"I spent 15 years in management, including 9 years at the head of a small business with about a hundred employees, the Kangourou agencies specialized in early childhood,” says Sylvana Baratiny. “It was there that I truly realized that we could take concrete actions to change things, even on the scale of a small business.” There, for example, she implemented essential goods baskets for employees, a grocery bag available at the agency to be picked up at the end of the month, which makes a real difference for some in the face of inflation.
She also wants to drive change in recruitment. When thinking of a nanny, people often picture a young woman. So the goal has been to gradually break down stereotypes related to gender and age. She recruits men and seniors, develops targeted communication highlighting the richness of these profiles, encourages them to join her agencies, and participates in dedicated fairs. Finally, she establishes several partnerships to welcome people distanced from employment or in career transition.
These commitments require education, especially towards clients. “But that's also what inclusion is about, it's about gently changing mindsets,” explains Sylvana Baratiny. “It's really about planting seeds. And then we realize over time that employees feel more involved, more recognized, and prouder of their work as we bring meaning back into what we do every day. The company will gain stability but also creativity. And it also allows for sustainable performance with a strong impact. A diverse team is a team that thinks better, adapts faster, and innovates more.”
With this realization, Sylvana Baratiny spreads her ideas around her, in her associative life within professional federations, in other agencies of the group, with franchisees, or with friends who are managers or leaders of small businesses. Eventually, the idea emerges to launch her consulting firm, Sylvae Management et Consulting, to offer tailored support to these leaders and managers.
“This is where I come in to train, equip, and support managers so they can create a fairer and more balanced work environment themselves,” specifies Sylvana Baratiny. “That's why I wanted to make this shift and open this firm, because for me, inclusion is not just a box to check, a line in a CSR report, or a nice argument to put on LinkedIn. It's a deep conviction that needs to be acquired, so we are here to raise awareness on these topics. And it’s not something that can be decreed; it’s built day by day, it’s about planting small seeds in decisions, recruitments, and simply in the way we listen to our employees.”
"What really drives change is raising awareness among all companies, even the smallest ones, that they can play a role in this managerial transformation, this societal transformation even. Because we often think it's reserved for the bigger ones and that with our small budgets, we can't do much. So I'm here to show them otherwise.”
