On the phone, the voice is frank and invigorating. From the first word, you can feel the energy. Ornella Macheda has been HR Director at Réseau Santé Sarine (RSS) since 2020. The following year, she decided to set up workshops on sustainable team development.

Text by Francesca Sacco

What did you learn about sustainable teams through this project?

It's essential to devote energy to following up the workgroups, to anchor what we've learned in everyday life. It's all about creating cohesion, and that means investing in links and informality. Yes, that's what I've learned, or rather what we've experienced. The idea that has germinated in one mind can inspire others, if they have the opportunity to experience that it's a good thing for them too. HR managers need to be convinced of the positive impact of a long-term project, and be fully committed to supporting their teams. In fact, our workshops are more than just training - they're relationships!

What are you doing differently today as a result of these workshops?

Basically, what interested me was creating bonds of trust and instilling in managers a commitment to developing their teams in this frame of mind. Because if relationships are good, people are more likely to dare express their ideas in front of their colleagues, and are more willing to get involved in the running of their teams. That's why we started by training all our managers. We wanted to implement sustainable change - logical, since the workshops are all about creating sustainable teams! With the little hindsight I have, I think this has sharpened my personal understanding of employee growth. Let's just say it has strengthened my philosophy and my belief in the fundamental importance of trusting relationships. As HR Director, I see it as part of my role to disseminate this conviction, because trust is the basis of good collaborations. And when I hear that one of the people I've coached recommends her colleagues to come and see me if they have a problem, it reinforces my position.

What was the project?

We therefore began the experiment with the network's executives, some twenty people in all, adopting a micro-project approach to achieve rapid, measurable effects. We wanted to avoid falling into the trap of those approaches where you never see the end - and sometimes even the results. In the end, all those who took part decided to continue, and so the project was renewed. For follow-up, quarterly breakfasts were organized to share informal moments.

The project in figures

• 3 half-day workshops
• 23 working hours in total
• 25 managers trained
• Quarterly follow-up in the form of thematic meetings

The company at a glance

The Réseau Santé de la Sarine (RSS) employs 400 people. Founded in 2016, it brings together the 28 communes of the Sarine district of Fribourg. It oversees a 100-bed nursing home in Villars-sur-Glâne, a homecare service, an ambulance service serving a population of 100,000, and a coordination center.

The HRD philosophy

Before joining Réseau Santé Sarine, Ornella Macheda worked in recruitment at Merck Switzerland, then as HR manager for the police, first in Lausanne and then in the West-Lausanne region. In 2020, she became Head of HR & Training at RSS. The team is therefore young, with skills and characters that she describes as highly complementary. From the outset, Ornella Macheda has made staff relations a priority. So she decided to meet everyone. "I wanted to find out what people did, to immerse myself in their daily lives, to understand their jobs. So I started by doing internships in the departments. She then set about strengthening links, for example by organizing events within the network. The workshops organized since 2021 on developing sustainable teams are part of this extension.

Let's continue the exchange with Ornella Macheda lor our next MeetUp Actitudes™:

Monday May 15, 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. (videoconference) 

Register (free) for the next MeetUp Actitudes™: https://lnkd.in/g4c-kRZv