Garance x Zest: Steering Employee Engagement in service of sustainable performance

“Many companies talk about retention, but we want to go much further: encouraging our employees to invest themselves, to fully thrive in their roles”
Anthony Courbet, Head of Human Capital, Garance

To achieve this, Garance launched the Garance Academy, an individualized training program combining internal experts, learning communities, and even “passion communities,” where each employee can share a personal interest. An approach that reflects the company’s deep conviction: a fulfilled collective is one that innovates and creates long-term value.

An HR policy oriented toward sustainable performance

At Garance, economic performance is no longer enough on its own. The challenge is to build an engaged, skilled collective aligned with a shared vision of the future, by breaking down silos, encouraging initiative-taking, and rolling out, since 2023, a management culture manifesto co-built with the teams.

“Our HR policy is part of an ambition for sustainable performance. We know today that economic performance is no longer sufficient. It is important to work on our employees’ fulfillment and the societal impact of our activities.”
Anthony Courbet, Head of Human Capital, Garance

This is where Zest became a core management tool for the Human Capital team.

The solution: the Zest engagement survey, the backbone of HR management

Garance deployed the Zest engagement survey: a 30-question barometer, activated twice a year, to measure employee engagement levels, analyze the quality of management relationships, and verify team alignment with strategic directions.

The results don’t sit in a drawer: they are fully shared with all employees, co-built with the Executive Committee, and passed on to the Works Council (CSE). A deliberate transparency, in service of trust.

“We truly drive a large part of our HR actions based on feedback from our employees, feedback that is intended to be regular, sincere, and transparent.”

Anthony Courbet, Head of Human Capital, Garance

Three key benefits identified by the teams

1.Transparency:Results and action plans are accessible to everyone, from the Executive Committee to the Works Council. This openness strengthens trust and the legitimacy of HR decisions.

2.Clarity and meaning:By grounding HR actions in real employee feedback, Garance is able to bring its teams along much more easily through ongoing transformations.

3. A feedback culture: The engagement survey makes it possible to move beyond impressions and access genuine verbatim comments, particularly valuable for change management communications.

“Having this employee feedback from Zest is truly valuable for change management communications. It allows us to adjust and stay as close as possible to everyone’s concerns.” Candide Rossato, Director of Impact, Garance

Zest labels: an employer attractiveness lever

Beyond internal use, Zest labels play a concrete role in Garance’s employer brand strategy. They provide visible external recognition of the company’s engagement momentum, and help attract talent who share its values: innovation, commitment, and a long-term vision.

“The Zest labels are a real way to bring our employer identity to life. It’s a truly meaningful recognition, visible externally, of our entire engagement dynamic.”

Anthony Courbet, Head of Human Capital, Garance

What Zest changed at Garance

✅ Structured HR management built around real, regular data

✅ Action plans co-built and shared across all levels of the organization

✅ A feedback culture embedded in day-to-day practices

✅ Significant time savings in building and deploying HR actions

✅ A stronger, visible, and distinctive employer brand

“Zest in one word: actionable. It’s a real tool that supports our transformation, delivers concrete and readable results, and saves us considerable time in deploying our HR actions.”

Candide Rossato, Director of Impact, Garance