we deluding ourselves in believing happiness at work is possible?

Happiness and Fulfilment

Even setting aside the archaic work-torture association, the paradox remains. Very few of us, naturally, will readily accept that companies or public bodies represent the places where everyone can find happiness as defined above. However, anyone can accept that it is absolutely possible to find a source of fulfilment at work.

That fulfilment is the fruit of the efforts of the workers, the management and the Human Resources managers. A company can help its employees – but only with their consent – to find this fulfilment in their daily lives. This will allow them to grow, to show their skills and to respect their own values within the collective effort. This fulfilment will then be completely beneficial to the company, to the economy and to broader society itself.

The Illusion of Happiness

The message conveyed by the advocates of “happiness at work” is totally different: to them, employees can – or must – find their OWN happiness at work. Today,