Universal Registration Document 2023

4.2.6.3 Preventing serious illnesses 

#WorkingWithCancer

As the Chairman of the Management Board, Arthur Sadoun, was personally affected by cancer in 2022, and aware of the difficulties that employees may face, he wanted to take action to eliminate the stigma of cancer in the workplace. This subject should no longer be taboo. Two figures underpin this project: the fact that 50% of the adult population will be affected by cancer during their lifetime, and the fact that 92% of sick employees stated that a work environment that was attentive to their particular situation had helped them. Considering the multiple difficulties that employees must face during their illness (medical care and follow‑up, personal and family organization, professional development and responsibilities, material constraints) or when they have a role of direct caregiver, the Chairman of the Management Board launched this program aimed at encouraging companies to take better account of individual situations surrounding the disease. Since the official launch in January 2023 at Davos with 200 business leaders, 1,500 companies (representing nearly 40 million employees) have joined and signed the WorkingWithCancer Pledge. This simple commitment requires companies and their managers, on the one hand, to publicly show their support for the approach by pledging the name of the manager and the company in order to be clearly associated with the program; on the other hand, to take concrete personalized support measures for employees faced with the disease.

This #WorkingWithCancer charter covers employees affected by cancer or serious and/or chronic pathologies affecting personal and professional life, temporarily or permanently. Each company is free to choose its own way of working. It is also interesting to note that SMEs (small and medium‑sized enterprises) have joined the initiative.

For its part, Publicis Groupe has made the following four commitments:

1. safeguarding the salary of employees affected by the disease for at least one year;
2. offering the employees concerned individualized support to help them manage professional and personal difficulties and facilitate their return;
3. creating an internal community of people directly or indirectly affected by the disease, trained to provide adequate support;
4. for caregiver employees, access to personalized support to assist them during this complicated period.

In this context, an audit of the practices of the Groupe’s subsidiaries was carried out in 2023 at the initiative of the HR Operations, Insurance and CSR Departments, in order to obtain a detailed status of the local social protection and social protection systems and care schemes for employees faced with illness (or as caregivers). This work was carried out in 70 countries with the help of WTW. The conclusions of this audit were reported to the Nominating and Compensation Committee of the Supervisory Board. This audit revealed that all countries are in compliance with their local regulatory framework, when it exists, and in compliance with the basic rules set out in Janus, the Groupe’s Code of Conduct and Ethics, on these issues of social protection and health. This inventory was essential in order to co‑construct with the local HR and Talent teams the deployment of the WorkingWithCancer plan, which required a country based approach. In 2023, it was rolled out in all countries, with the introduction of a one year salary continuation scheme for employees affected by illness, the effective implementation of coaching or personalized support to deal with professional and personal ups and downs during this complicated period, the establishment of internal communities able to provide voluntary and generous support, and the search for local solutions to help caregivers. (see the example of France Section 4.2.6.2)

#WorkingWithCancer works in France with the Institut Gustave Roussy and the Cancer@Work association, as well as with the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in the United States, and with MacMillan Cancer Support in the United Kingdom.