The employee turnover rate is structurally high in the communication and technology businesses. The objective of the Groupe’s HR and Talent teams is to limit voluntary departures and to propose internal changes towards new professions or other countries. Publicis Groupe is a constantly evolving group, which is constantly changing its organization according to the projects carried out for clients and the need for new skills.
Social issues are addressed by several internal bodies under the responsibility of the Secretary General. On the one hand, they are dealt with within CTOs Council, which meets once a month and which is steered by the Groupe’s HR Operations Department. It brings together HR and Talent Directors (Chief Talent Officers) and Compensation and Benefits Officers from the main countries and entities to work on structuring projects, whether tools or international actions such as #WorkYourWorld or #WorkingWithCancer, as well as on developments in Groupe HR policies. On the other hand, social issues of diversity and inclusion are addressed within the Groupe DEI Council, which meets every two months and is managed by the Groupe’s CSR/ESG Department. It brings together Diversity/DEI managers from countries and entities to work on joint actions, diversity indicators, affinity groups, training tools and joint initiatives such as the fight against domestic violence.
The Groupe’s major risk mapping (see Chapter 2 of this document), the mapping of ESG risks as well as the double materiality table address the risks or issues related to employees and human capital. Thus, issues related to the health, safety and well‑being of employees, those related to the attractiveness and retention of talent and finally issues related to diversity, equality and inclusion.
The structural rotation of teams in the industry is closely monitored by the Executive Committees in the countries and every quarter by the Groupe’s Management Board. The risk is the departure of talent who contribute to the Groupe’s success and who best meet client expectations. To address these risks, ad hoc monitoring has been in place for several years on the Groupe’s Top 1,000, employees with whom the Chairman of the Management Board can interact directly and regularly. In addition, the notion of Key Executives has been refined in the Janus Code of Conduct and Ethics in order to monitor diversity, gender issues and career development of employees with key responsibilities with the Company more closely. In order to improve the retention rate, various training and individualized support programs have been renewed and redesigned (see Section 4.2.5). Lastly, numerous actions have been launched to promote diversity, equality and inclusion (see Section 4.2.3). More precisely, Section 4.2.4.1 is dedicated to the actions undertaken by the Groupe and its subsidiaries in the field of diversity, equity and inclusion, with concrete examples of the programs implemented in various countries. Real inclusion is being built every day everywhere. In terms of well‑being at work, a global audit was carried out in 2023, with the help of WTW, in order to obtain a precise vision of the protection systems in each country and subsidiary, and, among other things, to draw on these elements to implement #WorkingWithCancer (see Section 4.2.6.3) so that it quickly benefits the employees concerned in all countries. This audit revealed that 100% of the Groupe’s subsidiaries were in compliance with their local regulations and the Groupe rules set out in Janus. In terms of additional contingency and healthcare coverage, 95% of countries have extended medical coverage (care and surgery, dental, ophthalmology, etc.) and 91% have extended death coverage.
Attracting and retaining talent is at the heart of Publicis Groupe’s strategy. The aim is to create an inspiring, dynamic and agile work environment, offering many opportunities for professional and personal development. Publicis Groupe is currently considered the most attractive amongst its direct competitors, due to its strategic ambition, its leadership and its financial and non‑financial performance. In each major country, the agencies have implemented actions to promote an increased diversity of profiles, to reflect the social diversity of the region, called “Workplace to Marketplace”. The training and professional development strategy is described with examples of Groupe initiatives illustrating the reality of the tools and content made available to all employees and detailing proprietary programs giving access to unique opportunities for professional experience. The HR and Talent Departments have been working, in recent years, on innovative programs, such as #WorkYourWorld, which offers different internal mobility opportunities on a shorter time frame, as chosen by the employee. The appeal of this program to women (60% of beneficiaries are female) demonstrates that it responds to a deep‑seated aspiration and provides a simpler format than traditional mobility, which is based on a longer time frame and largely attracts men (71%).
The Groupe's determination in its new transformation towards Artificial Intelligence and the use of Generative AI, to move from a platform to an "Intelligent System" (.is for intelligent system) is also an attractiveness factor. The first training courses and tools were presented in early 2023 to help employees familiarize themselves with these new tools in a protected test environment on the Marcel platform. Planned investments announced in early 2024 attest to the Company’s ambition in this vast area, which is reflected in its attractiveness for talent.
