In the continuous evaluation she is carrying out of these experiments, she nevertheless observes that the pooled workers say that they are pretty happy. ‘It is true that around a third stop rapidly, either because for them it consists of a transitional solution or because it doesn’t suit them. On the other hand those who stay seem happy with their situation. They invest a great deal in the companies where they work. In addition, they feel that they can count on a stable job, because in the case of a ‘slackening off’ in one of their employers, they know that they will continue their work at another and that their future does not depend on just one firm,’ she notes. Whilst in general a decoupling between employees and the user is synonymous with social precarity, here the system acts as a catalyst for security. ‘At Job’Ardent we have never laid off anyone,’ she stresses. And if an employer has wished to no longer work with a particular employee, another company has taken over.

The employees of the EAs also seem to appreciate the fact of changing jobs and not always doing the same thing. That is the case of the Brussels based EP: they are shared by a chocolate manufacturer in the winter and by a meat company in the summer, in order to meet the increased demand due to barbecues. ‘The versatility acquired thanks to these changes is a plus for the workers,’ Virginie Xhauflair also points out. In France, when an employee is inactive it is common to have them benefit from training leading to a qualification, which further increases their skills package.

New professions

Finally, amongst the new issues, Virginie Xhauflair ticks off the emergence of professions offering back-up support to these pooling systems. Generally the idea for an EA comes from the outside: it is shouldered by a Chamber of Commerce, a local authority, an employment insertion agency, administrative consultancy boards, a temporary employment agency. The gamble consists of making the graft between the companies take and to get them to appropriate the project. Their commitment is generally the guarantee of the EAs success, insists the anthropologist.

For small scale EAs we could imagine that one of the employers assumes, for remuneration, the task of mobilisation and management. But for a larger EA a paid manager (sometimes from one of the companies concerned), a Director and a structure dedicated to stimulating and co-ordinating the activity prove necessary. ‘The EAs require ‘corporate managers’ who have both skills in management and great versatility, because they are also responsible for the EA’s strategic development. Whatever name we give to these people, they embody the figure of an employer. And, in reality, those people who have the profiles matching this post can really put themselves forward for the world’s strongest man or woman competitions!’ smiles Virginie Xhauflair.

The magic formulae

A positive Brussels and Liège experiment, as well as an EA developed in the market gardening sector: in Belgium workforce pooling far from resembles a wide ranging success story. Is there room for improvement? ‘The current philosophy of EAs in Belgium and their legal framework does not encourage their development. In addition this device, shouldered by third parties, is still unrecognised by business companies. Finally, the idea of a partnership, which is at the heart of this system, has not yet perhaps entered our thought processes,’ admits Virginie Xhauflair. There is also no point denying that complementarity gives rise to a certain number of extra constraints which the businesses will have to take on. ‘Without real motivation on the part of employers there is no point hoping that the experiment will work!’ confirms the anthropologist.

Nonetheless, and even if it is not a magic formula against the crisis or a winning formula destined to solve all the difficulties companies are faced with, ‘the EAs could occupy a larger place. They constitute an interesting solution in a large number of cases, including SMEs and associations, and represent a change of the level at which employment problematics can be resolved. From employers to employees, from the unions to the Chambers of Commerce, the EAs are a new way of thinking but, as well, a long term movement which holds the levers of territorial development. When well designed, the EP is a win-win formula,’ assures Virginie Xhauflair. So when will see classified adverts of the type: ‘Idealistic employer looking for realistic employers for a partnership based on shared employees. Only those genuinely interested need reply.’?