Elior, a leader in contract catering and services (healthcare hospitality, cleaning, and facility management), employs 42,500 people in France who feed 1.1 million guests per day and clean 400 sites. As an inclusive employer, Elior bases its recruitment policy on three principles: we recruit locally, ensure equal opportunity, and develop our employees’ skills.  

Helping our recruits grow and develop    

Arnaud Debart-Johner, Elior Group Human Resources Director, frames the company’s strategy: “Elior is a responsible employer and an engine of economic growth around the country, so we strive to recruit talented people and develop their skills. Today, we have 800 permanent positions to fill in France, mainly for kitchen jobs such as cook, sous-chef and even head chef. We are also hiring in restaurant management and services. We want to keep new hires at the company for the long haul: currently, over 70% of our managers are internal hires. To reach that level, we implemented an ambitious training policy. We are also fully committed to an inclusive workplace. We set bold targets for employing people with disabilities and for gender equality. Everyone can find a place to work and grow at Elior. Come and join us!”   

Today, over 70% of Elior’s managers are internal hires, which demonstrates how central training is to the company’s HR policy.    

Teams flourish because Elior Academy offers a variety of courses tailored to every team member. Elior employees can now choose between over 300 training courses. With remote and in-person options suited to every ability level, anyone can build their skills and progress within the company. An example of this is a course that teaches aspiring restaurant managers all they need to know to get ahead.

To tackle illiteracy, Elior also works with around 100 employees each year on CléA certification (a French program targeting proficiency in basic knowledge and vocational skills) to make them more employable. CléA certification lets employees demonstrate their skills, acquire new ones, and further their career.

Welcoming and accommodating people with disabilities   

Elior has an official policy of encouraging applications from people with disabilities and removing barriers to employment. Today, 6.83% of our employees live with a disability. Our efforts focus on raising awareness and adapting workstations so employees with a disability can do their jobs.   

Elior typically adapts around 300 workstations every year so employees with specific needs can continue to work effectively. We make sure our teams have all the technical, operational, and training skills they need to accommodate individual cases and keep employees with an officially recognized disability on the job.   

In 2011 Elior created a “bridge to employment” in partnership with the Ecole Parisienne des Métiers de la Table hospitality school and the Académie de Paris, the greater Paris school system. Lasting the entire school year, the bridge program gives eight students with a mental impairment opportunities to learn about jobs in the catering profession. Elior aspires to offer these students work-study training that eventually leads to their hiring.   

Active recruitment efforts nationwide   

As the summer of 2022 draws to a close, Elior is actively recruiting nationwide, looking to fill 1,107 positions, including 800 permanent posts.   

Because we strive to build long-term careers within the company, we are a major player in apprenticeships. We partner with schools to accept and train 400 new work-study participants every year, chiefly in kitchen jobs.