Benoît Havez, HR Director of Stef’s Mass Retail Business Unit: “We Must Be Frank”
Every year, the logistics sector recruits on a massive scale. But limited awareness of its professions, the preconceptions from which it suffers, and sometimes demanding working conditions often make it difficult to find candidates. To attract them, Stef, a specialist in food logistics and transport, has deployed several recruitment strategies for many years. Testimony from one of its HR directors.
The Stef Group, a specialist in food logistics and transport, is divided into nine Business Units. You are the HR Director of the Mass Retail Business Unit. What does it represent, in human-resources terms, within the Group?
Our customers are generalist mass-retail players and, increasingly, specialist retailers (organic, frozen foods, etc.). These retailers need customized logistics tailored to their specific requirements. To meet these needs, our Business Unit relies on 25 sites in France and has 3,000 employees. Each site operates as an autonomous subsidiary, headed by a managing director and an executive committee that includes, in particular, an HR manager.
Is Stef hiring and, if so, which profiles are most in demand?
The Group operates in eight European countries. In 2024, we hired 4,000 people, including 3,000 in France. And this pace is expected to remain the same in the coming years. These hires are linked to the company’s growth, but also to offset retirements and natural turnover, as well as to meet the need for new expertise. The profiles we seek most are in operational roles: order pickers, dock workers, and drivers.
Do you have difficulty recruiting?
For these three positions, yes, we have difficulty recruiting. Although these professions are accessible without prior qualifications and open to all profiles, the supply of applicants does not always meet our needs. Especially since there are often several logistics providers in the same geographic area, with the same requirements. Furthermore, logistics sites are often located on the outskirts, away from cities. This creates a mobility issue for employees, as public transportation is not always adequate and may not be compatible with our operating hours. Although we cover part of the mileage costs, this can still be a sticking point for candidates, even though our compensation is more attractive than it may seem.
Are there other reasons for this mismatch between supply and demand?
We are talking about a sector that suffers from preconceived notions about physically demanding work, schedules, recognition, salaries, and so on. It remains unfamiliar to a great many people. We need to raise our profile, show the reality, and be transparent, with a clear agreement from the outset: there would be no point in hiding the challenges these professions entail. But these are also professions that offer career opportunities, and we highlight this to attract candidates. We also work on quality of life and working conditions in order to retain our teams.
How do you go about attracting applicants, and then retaining talent?
We work with different stakeholders and in different ways: France Travail, at both the national and local levels, Cap Emploi, associations, local employment missions, and more. We present our professions to the advisors who will then be in contact with candidates, and we show them around our sites so that they can convey the same transparent message as we do. And, above all, we need to be present in the field. We try to make everyone understand that it is possible to grow with us. For example, 20% of our current subsidiary directors joined us without a diploma. Someone can start out as an order picker, move into a supervisory role and then, thanks to internal support, for some, advance to management positions. This is one of the strengths of our sector: social mobility genuinely works here.
How do you respond to the main criticisms of the logistics sector, particularly concerning working conditions?
We fully acknowledge the challenges associated with working conditions and address them through concrete actions: workstation design, hands-on management, and more. Like most sectors of our economy, we are evolving with society. We listen to needs and continually adapt. For example, we are seeking to increase the share of women in our professions to reach 25% of our workforce by 2030. In particular, we are working on scheduling, working hours, and part-time work. We also pay particularly close attention to the health and safety of our employees, with ergonomists fully integrated into the company to adapt workstations, offer trials of exoskeletons for material handling, and design clothing that is also suitable for women. We have also established forums for listening to employees in the field, enabling everyone to raise difficulties and suggest avenues for improvement. We organize a growing number of activities and team-building events, which forge connections and foster a positive atmosphere within teams. In a constantly changing world, we must preserve what makes us strong: deeply human professions in which solidarity and mutual support remain strong values. This philosophy is also reflected in employee share ownership: more than one employee in two is a shareholder in the Group, and 74% of the capital is held by its management and teams—a true hallmark of Stef’s policy.
