The main elements of the action plan are presented in Section 4.3.3. In 2020, the focus will be on a critical review of advance procedures so that they can be simplified and improved, and on training the teams in these new approaches:
Publicis Groupe is a people business where the Company’s women and men are its main asset. Almost all the Group’s operations require employees to work in front of screens and, as with all service activities led by client satisfaction, projects may sometimes be carried out under time constraints. The policies applied, and the action plans implemented during the year are overseen and monitored by local human resources managers and Talent Officers.
The Group is particularly concerned about the following issues:
All employees are trained, on an annual basis, in office evacuation via simulations and are informed of what to do in the event of extraordinary events (earthquakes in at-risk locations). Volunteer employees are trained in first aid. Employee safety has always been the Group’s number one priority. Employees work in offices with manned entries and exits. The Group has introduced a very strict travel policy, under which countries are classified into three risk categories. Some high-risk countries are simply banned while other countries are only permitted after assessment and verification of travel conditions and, when appropriate, the implementation of additional security measures. All travelers are provided with advance information and advice on the situation in the country to which they are traveling.
The crisis occurring in early 2020 as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic has enabled the operational measures in place within the Group since the SARS crisis in 2015 to be validated. These measures are based, in particular, on monitoring employees’ health and on a healthcare provision capable of dealing with major challenges. They also include arrangements enabling employees to switch rapidly to teleworking with appropriate equipment (computers equipped with VPN, cell phones, etc.), and an adapted work structure ensuring continuity of service to the Groupe’s clients across all countries. A crisis plan has been put in place by the Group to ensure that in the event of a major crisis (health, climate or political), all employees, whether at home or abroad, can be traced and assisted where required.
The roll-out of LionAlert within the Group is designed to make it possible to contact employees and ensure their safety. Publicis Groupe expects its suppliers to provide the same level of care to their own employees. These three issues form part of the CSR Guidelines for Business (previously “CSR Procurement Guidelines”), which is an appendix to contracts that the Group signs with its suppliers.
The main elements of the action plan are presented in Section 4.1.4. In 2020, the focus will be on improving prevention within agencies and in partnership with healthcare partners:
