Social dialog is included in the Janus Code of Ethics. The aim is to foster staff/management exchanges and ensure freedom of expression for employees as a basic human right. With regard to the Groupe’s commitment to the UN Global Compact, and its adherence to the International Labor Organization (ILO) Convention, the Groupe is committed to respecting freedom of association, freedom of expression, and the right to collective bargaining in the countries where it operates. Social dialog takes place at agency level. The average size of the Groupe’s agencies worldwide ranges between 120 and 160 employees, with the exception of a few large entities with a staff of over 1,000 people in the United States and India. Publicis Groupe remains very decentralized with operations in 100 or so countries. The aim in each entity is to promote direct, frequent discussions between managers and their teams regarding Company matters and current projects.
In France, the notion of collective agreement (which does not exist in this form in the communication industry in other countries) is a cornerstone of labor law. Agreements negotiated and signed previously are still in force, including the agreement relating to healthcare costs, including the responsible contract and to which an optional supplementary scheme has been added, as well as the collective bargaining agreement relating to the welfare plan. Negotiations are still underway with the trade union coordinators of the Publicis Groupe in France on the Quality of Life at Work, and more specifically on topics relating to working from home and the sustainable mobility package. In August 2021, a collective bargaining agreement was signed with the trade unions in France on the right to disconnect, the objective of which is to define the operating rules and terms of use of digital technologies in order to ensure the right to disconnect for everyone and guarantee a balance between personal and professional life. All of these decisions are made in consultation with employee representatives, trade union coordinators and the Social and Economic Committees (CSEs).
The Groupe continued its commitment to Zero Tolerance of any form of harassment or discrimination within the Groupe, through training and awareness-raising programs for managers and HR/Talent teams. In this context, sexual harassment officers have been appointed by the CSEs; they received specific training, with regular reminder modules.
Some agencies have set up more specific systems dedicated to listening to employees, such as the “Bonnes Oreilles” at Publicis Conseil in France, where volunteer employees who are trained in listening ensure this relationship, or in the United Kingdom and the United States, where the Safe Conversations are organized by the agencies’ DE&I teams, in particular following serious events such as racist or homophobic attacks, and in support of the Black Lives Matter movement. Employees are regularly reminded through messages from the Secretary General that the Groupe’s ethics hotline ethicsconcerns@publicisgroupe.com is available for them to use worldwide.
Payroll and personnel expenses stood at euro 6,639 million in 2021. Trends are shown in Section 6.6, Note 4 of this document.
The Groupe does not have a consolidated indicator for the compensation of all employees: due to significant disparities between countries, an overall approach is of little relevance. The analysis remains local and takes into account the trends observed in our sectors. Compensation must comply with the following three principles: 1) remain competitive and attractive locally and avoid disparities within the same market; 2) be in line with the Groupe’s practices, particularly in terms of gender equality and equity based on individual and collective performance in order to ensure fair and balanced compensation; 3) where appropriate, strengthen protection systems.
Almost all Groupe employees are professionals who have received long and qualifying initial training, and the compensation of men and women is well above so-called minimum-living wages in all countries. Publicis Groupe has always defended the principle of a decent wage and extends this concept to its suppliers.
All of the information pertaining to the compensation of Publicis Groupe senior executives is detailed in Section 3.2 of this document. The precise criteria are indicated for the different components of this compensation, including CSR.
The ratios between the level of compensation of the Executive corporate officers and the average employee compensation (pay ratio) are set out in Section 3.2.2.8.
The different pension schemes and other long-term benefits are presented in this document, Section 6.6, Note 22.
Publicis Groupe’s different stock option plans and free share plans are detailed in this document in Section 6.6, Note 22.
The participation of employees in share capital through a range of profit-sharing and incentive plans is explained in Section 8.3.6 of this document.
