How Elevo helped JCDecaux structure and strengthen its Talent Management strategy

Before Elevo: Rethinking the annual performance review

At JCDecaux, the digitization of annual performance reviews began in 2007, first through SharePoint, and later via a career and training management system.

By 2018, the HR team wanted to breathe new life into the process, having observed that the average completion rate (around 50%) was falling short of expectations. At the same time, HR trends were starting to challenge the relevance of traditional annual reviews.

To rethink its approach, the JCDecaux HR team organized a Design Thinking workshop with around thirty managers.

Following this working session, several conclusions and objectives were formalized:

1. The annual review would be maintained,

2. Greater flexibility was needed to be introduced into the process,

3. The review should be positioned as a development tool,

4. As an outcome of this reflection, the annual review was renamed “Yous” for “You and Us”.

The JCDecaux HR team then began looking for a tool that would:

• Be simple and user-friendly, as the user experience plays a key role in both completion rates and overall engagement with the process

• Offer flexibility, enabling the creation of tailored forms for specific employee populations

• Provide easily usable data, in order to demonstrate the true added value of the annual review process

Why Elevo?

After benchmarking several tools, the JCDecaux HR team decided to adopt Elevo in 2019, as the contractual, security, and GDPR aspects fully met their expectations.

“Usually, when we choose a tool, there’s always some degree of customization or development required to meet all our needs. That naturally brings a level of uncertainty and risk, we wonder whether the tool will truly deliver. But with Elevo, it was the exact opposite. Elevo is a turnkey solution.”
- Victoire Pellegrin, HR Development Director at JCDecaux

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JCDecaux's review campaigns on Elevo

The JCDecaux HR team quickly embraced Elevo. Since 2019, they have launched multiple review campaigns through the platform, making Elevo their go-to tool for career management.

At JCDecaux, participation in the YOUS review campaigns is remarkably high: reaching 92% in the latest cycle! Victoire Pellegrin explains why:

“Before using Elevo, annual reviews lacked structure and timing. Since adopting the platform, we’ve turned them into a meaningful ritual. Employees and managers now understand that the data collected is actually used. This has transformed the way the process is perceived, it’s now seen as valuable, which wasn’t the case before. Today, these reviews spark reflection and meaningful dialogue that go far beyond operational performance, they help guide employees in their growth and development journey.”
- Victoire Pellegrin, HR Development Director at JCDecaux

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Following each YOUS campaign, the HR team initiates a data analysis phase, notably to identify employees who may be at risk of leaving.

“By analyzing the data from the YOUS reviews, we’re able to better understand the drivers and barriers to employee engagement and motivation. We include four targeted questions on these topics. For example, "How would you rate your work–life balance?" Each question uses a four-point scale, giving us a total score out of 16. If an employee scores 8 or below, they are considered at risk.”
- Victoire Pellegrin, HR Development Director at JCDecaux

People Review and Talent Mapping at JCDecaux

Once the data has been analyzed, People Reviews are launched.

Together with the HR teams responsible for each business unit, Victoire Pellegrin conducts a review of the YOUS interviews. The key focus areas include:

1. Employee engagement levels,

2. Individual performance,

3. The previous year's Talent Mapping, with a forward-looking projection for the year ahead

“If we identify a disengaged employee as a top performer, we ask ourselves what we can do to retain them. Sometimes there’s a time gap, for example, if the employee completed their YOUS review in December and the People Review takes place in July. In such cases, we conduct a six-month check-in: is this person still at risk? Have they experienced a role change or received other forms of support? If not, we implement measures to accompany and support them.”
- Victoire Pellegrin, HR Development Director at JCDecaux

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The HR team then shares employee positioning with all Directors, focusing in particular on individuals mapped as 1, 2, or 3 in the 9-box grid. This work supports several strategic objectives, including:

• Anticipating successions and replacement needs,

• Building a talent pool to reduce external recruitment costs and promote internal mobility

• Implementing tailored initiatives for top talents, especially those under 35 with less than 5 years of tenure, as they are more likely to leave the company,

• Recognizing and supporting employees over 55 through targeted programs

“This year, during the People Reviews, we identified employees over the age of 55. How long have they been with JCDecaux? If they’ve been here for many years, do they need support or training? It’s important to recognize and show appreciation for those who were sometimes part of JCDecaux’s early days. At the same time, it’s a way to highlight and value departments that hire people over 55 and foster age-diverse teams. At JCDecaux, we are committed to promoting intergenerational collaboration.”
- Victoire Pellegrin, HR Development Director at JCDecaux

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Elevo supported the JCDecaux HR team in designing its People Review and Talent Mapping processes. This year, JCDecaux decided to take things a step further by adopting Elevo's dedicated People Review product.

“Elevo is set to become the go-to tool for both managers and senior leadership. It will serve as the platform where they can position their team members and track follow-up actions, particularly training initiatives. For HR teams overseeing business units and for Directors, this will be a major advantage: they’ll instantly see where their teams are positioned.
Moreover, during compensation review campaigns, we’ll be able to rely on Elevo to identify top talents who may be at risk of leaving and cross-check this data with compensation records. That will make it easier to advocate for a salary increase budget.”
- Victoire Pellegrin, HR Development Director at JCDecaux

The benefits of Elevo for JCDecaux

1°) Time savings and greater autonomy for the HR team

Elevo is an intuitive, user-friendly platform that requires very little support from the HR team for employees and managers. Automatic reminders save valuable time, no more follow-up emails!
The HR team at JCDecaux has also gained in autonomy, thanks to Elevo’s ease of use and streamlined interface.

2°) Better prepared, more meaningful reviews

Employees complete and prepare their YOUS review on Elevo ahead of their one-on-one with their manager. This process encourages them to take a step back from day-to-day operations and reflect on their goals, strengths, and areas for improvement. It pushes them to adopt a more strategic perspective on their work.

3°) More constructive conversations between employees and managers

Better preparation leads to richer, more constructive discussions. Both parties rely on facts and tangible examples to assess goal achievement and explore improvements together. By facilitating these exchanges, Elevo strengthens engagement and brings renewed meaning to each employee’s and manager’s work.

“Elevo has helped us solidify our talent management strategy!”
- Victoire Pellegrin, HR Development Director at JCDecaux

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