On 19 April, Didier Besseyre, on behalf of the European Federation of Company Sport, awarded the Active Workplace Certification (WAC) to Manutan Group.
The Manutan Group, Europe’s leading BtoB e-commerce company specialising in the distribution of equipment and supplies to businesses and local authorities, places the fulfilment and development of its staff at the heart of its strategy. This is how the Manutan Sports Centre came into being at its Gonesse campus in the Val d’Oise (France).
For more than ten years now, the company has been deploying a comprehensive programme to promote sport within its walls and beyond. The in-house team, supported by external organisations, partners and instructors, offers around fifteen weekly activities throughout the year: from yoga to table tennis and archery! Not forgetting all the events that punctuate the Sport Centre calendar: sports meetings, afterworks, team buildings, etc.
As well as being an internal success, with more than a quarter of the company’s employees practising at least one of the disciplines on offer, the project has also been rewarded: the Sports Centre was awarded WAC certification last April. Nathalie Cara, Work Environment Manager, explains: “This certification is recognition of our commitment and ongoing investment in developing physical activity in the workplace. It also raises awareness of the importance of sport in the workplace”.
The key to the success of this project? Support and commitment at every level of the company, from the Executive Board of course, but also from human resources, managers and employees.
Moreover, the company’s commitment does not stop at the internal level; it also wants its ecosystem to benefit. That is why it makes its facilities available to partner associations such as Novosports, which promotes inclusive sport, and Sport dans la Ville, which supports the social and professional integration of young people through sport. And soon, the Val d’Oise fire brigade will be training here!
Caroline Haquet, Group Human Resources Director, adds: “The Manutan Sports Centre plays a key role in the quality of life at work. It enables everyone to achieve personal fulfilment, to be part of a dynamic of progress and also to strengthen links with our stakeholders through meetings, practices and sharing. We are convinced that sport helps to stimulate the team and to develop a state of mind that is conducive to performance and commitment”.
The WAC (Active Workplace Certification) opens up new prospects for the company, enabling it to continue rolling out its project on a larger scale. Sharing ideas with its peers, drawing inspiration from each other and promoting its vision of sport – these are its ambitions for the future following our european project.
Key dates – Manutan Sports:
- 2011: Inauguration of the head office, with its unique sports infrastructure including a weights room and a cardio room, a multi-sports pitch, a 7-metre high climbing wall, two squash courts, etc.
- 2017: partnership with Sport dans la Ville (French association for social inclusion through sport)
- 2023: partnership with the Fédération Française du Sport d’Entreprise and Novosports (French association for the development of inclusive sport)
- 2024: partnership with the Val d’Oise fire brigade
