If you are currently considering the possibility of introducing employees to your business, you might be concerned about how you will make them feel comfortable within your workplace and how you are going to support their wellbeing. If that is the case, here are some of the steps that you should take to keep your employees comfortable at work.

Introduce Air Conditioning

Workplaces and offices, in particular, are known for being incredibly stuffy and warm places, and if your workplace is too hot, you may find that your employees struggle to concentrate or that they start to fall ill. As such, you should consider introducing air conditioning to your building, especially during the summer, when offices can become heat traps. This is especially true if you have many employees working in close quarters. If you are only looking for a temporary solution to your heating problem, you should hire portable air conditioner, which can help you to make your office environment comfortable and productive throughout the warmer months of the year.

Offer Flexible Working Arrangements

To keep your employees feeling comfortable, you should also try to offer flexible working arrangements to them. For instance, you might consider creating spaces in your office design that promote both collaborative work, such as sofas and meeting rooms, and independent working, such as desks with partitions. This can then help your employees to work in the way that is best for them. You might also consider offering the option to work from home. This is especially important while the COVID-19 pandemic still rages on, with some people preferring to still stay at home. This can then also encourage employees who may have other commitments, such as family.

Create Great Policies

To enable your employees to feel comfortable, you also need to create great policies concerning health and safety, discrimination, and bullying, among other problems that could occur in the workplace. This will ensure that your employees know your stance on these issues and can rest assured that you take a no-nonsense approach to any issues that arise. This can then ensure that they do not feel unable to come to you with problems that occur, and that they know that these will be sorted as quickly as possible.

Build Your Team

Your employees also need to feel comfortable around each other and as if they are part of a team. This can be easier to achieve than you might expect. All you need to do to make your employees feel like a team is to set up activity and team-building days for your employees, or even host a few workplace parties that can give your employees the chance to socialise. This can then ensure that your employees do not feel as if they are working with strangers and can allow everyone to feel as if they have the support that they need.

You might also decide to run a buddy scheme or mentoring scheme for your employees who have just started working for your firm or whom you want to progress.

Starting a new business venture in France is an exciting prospect, but it can also feel like a daunting one if you are not familiar with French procedures and protocols. Follow these six tips to make sure you avoid the common pitfalls – and give your new venture the best chance of flourishing in la douce France!

1. Make sure there is a market for your business

Just because business is booming in one location, doesn’t mean it is guaranteed to succeed in another. Carry out your research, and choose a place where your product or service is needed. What’s more, don’t be put off if something similar to your business model is already out there; this might in fact be a good thing, because it indicates there’s an existing demand for what you do! Just make sure you differentiate your product or service in some way, and stand out from the competition by highlighting what makes you unique.

2. Make connections

Once you’ve pinpointed the ideal site, get networking! If you are based in the same area of France where you hope to launch, this can be as simple as networking with locals at the boulangerie or bistro, setting up a stall at a local ‘foire artisanale’ (depending on your line of business) and crucially, making sure you are visible and active on local social media groups. Consider offering locals incentives such as an introductory offer, or a discount for repeat customers.

3. Master the language

It might sound obvious, but launching a business in France requires a strong, native-like grasp of the French language. Precision, clarity and accurate vocabulary are highly valued – and the opposite is also true; a poor command of French is a sure-fire way of sending potential clients running for the hills!

So, while that French GCSE might afford you a good enough understanding of French to get by, when it comes to written French that represents your business and its core values, you need a native. Use a reputable agency to help you translate existing content from English to French, as this is an area where quality needs to be prioritised.

An agency specialising in French translation can also give you invaluable insights into cultural norms and protocols which, however confident you are at ordering an espresso and a croissant, you might not fully have a handle on unless you are a native.

4. Research French company structures

It’s important that you inform yourself of the types of company structures which operate in France, as they are likely to differ from those in your home country. Some of those most commonly found include:

EURL (which stands for Entreprise Unipersonelle à Responsibilité Limitée)

This is where the business is owned by a sole trader and can be established with a very low amount of capital (just 1€). Tax can be charged either through the personal income tax system of the business owner, or through company tax.

SARL (Société à Responsibilité Limitée)

This structure is preferred when the company is owned by more than one person (and so EURL is no longer appropriate). These owners are called the company gérants and they have identical powers within the company.

SAS (Société Par Actions Simplifiée)

This is another commonly chosen structure, and is often used with joint ventures taking place between a French company and one which is registered abroad. Just one person is allowed to act on behalf of the company if it’s registered as an SAS – its ‘Président’. One shareholder is also required, and this can be the same person as the président, although if it is, the company will be incorporated as a SASU (Société par Actions Simplifiées Unipersonnelle).

5. Choose the right business insurance

Following on from deciding on the best business structure for your company, you also need to make sure you also have the right sort of insurance. If your blood pressure starts to rise at the mere thought of this sort of paperwork and its surrounding legalities, consider using an insurance company that specialises in making the world of insurance in France accessible to English speakers and expats, such as this one here.

6. Follow the French calendar

In France, public holidays are an opportunity for celebration, and your business should reflect this. Whether it’s Bastille Day, Assumption Day or Toussaint, use these important days throughout the year to build in linked offers, or simply update your website to show an awareness of these key cultural moments. You can find out when they are (and what each one signifies) over here.

Starting a business in France is an exciting prospect, with lots of potential for growth and expansion – not to mention enjoyment! While there are some snares to watch out for, if you follow our tips your business will be thriving en France in no time at all.