The Groupe’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) policy, part of the Janus Code of Conduct and Ethics, sets out the founding principles behind which local actions are aligned. The Groupe’s policy is regularly updated, and the implementation of action plans in the countries and agencies is the responsibility of local management, particularly the Talent/HR Departments and the teams dedicated to DEI projects. Locally, employees are involved in the actions implemented and progress is shared at least once a year. DEI policies are also shared with clients with whom we may conduct joint initiatives.
Inclusion is at the heart of the Groupe’s top management priorities. For nearly 15 years, the Groupe has selected eight criteria to monitor in particular: gender, age, ethnic origins, education, disability, sexual orientation, religious affiliation and veteran status, with a specific legal framework determining the type of indicators that may be monitored for each country.
The Groupe’s culture is based on the motto Viva la Différence, based on respect for each and every individual, both internally (the diversity of our employees) and externally (the diverse cultural contexts in which the teams work with our clients). This respect for, and valuation of, differences is at the heart of the Company’s culture.
This “Zero Tolerance” principle remains intangible and universal. It is central to the Company’s vision of human rights and respect for everyone. It has always been applied to the fight against all forms of discrimination, whatever the grounds (gender, age, origin, sexual orientation, religion, etc.), and must be respected by everyone, employees and managers alike. This Zero Tolerance principle also applies to moral and sexual harassment and inappropriate conduct. It is described as such in the Janus Code of Conduct and Ethics (excerpts of which are accessible at: www.publicisgroupe.com). A centralized whistleblowing system is in operation around the external platform https://publicis.whispli.com/lp/ethicsconcerns and previously operated around a unique address (ethicsconcerns@publicisgroupe.com). Reported concerns are managed by the Secretary General and systematically followed up, with complete confidentiality and protection for whistleblowers (see details in Section 4.3.6).
During the Viva la Différence virtual seminar, which brought together all Groupe employees in December, the motto at the heart of the Company and the Groupe’s strategy were the common thread of the discussions; this motto is the Company’s purpose. It is formulated as follows in English: “Embrace positive change with enthusiasm through Creativity & Technology for People and Businesses, reconciling immediate desirability with long‑term impact.”
This alignment between the Company’s internal culture and the business approach is based on a foundation of values on which the Groupe has relied for decades, which gives meaning to the business lines and illustrates the Groupe’s objective to help build a more inclusive world. The Groupe has a proactive approach to diversity in its workforce.
The Groupe is pursuing its efforts in eight specific areas, namely: gender, age, disability, cultural and ethnic origins, educational background, sexual orientation, religion, and veteran status (military). Monitoring of diversity indicators is subject to national legislative frameworks. At the Groupe’s global level, only gender and age data can be consolidated and published. The Groupe is very mindful of individual situations (illnesses, family responsibilities, etc.) and is always looking for appropriate solutions to support its employees who may be experiencing challenging periods.
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.
