What if internal communication became much more than just a simple company meeting? What if it offered, above all, an opportunity to live a genuine collective experience? At BRED Banque Populaire, this ambition takes a very concrete form. : that of a fully compliant convention “PEPS” !
Bright colors, roller skates, and stereo systems… That was all it took to pique the curiosity of the We Are COM team ! 🤓 Leila Salimi, Director of Communications of BRED Banque Populaire, shares with us his vision of a vibrant and engaging internal communication, resolutely focused on aligning energies and pride of belonging.
Hello Leila, you're going to talk to us about internal communication. So, how would you define employee communication?
It is communication that engages employees, of course! I would say that employee communication must inform, inspire and unite: it outlines the strategic ambitions of a company, gives meaning and creates connection.
At BRED Banque Populaire, internal commitment is based on pride of belonging. We are convinced that by communicating about our successes and achievements, whether individual or collective, we engage employees behind a common vision, a unifying sense of pride.
Finally, to reiterate the ambition of our strategic plan, employee communication “aligns energies”.
The employee communication team must inform, inspire, and unite.
Just out of curiosity, how is a communications department like yours organized at BRED Banque Populaire?
The communications team at BRED Banque Populaire is organized around 5 key areas:
- The pole internal, which includes HR communication and employer branding,
- The pole events Experiences, for everything related to the organization of strategic events,
- The pole media relations et Social Media, responsible for the external visibility of the brand and our bank on social networks, media and new media,
- The pole trademark, guarantor of our identity, but also of sponsorship and our showcase websites,
- La content factory, where all our internal and external content is produced.
And to ensure consistency in our communications with our stakeholders (customers, members, partners and employees) across all our territories, cross-functional support is implemented by our Head of Editorial Strategy.
Every two years, BRED Banque Populaire organizes its major internal convention. Can you tell us more about what goes on behind the scenes and the stakes of such an event?
The goal of this plenary session? To inject the full momentum of our strategic plan “Aligning energies” to our employees. This is a key internal step: an opportunity to take stock of what has worked, but also what has worked less well, to celebrate our achievements and to look confidently into the future.
For this edition, the mandate of our Director General was clear: to make this event a moment of sharing and collective joy. In other words, our ambition was to make our employees proud: proud to be actors in the transformation, proudly representing BRED Banque Populaire.
We therefore placed this event under the banner of pride with a signature created for the occasion: “PEPS: more energy, more success”Everything has been designed with the aim of making things dynamic and punchy. We needed to remind everyone that banking can also be experienced in a light, joyful and friendly way!
Fundamentally, we have chosen to to place this plenary session under the banner of AI and CSR.
On the one hand, great opportunities lie in a real focus on artificial intelligence Its uses were demonstrated and showcased in a video. At BRED Banque Populaire, we firmly believe that AI is not a hindrance to creativity, but rather a catalyst. It offers an exceptional playground for creative minds, and it's important to remember that!
On the other hand, we have focused on submit all aspects of the event to our CSR policy : responsible mobility, recycled furniture, facilities for the deaf and hard of hearing, specifications for service providers…
Our ambition was to make our employees proud: proud to be actors in the transformation, while wearing the colours of BRED Banque Populaire.
More specifically, how did this “PEPS” event unfold?
It was in the early afternoon that we invited the 3000 employees to meet around a festive and energizing coffee, during which our hosts circulated in colorful t-shirts, roller skates and stereo systems on their shoulders, to distribute sweet little notes to the participants. From the moment you arrived, the tone was set: PEPS, retro and consideration.
Continuing with this desire to energetically engage our employees, The plenary session that followed was designed to give everyone a voice: management leaders, inspiring external speakers, and above all, employees. They even went so far as to conduct our annual strategic plan review live on stage. A fun little touch that worked really well!
On the fun side, I must also mention the innovative “transformation challenge” which was proposed. To show that transformation pushes us to exceed our limits, we invited our employees to exchange clothes, accessories, or objects for just a few minutes. A true moment of shared energy!
This plenary session, combining Fundamental strategic topics, visions for the future, and more playful interventionsThe event finally concluded with the presentation of several trophies. It's essential to find the time to celebrate our successes! Our favorite trophy? The social media trend “All Conquerors”which highlights the close relationship with our professional clients.
Finally, like all our conventions, this day ended on a festive evening, always with vibrant colors DJ sets, tattoo bar, photo booths…
How can we ensure the longevity of this flagship event? How can we continue to build community over time?
Leading up to the convention, extensive teaser campaigns were conducted, including posters on the intranet and in our offices. Each seat was even equipped with a “PEPS elevator”, equipped with mirrors and a disco ball, inviting employees to share their favorite tracks to be included in the event's playlist.
And then what? We covered this convention in a fairly classic way: replays, making-of videos and short formats for social media. A video “in the style of Christophe Beaugrand” was also produced showing the behind-the-scenes of the plenary session. Let's watch!
To measure internal satisfaction – and buy-in – a post-convention NPS survey was launched immediately after our event. However, the most revealing indicator of internal engagement remains the rate of employee social media activation. The importance of the content shared on LinkedIn by our ambassadors leads us to believe that we have successfully met the engagement challenge!
The most revealing indicator of internal engagement remains the rate of social media activations by employees.
It is up to us to maintain this momentum over time with our internal audiences. PEPS is not a one-off! It will continue.And it all begins with a unique initiative for our overseas employees: a condensed replay of the event, a PEPS box, including a card game specifically designed to perpetuate the spirit of the event and incorporate the key messages shared about AI and our CSR development. These various offerings culminate in some, of course, convivial moments.
Subsequently, internal communication will have an important role to play in cultivating this BRED spirit over the long term.
At We Are COM, we're really curious! 🤓 You're a long-standing and versatile nautical partner… Can you tell us more?
Yes, BRED Banque Populaire is fully part of the history of sailing, with, among other things, the Maxi-Banque Populaire XI iconic, skippered by Armel Le Cléac'hAs a premium partner of the Transat Café L'OR, linking Le Havre and Martinique, two territories close to our hearts, our sponsorship strategy is not limited to activations related to professional sports. We also have the a desire to commit ourselves to the heart of our territories by supporting local clubs.
Indeed, we support water sports clubs – sailing, but also rowing, kayaking, swimming, paddleboarding, diving, surfing… – with equipment and funding. Our goal? To enable clubs to encourage the practice of these sports and to benefit from quality support within these local structures.
Sponsorship, It's not just a logo on a jersey (or on a boat), it's much more than that.It is a territorial anchoring, a local project that is experienced as close as possible to the ground, a way to promote strong values and a real lever for internal engagement.
In your opinion, what will be the major developments in internal communication in the coming years?
Increasingly, internal communication is aligning with external communication, and it seems to me that this trend will intensify even further in the coming years. The formats we need to offer employees are the dynamic formats they consume daily on social media.Communicators need to be more authentic, to abandon overly polished language and corporate jargon, and to speak the truth. Leaders need to invest even more in internal channels to convey their messages and drive change.
With a focus on proximity and interactivity, Let's not forget the collaboratorsThey also have a central role to play in internal corporate communication. I would add that proximity, a concept strongly present in external strategies, must also be expressed internally. Proximity is inseparable from employee advocacy.
Communicators need to be more authentic, to put an end to overly polished language and overly corporate jargon, and to speak the truth.
Before we finish, do you have any final advice for the various communications teams reading this?
Give meaning to your actions! Communication must inspire: employees, talent, clients… Especially in a field as specific as banking.
Contrary to popular belief, Banking is a sector undergoing rapid modernization, and one in which you can really have a lot of fun. It's a huge playground, based on strong values such as solidarity and closeness, where you can be serious without ever taking yourself too seriously! And it's precisely this dose of freedom and fun that makes me want to get up in the morning.
3 things to know about Leila Salimi!
His sources of inspiration? Leïla reads Les Echos and Maddyness. Her mantra?Do it, but always with style.", an adage that she applies as much in her professional life as in her personal life.
Her favorite communication? The Intermarché wolf! Leïla applauds the creative concept of this innovative and surprising campaign, which has opened up the debate, gone viral, while showcasing French know-how.
His passions and commitments? A lover of good food and sparkling wine! A convivial and festive passion that she shares with her entire team. On the social front, Leïla supports the Malagasy association Les Orchidées blanches, which works on issues related to intellectual disability, a cause that needs to be brought back to the forefront of societal debates.
Images: Freepik
