Gender balance targets
Diversity and equity are considered priority objectives. Since 2019, having reached the initial 40% target in 2020, the Groupe has set itself the new target of 45% women among the Company’s key executives by 2025 (46% excluding the United States), with a checkpoint of 44.2% achieved and exceeded to 45.8% in 2024 (Groupe Management Committee and main country and regional Executive Committees), outside the United States.
These objectives have been defined in accordance with legal and regulatory requirements to encourage and facilitate gender equality and ensure that equal opportunities are translated into concrete actions. These targets have been approved by the Groupe’s various governance bodies. In France, these targets have been discussed with employee representatives, and developments by type of business line and entity are examined every year. The Talent & HR and Impact & Equity teams support operational departments in the agencies in the development of their teams and recruitment, transfer and promotion plans. Action plans are developed locally to meet the challenges of agencies and the country. This metric is monitored quarterly by the Executive Committee and is published in detail. [S1-5-46, S1-5-47 (a) to (c)]
2) Internal affinity networks
The affinity networks (Business Resources Groups – BRGs, or Employee Action Groups – EAGs) illustrate the Power of One in action for and with employees. They also reflect the Groupe's philosophy of universalism, which ensures that each employee is respected for their uniqueness. At Groupe level, four affinity groups are active internationally and open to all employees: VivaWomen! (women), Égalité (LGBTQ+), enABLE (disability) and Écologique (climate). BRGs also play a role at the external level: they take part in different events and actions aiming to change behavior and practices.
VivaWomen! - Present in many cities around the world since 2009, VivaWomen! brings together women and men, all volunteers, who are mobilized to take action to promote gender equality.
Égalité – Launched in the United States in 2012, this network brings together employees from agencies to monitor the application of the Zero Tolerance for discrimination policy.
enABLE - Network created in 2019 and open to all, brings together various local initiatives in favor of the inclusion of people with disabilities.
Écologique - In the countries where it operates, this affinity group brings together employees who volunteer to facilitate the ecological transition of the business lines. [S1-1-AR 14]
3) Women’s Forum for the Economy and Society
The Women’s Forum has been a Publicis Groupe subsidiary since 2009. This global platform’s role is to promote the voices of women, not only to issues of equality, but also to other issues concerning global social and economic issues as a whole, and to defend their rights.
Since 2020, the Women’s Forum has published its Barometer, which enables general public perception to be compared against the most recent figures in the G7 and some Asian countries. This Barometer enables the monitoring of the progress made year after year and informs political and economic decision-makers as well as civil society.
In March 2024, the Women’s Forum took part, for the first time, in the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) to speak out on violence against women during conflicts. In June 2024, a meet-up of the Women’s Forum took place in Singapore.
Under the impetus of the Chief Impact Officer, Chair of the Women’s Forum, at the 19th edition of the Global Meeting 2024 in November in Paris, built around the theme “Reconciliation,” the Women’s Forum brought together more than 1,820 people, including political, economic and civil society leaders, alongside committed young people (17% of participants were under the age of 25). The Women’s Forum will celebrate 25 years in 2025.
The partnership policy has been strengthened in order to work more closely and practically with associations active in the field, particularly in combating violence against women and on economic and social inclusion.
4) Inclusion of people with disabilities
[S1-1-17, S1-12-79, S1-2-28]
Various levers are activated, such as the recognition of the uniqueness of people with disabilities in the workforce, the recruitment of people with disabilities, and support in terms of supplying or adapting workstations for employees with invisible disabilities (more numerous). In recent years, a number of initiatives have been implemented in the agencies, including work on internal culture, the removal of taboos related to disability, the need to eliminate erroneous views, and a better understanding of individual situations. The expansion of the affinity group enABLE in recent years in the United States, the United Kingdom, India and Australia in particular, has also helped to remove taboos thanks to the testimonials of employees and their allies. Under the impetus of the Chief Impact Officer, the internal Groupe Impact & Equity Council has decided to put disability at the heart of the priorities for the next two to three years.