Votes on purpose did not make much noise at the general meetings this year, and yet they continue to make their way into the articles of association, including the most radical, the “Mission Companies”. They have a structuring effect on the day-to-day running of the company, because they focus on people. At a time when recruitment has become difficult, these companies want to add another string to their bow.

Korian/Clariane is a case in point. On June 15th, Clariane was born, the new name for Europe’s leading provider of retirement homes, formerly Korian. At the same time, the shareholders voted in favour of adopting a Raison d’Etre and the status of a company with a mission: “To care for the humanity of each person at times of fragility”.

Since the Loi Pacte made it possible to include “Raison d’Etre” in the articles of association, 45 Paris-listed companies have taken the plunge. A small number took the plunge in 2019, such as Atos, followed by around fifteen in 2020, and since then, around ten regularly every year. This year, for example, Compagnie des Alpes, Holcim and now Korian. La Raison d’Etre continues to bring shareholders and other stakeholders closer together. Of the 45 companies with a Raison d’Etre, few, like Korian, are “companies with a mission”. Danone, Ramsay Santé and Vranken Pommery are among them: there is no sector logic, it’s a choice made by the company.

The inclusion of a “Mission Statement” in the company’s articles of association, and even more so the adoption of the status of mission-driven company, is a way for companies to strengthen their ability to attract the best talent at a time when it is difficult to recruit, and to unite their “stakeholders” by focusing on the human element. Stakeholders may include suppliers, customers, investors, employees, former employees and local authorities. Clariane , like its predecessors, has explained that its change of name and its decision to become a company with a mission was a way for the company to bounce back from the Covid crisis and the Ehpad scandal revealed by the book Les Fossoyeurs in 2022. The book attacked Orpea, the main competitor, but cast a shadow over the entire sector.

At its annual general meeting, the company presented the ten initiatives that will be steered by its “Mission Committee”, made up as it should be of external figures. The themes are the creation of a company university, enabling at least 6,000 employees to take part in training leading to a diploma, the creation of a solidarity fund for employees in difficulty, endowed with 700,000 euros to start with, and greater attention to resident satisfaction.

Shareholders, who are asked to include these Raison d’Etre in the Articles of Association, always vote almost unanimously: they give the companies concerned a chance. On the other hand, they are attentive and demanding. They demand measurable indicators and a link between these initiatives and the creation of value. Companies with a mission must remain profitable. That’s why Clariane’s presentation emphasised its excellent financial health.

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