- The Disability mission was strengthened, with 31 Disability officers in 22 branches. The Disability Agreement was signed in January 2023 and approved by the DRIEEST in mid‑January 2023. Efforts will focus on awareness‑raising, job retention and recruitment. Several events took place during the European Week for the Employment of People with Disabilities (SEEPH), bringing together a total of nearly 900 participants. The IT teams entrusted the reconditioning of its used IT equipment to the adapted company AFB Social & Green IT. Lastly, Publicis France is a member of the Cercle des Équitables. The percentage of employees with disabilities is 1.63% in France.
- In support of the LGBTQI+ community, Publicis France was honored by Têtu magazine for the second edition of the "Ma + Grande Fierté" exhibition, featuring creations and works by Groupe employees. Several conferences and workshops were held with Têtu Connect, the leading think tank bringing together all players that promote inclusion in the professional world. During Pride Month, the agencies wore the LGBTQI + colors and organized debates.
- Finally in France, the Groupe is continuing its long‑standing partnerships with several organizations, bringing significant help to young people considered as distant from large companies: Origami, Article 1, Simplon, Nos Quartiers ont des Talents, Baissez les barrières, Jeunesse et entreprises, Prométhée Éducation, etc. When allocating the apprenticeship tax, the Groupe maintains diversity among its priority criteria (courses, job profiles, etc.).
- Since 2013, Publicis Groupe has been a member of the #StopIllettrisme association (formerly B.A.ba), which aims to fight against illiteracy, dyslexia and computer illiteracy in companies, by organizing diploma courses for people in need at its members' sites, with employee volunteer tutors in addition to trainers.
- In 2023, the Groupe was particularly involved in the Alliance for Youth (All4Youth) initiated by Nestlé. Publicis was an active member of the digital hackathon launched by the Alliance, aimed at reducing inequalities in the labor market through innovative digital solutions. This eight‑week hackathon attracted more than 5,000 young talents from around the world. In October 2023, Publicis welcomed the 26 members of the Alliance into its offices for the annual strategic workshop, with the main objective being 4 million young people trained worldwide in 2025.
- Detailed actions related to WorkingWithCancer in France are presented in Section 4.2.6.
4) United Kingdom
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion issues are strategic for Publicis UK and influence many aspects of the teams’ work, with the ambition of making this commitment last over the long term. The Advertising Association DEI Charter award illustrates the progress made in recent years.
- Several programs were rolled out in 2023, such as the series of webinars addressing professional and personal themes, enabling employees to discuss the following topics with experts: taking care of yourself; cultural appropriation; fighting unconscious biases; multicultural intelligence; understanding people with neurodiversity disorders; understanding microaggressions; fighting all racism; men and patriarchy; self‑confidence; getting through menopause; improving your well‑being; living in a more sustainable world, etc.
- In terms of gender equality, eight entities published their data for Gender Pay Gap reporting, which still show demographic difficulties, with fewer women at certain levels of responsibility. Efforts are aimed at meeting the Groupe’s objectives of having 45% of women in key management positions by 2025.
- Continuous updating of Publicis UK Life Stage Policies (including maternity, premature births, paternity, shared parental leave, adoption, miscarriages, fertility, menopause, gender transition, the fight against domestic violence, etc.) makes it possible to take employee feedback into consideration. Some policies have been adjusted in light of the WorkingWithCancer program to better help employees facing the disease (including disabling chronic pathologies). The team has introduced the possibility for employees to modify their compulsory days off to give flexibility with regard to other days important to their community.
- The DEI team also orchestrated various actions throughout the year such as the Race Equality Week, the National Inclusion Week, women’s rights, and a strong action to fight against stereotypes around menopause with Break the Bias on Menopause. These activities are rolled out with the support of expert organizations such as the Stonewall’s Global Diversity Champions program and its sessions to mobilize allies around LBTQI+ people, the Business Disability Forum, the Black British Network, Catalyst, the Advertising Association Black Representation in Marketing initiative, from which 15 employees were able to benefit.
- In terms of recruitment, in 2023, diversity partnerships were established with nine organizations, including Uptree, to build a pool of early career candidates from marginalized communities. 52 candidates from these partnerships were hired. The apprenticeship program was expanded to 65 new apprentices, of which 57% were from minorities. The first summer internship program with the 10,000 Interns Foundation took place, with a first cohort as part of a long‑term partnership with their Black Interns and Able Interns programs. And thanks to Multiverse, 5,500 students were reached and made aware of the Groupe’s business lines in 2023.
