Atlantique Boissons gives bonuses based on merit and difficulty – Le Journal des Entreprises

At Atlantique Boissons, in Sainte-Marie-de Redon, 35 employees work among pallets, crates of bottles and other beer barrels. Beverage wholesaler, the company supplies the out-of-home consumer sector (cafes, hotels, restaurants and communities) throughout the department. Directed by Pauline and her brother David Barre, the company belongs to the Atlantique Boissons group (150 employees, 48 ​​M€ turnover) also present in Rennes, Nantes and Paris. Each of the different structures being independent, it decides on its salary policy.

In Redon, Atlantique Boissons has chosen meritocracy. The sharing of value is therefore calculated according to the difficulty of the tasks to be performed and above all the commitment of the employees. The company, which achieves around 11 million euros in turnover, with a net result of 528,000 euros in 2021, thus grants monthly bonuses established according to the profession. “We started to set them up a few years ago, first for logistics, then two years ago for all of the company’s businesses”, explains Pauline Barre.

Bonuses adapted to the trades

Salespeople, for example, in addition to the classic bonuses linked to their objectives, benefit from bonuses if they follow the procedures well. In logistics, for order pickers, forklift operators or delivery drivers, the bonuses are calculated according to the weight of the deliveries, the cleanliness of the vehicles, the few errors made in the preparations, etc. “Whoever carries 3 tons a day will have more than someone who carries one ton. If the vehicle is in good condition, he will receive 50 euros, if there has been no breakage another 50 euros and that decreases depending on the number of errors. Thanks to feedback from our software and customer comments, we have precise monitoring, which allows us to explain each bonus”, explains Pauline Barre. Atlantique Boissons wants to highlight the hardship of the work, which is more marked when delivering to the city center or in high season, for example. With technicians, it’s the same principle: if the troubleshooting with the customer is quick and well done, there are bonuses.

A philosophy that drives the company forward

“The employee sees that the work is sometimes complicated but that it is worth the cost to commit. Motivation pays off. Meritocracy seems fair to us and since it is difficult to recruit, it allows us to keep the best employees”, adds the leader. Its employees can thus increase their salary by 150 to 250 euros each month. “Financially, this has a cost for the company, which is difficult to quantify because it varies, but we see it above all as an “investment” and a virtuous circle, since the key is that the customer will be satisfied and will want to work with us. The more bonuses you pay, the happier you are, because that means the job is well done,” says Pauline Barre.

For two years, Atlantique Boissons has also chosen to share the value equally for all its employees, paying 500 euros of “Prime Macron” to each once a year. “This represents 17,500 euros for Atlantique Boissons but gives purchasing power to everyone. It is important, especially since we have all pulled together lately to climb the slope after the Covid”, underlines Pauline Rod. All this without counting the little extra linked to the sector of activity: advantageous prices on drinks!