4.2.4.5 Personal health and safety
Publicis Groupe is a people business: the Company’s women and men are our main asset. Almost all the Groupe’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 tight time constraints:
- stress prevention and mental health: the agencies are responsible for taking measures to prevent psychosocial risks (RPS) whether relating to work organization or team management. The Groupe acknowledges that it is necessary to compensate for times when the workload is very heavy. The agencies have put ad hoc support systems in place to support employees who feel that they are experiencing difficulties, whether using internal medical services, where these exist, or with the help of external healthcare partners. With the pandemic, the systems have been strengthened and made accessible to all employees (100%) such as telemedicine, physical and psychological support – with dedicated applications, psychological hotlines, sports sessions adapted to lockdown constraints;
- prevention of MSDs (Musculoskeletal Disorders): employees are encouraged to make known their needs in terms of work equipment, in order to have the tools adapted to their job. The agencies have put activities in place to combat sedentary behavior and encourage good posture. Specialist interventions (ergonomists, occupational therapists, etc.) in the workplace and for employees are organized, and since 2020, virtual counseling sessions and sports sessions at home have been provided;
- safety at work: 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. The same protocols were implemented everywhere in terms of barrier gestures – mandatory wearing of masks, hydroalcoholic gel available everywhere, physical distance between workstations, 50% capacity restriction for staff present on site, increased cleaning of premises.
The Groupe 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. In the context of the pandemic, most business travel has been limited or drastically reduced, including in areas or countries that allow travel.
Publicis Groupe applies to its suppliers the same level of care as it provides to its own employees. These three topics are part of the CSR for Business Guidelines appended to contracts signed by the Groupe with its suppliers.
4.2.4.6 Environmental impacts
For the last 15 years or so, Publicis Groupe has implemented its “Consume less and better” environmental policy, now known as Zero Impact Climate Policy, which is based on eight pillars each backed by a performance indicator (see Section 4.5 Environment):
- Reduction in transport;
- Reduction in energy consumption and switch to 100% direct-source renewable energy;
- Reduction in the consumption of natural resources and raw materials;
- Reduction in waste volume;
- Reduction in the impact of campaigns and projects carried out for clients: A.L.I.C.E. (Advertising Limiting Impacts & Carbon Emissions). See Section 4.3.2;
- Innovation in terms of products and services for clients;
- Reduction in the impacts related to goods and services purchased: CSR self-assessment and environmental P.A.S.S.(Publicis Groupe Providers’ Platform for a self-Assessment for a Sustainable Supply chain). See Section 4.2.7;
- Carbon neutrality for the entire Groupe by 2030, with the ambition to be Net Zero by 2040.
Employees in all entities have come together to reach these targets, to find local solutions enabling them to better manage “unavoidable” impacts.
The Groupe joined the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) to raise its requirements and commitment to alignment with the Paris Agreement, based on the 1.5°C scenario for 2030 (see Section 4.3.1).
Publicis Groupe expects its suppliers to make a serious commitment to combating climate change and alignment with the objectives of the Paris Agreement.
4.2.5 Anti-Bribery & Anti-Corruption Plan
The Groupe complies with the provisions of the French law known as “Sapin II”, Article 17 II.1°. The Groupe has set up a prevention plan as provided for by law, including the code of conduct (Janus), and the anti-corruption policy, illustrating acts and behaviors relating to corruption or influence peddling that are prohibited. The Groupe is also in compliance with the other anti-corruption laws applicable where we operate. The anti-corruption compliance program includes:
