Mental health: when a film becomes a conversation starter

How do you mobilize thousands of employees around a subject as intimate as mental health? VINCI Construction has chosen a path rarely taken: that of emotion. Here's a look back at a groundbreaking initiative, described in a tripartite webinar hosted by Jérôme Crest, CEO of Holivia, Ludovic Demierre, HR Director of VINCI Construction, and Olivier Benquet, Health, Safety and Environment Director of the Europe-Africa Division.

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A film to get people talking

"It's not a corporate film, it's a film that touches people. This is how Ludovic Demierre presents his project. Conceived with sincerity, the film highlights real-life situations, crossed glances and silences too. The aim? To break down taboos, to create an emotional space where employees can recognize themselves, allow themselves to feel and... to talk.

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A strategic, human and ambitious approach

For VINCI Construction, mental health is not a peripheral issue. It's a strategic, cross-functional issue that affects performance, safety, social climate and attractiveness. Olivier Benquet, Health, Safety and Environment Director for the Europe-Africa Division, confirms this: "This project was born of a deep-seated need: to enable our employees to feel supported and listened to, at every level of the organization."

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Three highlights for an inspiring webinar

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1. Behind the scenes of a film like no other

This film is in no way a conventional communication tool.
It was co-constructed with occupational health and safety specialists, HR and the employees themselves, in order to be as close as possible to the reality on the ground.
The aim: to bring to light real-life situations, shared feelings, sometimes heavy-handed silences, and to shed light on what is not always said... but what many people experience.

💡 During the webinar, speakers shared:

• The genesis of the project and the choice of narrative format
• Steps in writing the script with the teams
• The director's aesthetic and human approach

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2. The film screening - a powerful emotional experience

The heart of the webinar: a full screening of the film.
In just a few minutes, we are plunged into the life of a worker, a manager, a colleague in difficulty... Simple, accurate, hard-hitting stories.
Silences that speak volumes. Glances, tensions, little everyday phrases.
So many scenes that resonate with what many employees experience, whatever their position.

🎥 The emotion in the room (and in the webinar chat) was palpable.
Many saw it as a sensitive mirror, a wake-up call, even a trigger for dialogue.

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3. Impacts already visible in the field

Finally, the webinar provided an initial assessment of the project.
The speakers shared team feedback, post-broadcast reactions and the first concrete developments:

• Open the floor for spontaneous discussion after the screening
• Release of certain personal accounts
• Better managerial awareness of weak signals
• Want to go further in everyday prevention?

🔎 The film is not enough on its own, the speakers reminded us.
It's a starting tool, a trigger. It needs to be accompanied, animated and discussed. That's when the real work begins.

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A call to action for HR and managers

This webinar was also a time of inspiration for all HR people, executives and managers who want to shake things up in their organization. Because talking about mental health also means talking about corporate culture, managerial courage and the quality of the human bond at work.

"A successful prevention policy isn't just about a hotline or an app. It's an ability to create a framework where everyone feels legitimate to say when things aren't going well." - Jérôme Crest, CEO of Holivia

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🙏 Acknowledgements

This project would not have seen the light of day without the collective and committed work of many people in the field.
A huge thank you to the OSH specialists and employees of VINCI Construction who contributed to the development of the scenario, in close connection with the realities in the field.

Thanks also to :

🎬 Charles Drouin, of production agency Tulipes & Cie, for carrying this vision with sensitivity,
🎥 And Cédric Havenith, director, for the accuracy and depth of his vision.

Finally, thanks to the webinar speakers - Ludovic Demierre, Olivier Benquet and Jérôme Crest - for the richness of their exchanges, and to all those who helped make this highlight a moment of collective inspiration.

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Note: the film has already won several awards for its impact and quality.
It received:
🏆 Gold at the Deauville Green Awards
💛 The "Coup de cœur" award at the Spot Festival
🎬 The award for best internal communications film

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