I can't really see what they mean by this, either, but 'bernache' is another form of 'bernacle', which can mean either a goose or a barnacle (crustacean). I don't know if there is any other context, but barnacles imply things like 'hangers on', maybe, (perhaps a bit far-fetched), or things that attach themselves very firmly, like limpets, and are difficult to detach. Barnacle geese migrate in flocks. It could, as you say, be an idiom, though.

Bernache is a Canadian goose which nests in Quebec. So this seems to be a reference to employees who are from Quebec rather than a reference to inhouse hierarchies.

I think here it is about the continuity at work, as we say for the barnacles "le peuple migrateur". The idea it should be keeping the employees, don't let them "fly away" to an other job.

I think it means that they ask so much of employess, to the point that employess forget about the geese.

When the season comes, we stop to look at geese fly away above our heads. Their flight formations are so beautiful and the birds are so large. It is a nice spectacle. Maybe employess are just to busy to even think about that, to even think abou taking the time to look; some kind of metaphorical statement...

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Note added at 8 hrs 16 mins (2004-10-09 03:49:29 GMT)
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Also, the Québécois are big hunters--at least where I come from--and geese season is very popular. Maybe these employees work so much that they forget about the geese... forget that they are missing geese-hunting season...

just another thought...

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Note added at 8 hrs 26 mins (2004-10-09 03:59:10 GMT)
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If the source text is indeed French Canadian, the fact that it says \"on en oublie\" would indicate that it is the person writing this comment (and others like him) who forget about the \"bernaches\" because \"on inclut la personne qui parle\".

In québécois speech, we would not use \"on en oublie\" to indicate that management (or the study) is forgetting about the \"bernaches\". For this reason, I don\'t think they are talking about the \"bigwigs\" since it would imply that management is overlooking the bigwigs or not overworking these \"bigwigs\".

bernache, bernacle, barnache,
signifient tous trois oie et mollusque. étonnant

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Note added at 8 hrs 31 mins (2004-10-09 04:03:42 GMT)
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It could mean anything! but ileania might have something there.
all three words meaning both a bird and a crustacean!!!

Here's the evidence:

Lessons From Geese {D/*}
This motivating and stimulating video will boost the People in your conference or training
session. It teaches fi ve key lessons about being a team player and winning as a team. Its
dramatic footage of geese fl ying in formation provides insights into how we can excel in
and as teams.
Includes: Leader’s Guide
3+ min. Order #LES400R TrainingPoint.Net
Leçon des bernaches {*}
Ce vidéo de motivation nous fait voir les bernaches (oies
sauvages) volant en formation. Apparaissent sur l’écran des citations qui nous amènent à
réfl échir sur leur comportement et à tirer des leçons de management.
Inclus: Guide de l’animateur en anglais
3+ min. Code #LES400RF TrainingPoint.Net
www.itf.ca/IMAGES/governmentweb.pdf


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Note added at 13 hrs 57 mins (2004-10-09 09:29:53 GMT)
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Looks like we can all learn from les bernaches, the Canadian geese - they\'re so instructive from a management point of view. This is one of a whole range of training videos for the public sector. I suppose anyone who has seen the video will get the reference straight away.

A complete shot in the dark, but I thought I'd throw it out there on the off chance that it helps, especially since the field you specify is travel and tourism. If these employees happen to work for Accor Hotels (Ibis, Sofitel, Novotel, Motel 6, etc.), the Bernache is a pin (in the shape of a flying goose) awarded to employees for years of service - bronze for 5 years, silver for 10 years, gold for 15 and so on. They can also be given a pin as a special award for excellence on the job.