With more than half of employees working at home in 2023, particularly in North America and Asia in technological professions, flexibility is at the heart of work organization. The Groupe wants the Company to remain the main place to work, because it is through spontaneous exchanges that a unique dynamic is created, where employees enjoy getting together and collaborating. A communications agency is above all a community of different individuals with unique experiences and expertise, where each employee contributes to shared objectives. In addition to the general principle, each entity determines the specific conditions for implementing flexibility (based on the workload, the role in the team, the duration, the mission to be accomplished for the client, performance, etc.). The aim is for employees to be able to benefit from flexibility at different stages of their professional and personal life. Agencies have been implementing sabbatical leave for many years (eligibility conditions defined locally), thus enabling employees to take a break (from three to 12 months) while remaining with the Groupe.
Parental leave
4,314 employees benefited from parental leave for the birth or adoption of their child in 2023 (59% women, 41% men). All employees are eligible for this type of leave, depending on the legal context and, above all, on internal arrangements implemented by the agency that are often far more advantageous. As part of the global audit conducted in 2023 on health policies and programs/benefits (see Section 4.2.6.3), the average length of maternity leave is 14 weeks. Agencies have strengthened their policies to support pregnancy periods and maternity leave (number of weeks of leave in countries with less favorable regulations) as well as from a managerial point of view, in order to enable mothers or first‑time parents to better manage their return to work (with ad hoc meetings before, during and on return to work, flexible schedules). Particular provisions have also been put in place by the countries in the event of miscarriage. A number of initiatives have been taken to facilitate family life: some branches have set up a breastfeeding room or, on some large campuses, daycare. Social benefit programs (via Employee Assistance Programs or EAPs) include provisions for childcare and family support schemes for parents and co‑parents to simplify their personal organization.
| Health & Safety indicators | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Absenteeism rate (% of employees) | Absenteeism rate (% of employees) 2021 1.51 |
Absenteeism rate (% of employees) 2022 1.8 |
Absenteeism rate (% of employees) 2023 1.6 |
| Employees benefiting from health coverage (%) | Employees benefiting from health coverage (%) 2021 99 |
Employees benefiting from health coverage (%) 2022 99 |
Employees benefiting from health coverage (%) 2023 99 |
| Employees with access to local health prevention plans (%) | Employees with access to local health prevention plans (%) 2021 100 |
Employees with access to local health prevention plans (%) 2022 100 |
Employees with access to local health prevention plans (%) 2023 100 |
| Workplace accidents (%)(1) | Workplace accidents (%) (1)2021 0.11 |
Workplace accidents (%) (1)2022 0.15 |
Workplace accidents (%) (1)2023 0.16 |
| Workplace accident frequency rate (%)(2) | Workplace accident frequency rate (%) (2)2021 0.60 |
Workplace accident frequency rate (%) (2)2022 0.86 |
Workplace accident frequency rate (%) (2)2023 0.92 |
| Workplace accident severity rate (%)(3) | Workplace accident severity rate (%) (3)2021 0.01 |
Workplace accident severity rate (%) (3)2022 0.02 |
Workplace accident severity rate (%) (3)2023 0.02 |
100% of employees (permanent and temporary contracts) have access to various local health support services in the field of healthcare, whether internal or external services or with a third‑party expert.
The pandemic situation led the Human Resources (HR) and Talent Departments to significantly strengthen the service catalog offered to employees with local partners, which continued to improve their offers to adapt to the new needs expressed. Mental health and individualized support have become a central issue. The second year of the Groupe‑wide global partnership with Thrive provides everyone with support sessions on mental health and the prevention of the risks of overwork, and programs better adapted to specific issues. In 2023, 13,313 sessions were used on the platform, with users mainly from the United States and India. The Thrive Resets, which are short 60‑second formats, Meditative Stories or MicroSteps are very popular because they make it possible to change habits over time and break with certain routines. Online sessions were supplemented by face‑to‑face sessions in several branches
The usual internal awareness‑raising or prevention campaigns, linked to seasonal infections (flu, Covid‑19, etc.), pathologies or health risks, are continually adjusted locally to be effective and useful regardless of the workplace. All these systems now incorporate the specificities of recent years (difficulties related to isolation, uncomfortable working from home accommodations, personal or family constraints related to the pandemic, psychological distress, etc.).
