In 2023, during the monthly sessions, the focus was on a better internal knowledge of the various groups that make up the Company: alongside experts, they discussed middle‑aged people, the "Silver Generation" its habits and aspirations. MSL shared its experience in a project related to obesity, which is an important health and social issue in Poland. Another team presented work on the LGBTQ+ community, with cultural aspects and demonstrations on how brands can build inclusion, through clothing for example, which concerns everyone. A session was devoted to how the unregulated use of artificial intelligence can escalate and fuel hatred rather than coexistence, and highlighted essential best practices.
In June 2023, pride month, an internal creative competition was organized to illustrate the slogan of Egalité: ten proposals out of 50 were selected, and the printed works
were auctioned to raise funds, which were donated to orphanages. On the roof of one of the buildings in Warsaw, in order to visibly proclaim support for Egalité, a giant “pin” in the colors of Egalité was installed, so that it appears on Google Maps and can be photographed by satellites.
Specific actions have been carried out for people suffering from neurological disorders and their unique needs, to help everyone understand them better and adopt the right attitude when faced with a difficult moment. In addition to this type of significant initiative, management is very committed to inclusion, to ensure that it is a daily reality and is felt as such by the teams; the high level of employee participation in all these activities, where everyone learns about each other and about themselves, testifies to a positive impact.
The fight against inequality is central to the agency’s approach, and support for South Africans of color is an essential lever to participate in the transformation of the country. The agencies are “BBBEE – level 1” (Broad‑Based Black Economic Empowerment) certified, following an evaluation process carried out by external auditors. This level was achieved thanks to a proactive strategy with specific efforts in terms of management, recruitment, training of all employees and a procurement policy focused on suppliers who have been disadvantaged in the past. The focus was on training and upgrading the skills of 109 unemployed young people from the communities. At the end of the program spread over two years, 61% of young people were offered a job and 19 young people had the opportunity to continue their training with a reputable organization, thus improving their qualifications. All of these efforts allow the agency to have 77% of people of color. Finally, 19 low‑skilled employees in the agencies benefited from a one‑year program, the Cubs Grad Program, enabling them to train for a professional qualification.
A special effort continued with regard to suppliers headed by women or South Africans of color; the agencies work with a network of 380 various BBEEE‑certified suppliers. All these actions are aimed at continuing the fight against apartheid and rebuilding a more egalitarian society.
Publicis Groupe ANZ strengthened its partnership with the NGOs Diversity Council Australia, Diversity Works New Zealand, Pride in Diversity, Unstereotype Alliance, Australian Network on Disability, Supply Nation and Reconciliation Australia. A program was set up with Symmtra, a training firm focused on creating an inclusive and respectful work environment; the Top 150 employees followed it in 2023 and it will be rolled out to all employees in 2024.
A great deal of work has been carried out around social benefits, including holiday flexibility, infertility treatments, gender affirmation, miscarriage and menopause in order to provide tangible support for employees, and to recognize that everyone has the opportunity to assert themselves.
