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Would your career benefit from an EMBA?

An Executive MBA is by no means just another upward step on the executive career ladder. In fact, it’s a transformational business qualification that can provide immense value for people at many crucial points in their professional life – and for those wanting to change careers altogether.

Published: 5 December 2022 09:44 CET
Updated: 16 February 2023 17:10 CET
Would your career benefit from an EMBA?
An MBA is an excellent way of refreshing or changing your career. Photo: Getty Images

As long as you have at least eight years of management experience, and motivation to invest in yourself and your career, an EMBA can revive careers that feel in the doldrums, reinvent them in a new industry or help smash a professional glass ceiling. 

Together with EDHEC, one of the leading schools in both France and Europe for executive education, we give examples of career professionals who could reap the benefits of this powerful qualification. 

Early risers

‘Early risers’ are those with a plan to rise through the ranks early in their career. If you know what you want and where you want to be, yes, an EMBA is an ideal way to ensure rapid career progression. An EMBA – especially one that can be completed part-time – allows for the latest strategic thinking and research to be applied in your workplace, with all the career benefits that follow.

An EMBA is, for many organisations, a strong investment in an individual that has long-term benefits. Not only does it expose them to the latest ideas, but also inspires loyalty and employee retention. It can even form a step on a negotiated career plan, giving you stability as you study.

That said, an EMBA can be of solid value to many more than those towards the beginning of their careers.

Career revivers

We can all reach a point where it feels like, professionally, we’re ‘spinning our wheels’. You may seem as if you have reached as far as you can go without further qualification, or that your knowledge and skill base no longer feel as fresh and current as they once did. It could simply be that you feel removed from what you began doing within your organisation in the first place.

An EMBA is the ideal ‘career reviver’ for several reasons. Alongside high-quality teaching, EMBAs often prioritise experiential learning, project-based assessments, and other forms of ‘learning by doing’. EMBAs also, by necessity, expose you to a wide range of experienced professionals within your cohort, each with their knowledge and skills to share.

Speaking of your cohort, you will find they may introduce you to a broad range of management styles and techniques that you can apply to your career. Alongside continuous coaching programs like EDHEC‘s ‘Transform360’, personal development happens both within and outside of the classroom and helps you grow as a leader.

What if you’re looking for something else, however?

Whether you’re wanting to refresh or reinvent your career, an EDHEC MBA is the highly personalised tool you need to thrive. Apply now for March 2023’s intake

Always moving forward: Whether its a seat in the boardroom, or creating the world’s next great app, EMBAs propel careers. Photo: Getty Images

Career changers

For many of us, years of experience lead us to want to try something new. A fresh career calls, in a completely different field – but that doesn’t necessarily mean that you need to start all over again.

EMBAs are ideal for those changing careers as they allow participants to ‘dip their toe’ in various aspects of their new field of work. You can gain a clear understanding of ideas, systems and processes in a structured, supported manner, both in class and throughout the practical components of the qualification.

An EMBA also has incredible value for those going into business for themselves, such as entering the start-up world. Flexible and personalised EMBA programs, like that offered at EDHEC, make sure that you can tailor your program to fill your knowledge gaps, without having to tread over old ground. EMBA graduates are given a comprehensive understanding of business skills, with a global outlook – vital in the digital 21st century.

Ceiling breakers

Perhaps you feel as if there’s a ‘glass ceiling’ within your professional environment – a distinct lack of those like you within senior management. If you feel it’s time to crash through that barrier, an EMBA is an essential tool.

EMBAs are impressive  to senior leaders. They demonstrate a great deal of commitment, in terms of time, energy and sheer hard work. Those graduating from an EMBA program are equipped with the latest in business intelligence and technological understanding. They are a very hard qualification to ignore when it comes time to demand a seat at the table.

What if that’s not recognised within your organisation? Simple – an EMBA turbocharges your employment prospects through your suite of skills and the wide alumni network that you can draw upon.

Your best next step

If you’re still wondering whether an EMBA is right for you at this point in your career, consider the data. In a 2021 survey carried out by EMBAC, the key body overseeing EMBA programs, 39 percent of participants received a promotion before the end of their program and 53 percent were given new responsibilities (and the accompanying salary benefits).

An EMBA can provide immense benefits, no matter where you are in your career journey, whether it’s climbing the organisational ladder, or trying something completely new. Now, it’s time for you to consider the right program for you, one that suits both your personal and professional situation.

EDHEC’s EMBA can be tailored to work for and around you. Learn more about one of Europe’s strongest programs before the next intake begins in March

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WORKING IN FRANCE

Why you really should read your French ‘convention collective’

It's a very long document written in densely-worded legal French - but if you can bring yourself to read it, you might benefit from extra days off work, financial bonuses and perks for healthcare.

Published: 31 October 2023 16:26 CET
Why you really should read your French 'convention collective'

If you’re employed in France you already benefit from statutory rules that give you paid holiday, employment protections as well as extra days off if you’re doing things like moving house, getting married or having a baby. You can find the full list of statutory perks and benefits here.

But the vast majority of workers are also covered by a convention collective – a sector-wide agreement that offers little extras – whether that is days off or financial benefits – on top of the legal minimum.

The convention collective is a collective bargaining agreement which was negotiated on behalf of workers (by unions, employee organisations or associations) with the French government, and it is legally binding.

It’s different to schemes that companies offer their staff as perks or inducements for new recruits such as money to buy and maintain a bike.

Where can I find my convention collective?

If you have a look at your payslip, at the top just underneath your personal details you should find listed convention collective followed by the name of the convention that you are covered by. It’s usually listed as the name of the sector you work in eg journalistes if you work in the media. You can then search for the text itself on the Legifrance website.

If your convention isn’t listed, you can use the government’s ‘find my convention collective’ search option. 

The convention covers workers on a permanent (CDI) or temporary (CDD) contract, and applies even if you are still in a trial period.

The convention collective may differ from your work contract, perhaps regarding procedures prior to quitting your job.

In this case, French Labour law states that the option that is “most favourable to the employee takes precedence”.

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What’s in it? 

There are dozens of different conventions, so what’s in your depends on the sector you work in.

It might inform you of unknown benefits or useful information as to how your sector differs from standard French labour laws.

Be warned, these are long, complicated documents written in formal, legal French. But they’re worth the effort to read.

Here are some of the most common perks that they contain;

Extra days off – Your collective agreement might give you more than the standard 25 days of paid leave per year, and it may also allow you to take extra unpaid days off.

There might also be extra days off for special events such as getting married or pacsé, while parents might be entitled to extra parental leave. For example, the convention covering pharmacists allows for five days of leave if you’re getting married, rather than the statutory four.

Pharmacists might also be expected to work on public holidays (jours fériés). In this case, the collective agreement has a provision entitling them to a pay increase of 100 percent for on May 1st (Labour Day) and a 25 percent increase on other public holidays.

READ MORE: Reader question: How many public holidays does France have?

If your sector is covered by the 35-hour week rule, some conventions allow for RTT (réduction du temps de travail) days. This is a system to compensate people for working over-time. 

Some companies’ conventions will allow workers to take RTT days whenever they want – so just like extra holidays, whilst other companies enforce workers to take specific RTT days such as the day after Christmas or Good Friday, which are not public holidays in (most of) France.

Some agreements also allow workers to ‘make up’ public holidays that fall on a weekend – normally if a public holiday falls on a Saturday or a Sunday workers just have to resign themselves to having no extra day off. But some conventions allow workers to take the Friday or Monday closest to the public holiday as an extra (paid) day off.

Bonuses and rewards – When reading through the convention collective, you can also learn which types of bonuses are applied in your sector. These might include a prime de vacances (vacation bonus), the prime d’ancienneté (long-serving or seniority bonuses) or a prime de naissance (bonus for new parents).

The qualifications and calculations for these bonuses would be outlined in the convention, and are usually based on your salary. For example, people working in the real estate (immobilier) sector can be eligible for a ‘médaille d’honneur du travail’ (medal of honour for work) after 20, 30, 35, and 40 years of service respectively. This entitles the worker to a bonus of one month’s salary.

Health and family benefits – You will also be able to learn whether your collective agreement imposes any rules regarding a mutuelle.

All businesses are required to pay at least half of the cost of the ‘top-up’ health insurance known as a mutuelle, but some pay the full cost. Some conventions also offer a mutuelle that also covers family members of the employee.

Training and education – If you want to go in for any extra training or education, the convention might specify what would be paid for, as well as which types of training continue to count toward years of seniority in the company.

Some sectors – like banking – even encourage further training with bonuses (primes).

Rules for hiring and firing – The collective agreement will also lay out the rules for how the how long the trial period can last, as well as the procedures needed to quit your job (ie how much notice to give).

If you are made redundant or sacked from your position, the convention will also list the rules for how the company should go about this, as well as the payout you would be entitled to.

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