The Groupe has a proactive approach to diversity in its workforce – further strengthened in 2020 (see Section 4.1.2.1 for country examples). Among all of the criteria to be taken into account and on which vigilance must continue to be exercised, the Groupe is pursuing its efforts in eight specific areas, namely: gender, age, disability, cultural and ethnic origins, educational background, sexual orientation, religion, and veterans (military). Monitoring of diversity indicators is subject to national legislative frameworks. At the Groupe level, only gender and age data can be consolidated and published.
In order to maintain the conditions of an inclusive culture that respects every single person, mandatory training on unconscious bias is carried out in almost all countries to train male and female managers and all employees. The legal and human resources/talent teams oversee compliance issues in very close contact with the leaders who are members of the Country/Agency Executive Committees to ensure that best practices all converge towards an inclusive culture.
The Chairman of the Management Board, Arthur Sadoun, deals directly and personally with the issues of diversity and inclusion. He was heavily involved in the preparation of the US action plan and in the global internal communication that followed, inviting other countries to take a similar approach (see paragraph 4.1.2.1: examples from the United States and the United Kingdom). Publicis Groupe regularly reaffirms its commitments to gender equality, through equality for all as a factor of inclusion. The Groupe is a signatory of the Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs) of UN Women, a United Nations agency: these seven key principles promote women’s rights as fundamental human rights and encourage equality in all its forms. The Groupe is also a stakeholder in CEO action for Diversity and Inclusion in the United States, which requested that hundreds of CEO signatories share their best practices and data concerning trends in female employment in their organizations. Publicis Groupe is one of the 20 or so corporate members of the Unstereotype Alliance which is placed under the aegis of UN Women and whose mission is to fight against gender stereotypes in communication campaigns. The Groupe has had a partnership with Catalyst for several years now and the agencies have built local partnerships with committed organizations. Publicis Groupe also joined OneInThreeWomen, an international initiative, mobilizing companies around domestic violence against women, so that they can set up assistance systems or facilitate access to assistance for victims.
In order to improve the impact of measures taken, the internal DE&I Working Group was set up under the responsibility of the Secretary General and is comprised of a dozen of the Groupe’s DE&I experts. Its roadmap is to scale up a number of fundamental actions across the whole Groupe within 12 to 24 months.
The affinity networks turn the Groupe’s new Power of One organizational structure into a reality. These groups unite voluntary employees to enhance awareness and develop concrete solutions adapted to the day-to-day running of the agency (see their presentation on the CSR page of the corporate web site). At Groupe level, two affinity groups are active on the international stage: VivaWomen! (women) and Égalité (LGBTQ). BRGs also play a role at the external level, in that: they take part in different events and actions aiming to change behavior and practices. In 2020, many activities have gone virtual.
VivaWomen! – Present in more than 30 cities worldwide, VivaWomen! brings together motivated women and men volunteers to take action to promote gender equality and support women in the Groupe, regardless of their position or function within the Company. Coordinated by the Groupe’s CSR Department, it is present from Los Angeles to Shanghai, via Mumbai, Madrid, Paris, London, New York, Chicago and Sydney, Cotonou and Dubai. VivaWomen! USA has created two sub-groups; VivaParents, to more closely support future parents, and VivaTech, focused on women in the technological and digital sectors. The area of focus of VivaWomen! is two-fold: Career Development (with leadership training, coaching, etc.) and Work-Life Integration (with practical workshops on “motherhood and work,” “time management,” with regular testimonials from women or men role models, etc.). In every city, priorities are adjusted to meet the expectations of local teams and the names of networks can be more specific (such as Leo Burnett and Publicis Sapient’s Women’s Leadership Network). In 2020, experience sharing played a positive role, especially during periods of lockdown without school when all parents of young children were confronted with the complexities of managing family and professional life. VivaWomen! works alongside women’s networks in the Groupe’s clients and other companies to carry out joint awareness raising and mobilization actions. Lastly, in accordance with its initial positioning, VivaWomen! commits to causes that defend the rights of women and girls.
Égalité – Launched in the United States, this network brings together employees from agencies mobilized in the defense of LGBTQ rights (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer communities), and is backed by the Groupe’s CSR Department. All agencies have now joined this network, which is present in various major cities from Boston to Atlanta via London and Paris. Ten US agencies obtained a performance score of 100/100 in the Human Rights Campaign Corporate Equality Index, renewed each year. This award was the result of an initiative launched in 2006. The focus of these evaluations is the policies in place and the activities to promote inclusion carried out in the agencies. Égalité is now present in ten cities around the world.