The Group’s Duty of Care Plan is forwarded to all subsidiaries. It is incorporated into the Group’s “Janus” Code of Ethics which applies to all employees and managers. Agency CEOs are responsible to implementing local measures and for monitoring indicators.
Measures are implemented with the involvement of Shared Service Centers (Re:Sources). Procedures for the regular assessment, in terms of risk mapping, of subsidiaries, subcontractors or suppliers with which the Company has an established business relationship, have been put in place.
All other aspects relating to the Group’s employees are monitored by agency and country Talent and Human Resources teams via the indicators mentioned, supplemented, where necessary.
Aspects relating to the Group’s suppliers are monitored by the Group’s Procurement Department, in conjunction with the Group’s CSR Department. 2019 was spent reviewing and improving procedures so as to prevent and mitigate risks, and any possible damage. The “CSR Procurement Guidelines” now accessible under “CSR for Business” were reviewed with more stringent requirements for a number of criteria. This document is a mandatory appendix to any contract signed by the Group and its suppliers. Publicis Groupe uses the Ecovadis platform and invites its suppliers to be assessed on this platform. Other assessments by neutral and independent third parties, dating back less than 12 months, are recognized by the Procurement Department.
From 2020, a CSR self-assessment process on the Group’s proprietary platform “PASS” will be rolled out for local suppliers, i.e. a large number of small and medium-sized enterprises. (see Section 4.2.6 Responsible procurement).
The whistleblowing system, (see 4.4.4 below) in place within the Group was expanded to cover legal provisions relating to duty of care and was consolidated around a single address ethicsconcerns@publicisgroupe.com, designed to receive and handle internal or external claims.
Within the context of the single risk mapping preferred by the Group, presented to the Supervisory Board’s Strategy and Risk Committee, the following risks, included in the Duty of Care Plan, were examined in greater depth:
Human rights and fundamental freedoms must never be violated. They must be protected and respected whether in relation to employees, clients and partners, or suppliers.
Health: Our employees are the Group’s main assets and difficult working and health and safety conditions represent a risk that may significantly affect our business.
Safety: With a presence in over 100 countries and operations involving a high level of employee mobility, the Group constantly monitors changes in the security or medical situation in the cities in which our offices are located.
Group environmental impacts: With over 83,000 employees in more than 100 countries, the Group’s operations impact on the environment, particularly as a result of travel, energy consumption and waste.
Impacts associated with climate change: Climate events (floods, storms, tsunamis, etc.) may disrupt or interrupt the services delivered by agencies and teams to their clients.
Publicis Groupe has put systems in place to prevent serious violations of human rights and fundamental freedoms.
In 2018, Publicis Groupe signed up to the Women Empowerment Principles (WEP), seven fundamental principles listed by the United Nations to act tangibly to promote women’s rights worldwide and at all levels. This commitment, along with the United Nations Global Compact, requires signatories to be transparent in their actions and results. The Group has also chosen to follow the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs – see Section 4.8) since 2015, concentrating on 10 of these to measure its contribution and positive impacts.
On these various points, the Group asks its suppliers to comply with these standards. These issues form part of the CSR Guidelines for Business (previously CSR Procurement Guidelines), which is an appendix to contracts signed by the Group and its suppliers.
Pro bono campaigns, like volunteering (see Section 4.3.1) in support of organizations or general interest causes promoting human rights (of women, men and children) and opposing all forms of exclusion and discrimination, demonstrate the long-term commitment of the Group, as well as its agencies and employees, to defending human rights.
