HelloGeoffrey, delighted to welcome you to our blog! Can you introduce Linagora for our readers?
Hello Nicolas! Linagora is a French software company launched 23 years ago by Mr Zapolsky and Mr Maudet. Their vision was clear: France needed its own digital sovereignty, in opposition, or at least as an alternative, to giants like GAFAM and BATX. This vision has evolved over time. While in the beginning, we positioned ourselves in opposition, today we prefer to talk about complementarity. It was essential for us to find a digital third way, independent of the big American and Chinese companies. From the outset, this vision turned to open source to gain greater autonomy. Linagora therefore sought to professionalize this technology, relying on communities to provide three types of offer: in-house software (Twake, Linshare, Linto...), consulting and open source support. Most of our customers are public-sector clients, but we also have private-sector customers with strong government ties. That's why we're looking to strengthen our relationships with institutions.
What would you say to a candidate to make them want to join you?
Linagora's greatest strength is its mission. For 23 years, we've been committed to France's digital sovereignty. It's not just a posture, it's a daily reality. We are behind a number of initiatives in this area, such as Open LLM, a sort ofFrench ChatGPT. Thanks to our CEO, Michel-Marie Maudet, we're leaders in conversational agents for France. What's more, our presence on the industry's strategic committee demonstrates our commitment. Our Chairman, Mr. Zapolsky, is even in charge of the open source commission. Finally, our new headquarters, the Villa Goodtech, is an emblematic place where numerous entities come together. It's a place for debate and collaboration to strengthen France's position in the digital sector.
What recruitment-related event or anecdote has had the greatest impact on your methods or strategic decisions in recent years?
What comes to mind is the recruitment of former institutional staff, of which I've been a member for almost a year. There's also General Guimard, former Deputy CIO of the French Gendarmerie Nationale, who has taken over as General Manager of our Mauritius subsidiary. These recruitments have sent out a strong message about the reconversion of former institutional staff within a sovereign digital entity, reinforcing our economic patriotism. It also introduced flexible yet rigorous working methods. Our arrival has also strengthened relations with leading engineering schools and military institutions, thanks to strategic partnerships, notably with Polytechnique, as General Guimard is a polytechnician. These changes have significantly reduced our recruitment times. At Linagora, the process is fast: a maximum of three interviews in three weeks, and for very high-potential profiles, only two interviews processed in less than five working days.
Can you tell us more about your recruitment and onboarding process?
Of course we do. Our corporate culture is based on our employer brand, which translates into the employee experience. This experience begins with the recruitment process. We have set up an automated process enabling our recruiters to process a large number of candidates. Everything is automated, from the first contact to the signing of the contract. A recruiter can handle up to 800 candidates a year thanks to this process. As far as onboarding is concerned, it doesn't start on the first day of work, but well before. We maintain a constant link between the moment the contract is signed and the arrival of the employee. We have an onboarding process that I call "30 60 90", which corresponds to four phases with precise actions to be carried out. For example, after 30 days, the manager systematically reviews the situation with the new employee. We also focus on acculturation, encouraging new arrivals to spend quality time with their colleagues. We also use personality tests such as the MBTI to better understand and work together.
It's very structured.
Yes, after 23 years in business, we have refined our methods. We use technology to modernize our processes, while retaining a human dimension. The use of MBTI tests has encouraged teamwork. Before that, we used psychotechnical tests, but I realized that what really counts is the human aspect, which was not perceptible in these tests.
What was the easiest and most complicated thing to set up in the recruitment or human resources department?
The easiest thing was to recruit qualified people in the field. We were looking for senior profiles and, thanks to Linagora's highly attractive employer branding policy, we were able to attract these talents. Employer branding is now a major factor in the attractiveness of companies. Employer brand used to be the fourth most important criterion, but now it's of prime importance. Thanks to our exceptional working environment, we were able to easily recruit talent acquisition managers and senior managers.
However, the challenge lies in recruiting junior profiles. They are very mission-oriented. It's not just a question of convincing them with a salary or benefits, but persuading them of the company's vision and mission. This has prompted us to rethink our message. Although the core of our message remains the same - to be a "company with a mission" - the way we communicate it has had to be adapted. For example, we have chosen to position ourselves as complementary to, rather than in opposition to, GAFAM/BATX. This is a challenge, because the new generation has high expectations, perhaps even higher than those of my generation.
Can you tell us about the positions you're currently looking to fill?
In February 2023, we launched a strategic recruitment plan. This far-reaching plan focuses first and foremost on France for 2023 and 2024. The plan covers all our profiles, whether technical or support. Initially, we focused on support functions, in particular sales forces. Since July 2023, we have stepped up our efforts to recruit technical profiles, such as developers, DevOps and Tech Leads, while strengthening our technical support staff. We have amplified our offers, notably on LinkedIn, and intensified our communication during the summer.
To give you an idea, at our headquarters in Les Moulinaux alone, we're aiming to recruit an additional 24 people by the end of the year. It's ambitious, but achievable. In three months, we've already recruited 12 people. This success is due to our processes, to automation, to the use of business software adapted to our needs and, above all, to our employees. Because the key factor in our success is human resources. I'm constantly repeating it, and I reiterate it during my weekly mentoring sessions with COMEX members: the key to our success is our teams. Everything else is secondary. Solutions will always come from the field and from our employees.
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Do you have a specific tip, trick or practice for integrating and engaging employees?
What really made the difference for us was the establishment of a solid managerial routine. At Linagora, all our teams have adopted what we call the "morning briefing". Every morning at 9am, managers hold a quick 15-minute meeting with their teams. It's a time for everyone to have their say, and for the manager to take stock of what's been done and what's still to come. This practice is used at all levels, whether for internal projects or at our customers' sites. It has become a veritable signature of our way of working. What really sets Linagora's management apart is our ability to stay close to the ground while maintaining a strategic vision. Our managers are able to juggle these two aspects, which enables us to provide the best possible service to our customers.
Last question: why should we NOT join you?
If someone isn't aligned with our vision of French digital, of digital sovereignty, they might feel out of place with us. It's essential to understand that, without necessarily being in opposition, we firmly believe in our role and in the need to get things moving. Those who have a negative or defeatist attitude, or who are not ready to take on everyday challenges, could feel overwhelmed.
With us, we're constantly on the move, always making progress. Some might perceive this as uncomfortable, but in reality, it's this imbalance that pushes us forward and enables us to progress.
Many thanks, Geoffrey!
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