Jean-Michel Charbonneau: A manager who wears his heart on his sleeve

Jean-Michel makes no secret of his caring side. In his 28 years as a manager, his warm approach and sincere desire to help have consistently made an impression on those around him. He comes from a family of poultry farmers, and his work has always been closely linked to agriculture and nature. 

Having worked at Sollio for over 17 years, Jean-Michel seems to have found exactly where he belongs—especially since he discreetly set up a social integration program with the cooperative. His goal is to enable young people with severe learning disabilities to find an internship. 

“These are extraordinary individuals who have valuable contributions to make. We can learn so much from them. They always look at things in such a positive way. That is something I find very moving.” 

Giving people a chance 

Jean-Michel was strongly influenced by his teacher wife, and he is keen to welcome these students during their school internship. These short paid experiences on the job market are also designed to give them a taste for farming. When asked why he gets so involved, Jean-Michel doesn’t hide the emotional side. 

“I know what it’s like to take a different path to success from everyone else. I’m sensitive to their situation because of my own story. Sure, I passed in school, but it was precarious. I struggled through Secondary 5 and tried my luck in various vocational programs, but school was hard for me and not for lack of effort. You need someone to reach out to you to help you grow, someone who’ll show that they believe in you, because life is harder without a diploma.” 

A win-win initiative 

Of course, in addition to his social ambitions, Jean-Michel remains a manager. He needs to think about performance and his team, and there is no way he would hide behind hollow values. Sollio Agriculture is a firm believer in inclusion, and the company applies its principles on a daily basis. It gives young people who are struggling a chance because they’re just as hard-working as anyone else, and their presence helps in making up for the labour shortage. 

And the best part about all this? We provide opportunities for people who may otherwise have trouble finding a job. Often, it’s just a matter of making a few ergonomic or organizational adjustments—two conditions we are absolutely ready to fulfill. 

“We have one of our protégés performing a very repetitive task. Our other employees, when asked to perform the same task, do so dutifully but don’t derive much enjoyment from it. Our intern, though, does it happily. He is not as fast as others would be, but he gets it done at his own pace. As a manager, all that matters to me is that we achieve the same result, no matter how long it takes. And he appreciates the chance to do it.” 

Jean-Michel looks far beyond the physical or mental limitations of his future employees. He sees the potential for building a loyal workforce when you treat people right. He believes that when employees work in secure, long-term positions they accumulate knowledge that is vital to any company. For managers, these are incredible resources that definitely have their place in the industry.