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Job of the Month #21: HR & admin manager

by IDOL

New episode of our Job of the Month series to discover the many facets of the music industry. This month, Miriem Chibikh, HR & admin manager at IDOL.

Each month, IDOL presents a job in the music industry. Or more than a job, a person! Because behind the same job title, there are significant differences from one structure to another. Each person can define the scope of his or her job according to his or her career path, qualities and skills! Meet Miriem Chibikh, who talks about her day-to-day work supporting IDOL employees throughout their career with the company, from onboarding to offboarding.

What does a HR & admin manager do?

I’m the first point of contact for employees and external partners. My role covers several aspects of human resources and administration, including monitoring contracts, keeping track of administrative files, dealing with external bodies such as occupational medicine, liaising with the mutual insurance company, and applying for aid from Afdas, whether for work-study placements or Corporate Social Responsibility training.

My job is essential to ensure internal processes run smoothly and are in compliance with legal obligations, while making life easier for employees on a day-to-day basis. For example, if an employee has a question about their contract, I’m the first person they turn to. Which isn’t easy, because for one thing, I’ve had no training in the subject, and the labor code always changes! But I filter and direct requests according to need, whether it’s for simple information or a more specific intervention.

I also take care of payroll follow-up, collecting the variable elements (luncheon vouchers, transport or soft mobility reimbursements, vacations, sick leave, etc.), which I then send to the accounting firm to edit the payslips, which I then validate.

At the same time, I’m also involved in managing legal obligations, such as updating internal regulations and identifying occupational hazards in collaboration with Christophe, who is our staff representative. Recent in-house training courses in fire safety and citizens’ first aid have helped me to better anticipate certain risks.

Can you tell us a little about your career path?

I wanted to go to film school, but there weren’t many options at the time, so I ended up in an English course at university by default. What I really wanted to do was make music videos. It all clicked when I saw Blur play live on TV, in Nulle Part Ailleurs on Canal+. It was a shock!

Throughout my career, I’ve learned on the job. After working as a receptionist, I turned to a temp agency that offered assistant training. My first real foot in the door was at Petit Bateau, where I was an HR assistant. It was there that I discovered legal and administrative management, a world which, although I wasn’t passionate about it, taught me an enormous amount.

I then went on to work for Ubisoft, as an assistant with a more commercial and communications focus. Little by little, I built up a network, and that’s how I got the opportunity to work at magic.rpm, a music magazine, as Advertising and Partnerships Manager.

I had a musical culture that matched the editorial direction, especially as at the time the editor-in-chief was Christophe Basterra, a big fan of Britpop. It was an incredible period, and I stayed for eight years. But the print media was already in trouble, and I quickly realized that I had to anticipate what was coming next.

I then joined VICE magazine. I learned everything there, including accounting. I preferred to leave, as the corporate culture no longer corresponded to my values. After that, for the first time in my career, I decided to take a step back. I worked for a few months at DailyMotion, and that confirmed my belief that I felt better in independent structures. Finally, I went back to my first love: music. I’ve landed a job in a structure that suits me perfectly, and I’m really happy about it.

Why did you choose to work for IDOL?

I’d heard a lot of good things about IDOL, and the catalog is interesting. And what also appealed to me was the David versus Goliath image, offering an alternative to the industry’s big machines. It reminded me of the days of magic.rpm, the little independent magazine that struggled to put out an issue every month. It’s really stimulating to be able to make a contribution, to be part of something that makes sense.

Independence was essential for me. I needed to regain confidence in my colleagues, to work with people who shared the same values. And I chose well!

And it’s funny, because I’m running into a lot of people I knew before. Today, even if I don’t get to go to festivals or concerts as much, I’m still immersed in music, and I’m always on the lookout for new things, thanks to my colleagues.

What are the qualities required for your position?

In this job, rigor is important, but so is discretion. You have to be easy to get along with, and have a lot of patience, because, honestly, some questions come up again and again. I try to be neither passive-aggressive, nor maternal…

There’s also an office management part to my job, which means I have to manage stocks and make sure that office hygiene is respected. Fortunately, everyone here pitches in and is ready to help. Including Pascal Bittard, the President, who often sets a good example.

And as I’m in charge of office equipment, I also take care of occupational health. Because good posture prevents chronic back pain, for example, and that requires good chairs. We don’t always think about it, but in the end it takes its toll.

How is your daily work organized?

It’s full of surprises! On a more serious note, it really depends on the time of the month. When it comes to finalizing payroll, that’s all I do. Unless there’s an emergency, of course.

Otherwise, my days can be very varied. One morning, for example, I’ll go and pick up a computer, then find myself looking everywhere for a charger that works… Lately, I’ve realized that I’ve ordered cables that don’t fit, so I’ve been to the store to make sure the cables are the right ones.

And then when it’s festival season, I spend a lot of time on credit cards to pay for travel. I’m the one who creates the virtual cards and, once they’ve been validated by the DAF, authorizes the payments. So for the IDOL sessions, I’ll validate all orders for sound, lighting and instrument equipment…

What do you like about your job?

What I like most is the human contact, the idea of helping others. Very often, I find myself helping colleagues with administrative, contractual or tax issues. Many of them are not at ease with these subjects, and I like being able to provide them with answers and explain how things work. For me, it’s a form of transmission, a sharing of experience.

I also appreciate the versatility of my job: I’m involved in everything, which means I’m constantly learning. What’s more, I think it’s important to dust off the image of the administrative and accounting department: all too often, people think of it as a rather old-fashioned department. I like to show that we don’t spend our days filling in forms, but that our job is all about relationships, support and dynamism.

What’s the strangest task you’ve done in your career?

When I was at magic.rpm, I took part as a DJ in a media battle at the Paris Paris bar. In fact, I’ve never played an instrument, but as a result of hanging around in the scene, I ended up mixing. The first time was a bit by chance, at a party where – without really thinking about it – I took control of the music. From there, a friend suggested I mix the following week at La Féline, a very garage rock bar. Things quickly followed on from there, and I became part of a roster with regular dates.

It works a lot by word of mouth, as you meet people. You mix at a venue you love, like Pop In, Truskel or Motel, and you meet people from the scene, and that opens up other opportunities. I ended up with residencies at Le Divan du Monde, La Felicita… As I was working at magic.rpm, I had access to all the latest releases, so I played in all kinds of places: clubs, bars, private parties, birthdays, weddings… I even found myself mixing at an event after a Vanessa Bruno fashion show!

In a club, you can be freer, experiment, whereas for events like weddings, you have to capture what people expect. Sometimes, you can’t hesitate to go for very unifying sounds. Someone once said to me: “For a wedding, there are two things that really count: the food and the music.” Which puts a lot of pressure on you!

But in the end, what motivates me remains the same: to please people, to create a moment where they let go and where the music takes them on board. I love observing people’s reactions. I like testing tracks, seeing what catches on, understanding what works at a given moment. I often give myself little challenges: when I spot someone who’s not dancing, I’ll do everything I can to get them moving.

Miriem's Playlist

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