Our success is inseparable from the commitment of our employees, commitment that is explained by the place given to women and men who are at the heart of Virbac and its major decisions. Every day, we are committed to evolving our modes of operation and meeting the ongoing challenges of globalization, changing markets and new technologies, while adhering to our values of proximity with each of our customers.

In such an environment, the issue of human capital is fully in line with that of the company, our ambition being to support the development of organizations and professions, as well as the specific needs of the teams, by building a strong partnership with managers and all employees.

GROUP GOVERNANCE AND HR POLICY

Virbac’s policy as it pertains to this issue of human capital is based on three complementary principles:

• training, skills development, performance compensation;
• well-being in the workplace and recognition;
• mobility and diversity aspects that provide a valuable resource for the Group.

We pay attention to our employees’ opinions, and use them as a source of inspiration in defining our policies and the areas of improvement to target so as to unite employees around strong values, thus increasing the commitment and motivation of all. All employees regularly participate in a satisfaction survey that allows them to confidentially express their expectations on a very broad range of topics, many of which involve the CSR human capital issue.

The employment market has continued to evolve in recent years and is increasingly under tension. The qualified applicants we seek, whose skills are essential in the veterinary pharmaceutical industry, are becoming increasingly rare, and are not always available on the market. Faced with this shortage, we have adjusted our recruitment strategy by identifying new search sources that complement more conventional methods such as job advertisement platforms, the organization of Group recruitment activities or the use of specialized agencies. The measures we have implemented aim to increase the visibility of our job opportunities and promote the many professional benefits that our company offers.

The rise of digital communication channels and the increase in the number of devices available (phones, tablets, computers, etc.) have broadened our optional courses of action. Social media in particular have proven to be excellent means for disseminating our job postings around the world, with concrete results. In short, our innovative approach and continual adaptability are at the heart of our strategy to address the challenges of recruiting in a constantly changing job market.

OUR KEY OBJECTIVES

Promoting employee commitment and loyalty. Continuing training initiatives aimed at improving skills and employability.

OUR POLICIES AND ACTION PLANS

Recruitment policy 

We recruit in all countries and for all jobs in order to support our growth. In order to ensure the consistency and relevance of such recruitment, for several years, we have been developing digital tools to allow for better visibility of available professional opportunities. The Workday platform recruitment module was deployed in all our subsidiaries with the objective of harmonizing our Group processes in this area. All countries can publish their job offers via Workday on our internal and external career site at the same time in order to increase our visibility and develop our employer image. 

This tool also allows us to manage the multicasting of our postings on different job boards (LinkedIn and other more local job sites) with a single entry point. Workday provides transparency on the recruitment process for managers (number of applications received, follow-up of candidates for interviews, etc.) and allows recruiters to manage applications directly in this system. All applications received are centralized and shared with our managers, and responses to candidates are also sent directly from this platform. The recruitment module also allows us to meet GDPR regulation requirements with regard to data retention. 

At the Group level, more than 550 positions were posted externally and 300 internally. Of these, 440 were filled. Approximately 530 individuals were co-opted (7% of whom were recruited), and there were 547 internal transfers. Overall, more than fifteen subsidiaries posted jobs on Workday.
In France, 190 positions were posted externally and 150 internally, 170 of which were filled. In addition, over 80 internal transfers took place during the same period.

In order to promote and simplify internal mobility, a new Boost your Mobility feature is now offered at the Group level as part of our human resources management system. This portal offers each employee the opportunity to view and apply for internal offers, access the status of their applications, create job alerts, and even recommend candidates, all centralized in one place. Boost your Mobility also simplifies the updating of professional profiles by allowing employees to add their resume, diplomas and studies directly on this hub. This information will be automatically included in an application when an employee applies for an internal offer.

Recruitment remains a very local activity linked to lines of business and cultural specificities. For this reason, the search for target profiles is managed mainly by the subsidiaries’ teams in order to adapt to the context of each country and to attract talent more effectively. One of the approaches shared within our company throughout the world is the involvement of employees in the recruitment of new colleagues. To strengthen this practice, we have developed co-option programs that aim to reward employees for their contribution in identifying profiles that may meet our needs.

For example, India and China have set up a co-optation program to promote the recruitment of sales managers. Vietnam has also launched its co-optation program, encouraging employees to invite their knowledge network to apply for job offers, and Australia is encouraging this by offering to reward co-optation for both permanent and temporary positions.

Another approach is to diversify recruitment sources: our Chilean subsidiary has developed its network by working with public employment services to recruit blue-collar positions and with universities to gain access to young graduates in scientific fields. It has also launched several recruitment campaigns to attract the best talent in the pharmaceutical industry at national and international level, and uses internships to discover new talent ready to seize job opportunities within the Company.

University campuses are an important pipeline for recruitment: In this way, along with co-option, India has managed to hire nearly 150 employees from all parts of the country while maintaining costs related to the recruitment process. Uruguay also relies on a strong development of its relations with the academic community to fuel its strategy for attracting new talent.

In a highly competitive market, platforms like LinkedIn are also a good way to utilize social media. In the United States, leaders promote job opportunities through their own LinkedIn profile and professional network, and in Australia, managers are encouraged to share job openings by these same means. In Northern Europe, employees also disseminate job advertisements via their LinkedIn account. They also share the events in which the company participates (trade shows, conventions, conferences, etc.) to make its employer brand more visible, especially outside the veterinary circuit. This part of Europe has also relied on publicizing the company directly in places such as stores by communicating employment opportunities via a QR code that people can scan to obtain all the necessary information and to apply if they wish.

To meet recruitment needs, the company can also turn to internal transfers and the promotion of employees who already hold a position within the Group. Mexico, for example, continues to invest in the development of internal employees to provide sourcing within the Mexican subsidiary and other South American entities, and thus pave the way for the job succession in the future. India has implemented an internal recruitment policy by developing a five-step selection program to recruit regional sales managers, some of whom are already employed within the Indian subsidiary and promoted to these positions.

Successful recruitment also involves the formalization of policy in this area that clearly explains the processes and practices for selecting and assigning positions to be filled, all in keeping with the regulations in force in the country concerned. In this regard, China has introduced new guidelines to guide recruitment staff within its subsidiary, and our subsidiary in Taiwan asks each recruitment manager to take training before conducting candidate selection interviews. South Africa also believes that the drafting of a clear recruitment policy makes it possible to attract qualified and suitable candidates who will contribute to the success of the company while sharing its values. Indeed, while a candidate’s expertise and experience are important, adherence to shared values within the Group is a major contributing factor in successful recruitment.

Skills development policy

In May 2023, at the Group level, we rolled out the catalog of benchmark jobs and the competency framework, two key pieces that allow everyone to play a role in their own development. Six key competencies (important abilities and behaviors) to carry out our long-term strategy were identified. These competencies are an integral part of the employment benchmark, which lists the main responsibilities and functions for each position. They specify how the individual can effectively accomplish them. Each competency is broken down into four levels, and each benchmark job has its own expected competency levels. Thus, each Virbac group employee can now use Workday to access the level associated with each of the six competencies of his or her benchmark job. 

A development guide has been made available to support everyone, regardless of their profession, with advice on how to develop these key competencies. This guide can also be used by managers as a reference tool to help them support their team members in drafting development plans or preparing for career advancement. Training modules on each of the six competencies are also available so that everyone can play a role in their development. 

In the same spirit, a new platform, goFLUENT, has been made freely accessible to offer everyone the opportunity to develop their language skills and thus become comfortable and communicate impactfully when interacting in English, Spanish or French. Via Workday, it allows unlimited access to e-learning resources, level tests and conversation classes in a dozen languages.

In addition, many internal experts, present in the main departments, contribute to the development of team competencies by implementing training aimed at a wide audience regarding corporate issues (safety, quality, digitalization, ecological transition, etc.).

With regard to the France scope specifically, the training catalog has been expanded in order to provide a face-to-face offer in connection with the six key Virbac competencies. Emphasis was also placed on training managers, continuing the Leaders in Action program and adapting it to the specificities of the different managers’ targets. Total training expenses in 2023 represent 2.55% of payroll. 

On the international level, most subsidiaries devote a significant portion of their budget each year to developing their employees’ skills, using both internal resources and courses provided by external trainers. An employee’s training often begins as soon as he/she joins the company and continues throughout his/her career.

Northern Europe implemented a mentoring approach: each new hire is paired with a mentor, whose role is to facilitate their onboarding and to support them in learning about the company. Training also gives marketing teams the opportunity to participate in sales seminars with sales representatives so that they can better understand the latter’s needs with regard to promotional materials. New hires are also involved in business meetings, even if this activity is not part of their area of responsibility. Our China subsidiary conducts training sessions to accelerate product and policy knowledge over a one-month period when onboarding a new employee.

India relies on in-house development, especially for the sales and marketing teams, which represent the vast majority of its employees: It has developed an internal program for salespeople to improve their skills in sales techniques. The same approach has been implemented to strengthen the knowledge and practices of the marketing teams, including the implementation of a monthly session dedicated to exchanges between employees working in this field. This quality time allows everyone to discuss their experience in the field and share success stories. The subsidiary has also set up a specific management development program entitled “Sanskar for success” (keys to success). India sees all of these internally developed training programs developed as a strength that allows it to learn and react quickly to its ever changing environment and thus ensure the sustainable growth of its business.

South Africa promotes the continuous professional development of employees to enable everyone to have the knowledge and skills necessary to carry out their function effectively. It combines internal training carried out via the online tools available to them and uses external structures to train its employees on compliance, sales or health by providing funding for these courses. It also allows employees to receive academic training by providing them with financial support when necessary, which is beneficial both for the employee and for the company in terms of productivity and skills development.

Brazil implemented a program called Campus Virbac, which aims to train its employees throughout the year on behavioral skills, such as how to give and receive feedback, or even on emotional intelligence. Regarding English courses for people who are required to use the language in their daily activities, this subsidiary uses the goFLUENT platform, now available to offer everyone the opportunity to develop their language skills. For strategic positions, this learning is verified via a TOEIC test. Uruguay also supports employees who need to improve their English language proficiency via this new platform.

Mexico maintains its investment in training to continue developing talent, stabilizing business, and improving processes. The subsidiary has created guides to help develop behavioral skills and has focused on developing leadership to foster a warm and caring environment. Developing leadership skills is also a priority for Uruguay: this subsidiary has implemented specific training dedicated to the roles and responsibilities of managers and an internal training on payroll aimed at improving their knowledge in this field while debunking mistaken notions on the subject. Uruguay also dedicates a significant part of its training activities to the qualification of employees involved in the operational processes of quality control and Good manufacturing practices.

The Australian subsidiary has also developed and implemented a program for all its leaders. Based on the principles of emotional intelligence, it aims to improve the culture, commitment and well-being of team members. The United States also spends a portion of its training budget on leadership programs aimed at retaining today’s talent and developing tomorrow’s leaders.

Performance evaluation and recognition

At Virbac, our managerial processes are developed to provide each employee with support throughout the year. These processes include several components, such as individual goal setting and performance evaluation. Manager and employee spend quality time together to set expectations and then evaluate performance. 

Everyone has a key role in these processes:

• the employee is involved in these exchanges (proposal and drafting of his/her objectives, self-assessment of his/her performance and skills, formalization of feedback to his/her manager, etc.); 
• the manager shares factual elements to back up his/her assessment, guide development and provide visibility over the coming year, in conjunction with the company’s objectives.

Within the annual performance committee, our executive board also shares the assessments, remuneration and professional development scenarios of key individuals in the Group. In France, for example, during the 2023 fiscal year, 100% of employees were compensated at a level above that of the legal minimum wage. The policy for base salaries is set at +5% above the minimum for the professional branch for all categories of staff. Our policy follows a rationale of competitiveness vis-à-vis the life sciences market and is generally at the median of this market. In addition to the financial elements related to individual performance compensation, we continue to pay close attention to collective performance compensation plans. For this reason, several mechanisms are already in place, such as a triennial incentive agreement renegotiated in 2023 and a profit-sharing agreement signed in 2008. The amounts from these agreements or voluntary payments may be invested in mutual funds, in the employee savings plan or in the employee retirement savings plan. Since 2016, leave days that have not been taken may also be paid into the employee retirement savings plan, up to a limit of ten days per year.

The Brazilian subsidiary also signed a corporate agreement with the employee representatives, which, in addition to the profit-sharing program, provides for the payment of an amount calculated according to the position level and subject to the achievement of defined objectives. This agreement also states that, if the objectives set at the corporate level are exceeded, a 20% increase will be applied to profit sharing.

Virbac India, which consists mainly of sales and marketing teams, implemented a recognition and reward policy based on performance metrics defined at the end of the year for the coming year, and calculated through a monthly evaluation process based on quantitative and qualitative criteria. This policy has paid off by sustaining business growth year after year.

In China, the subsidiary has launched recognition programs to reward the efforts of employees achieving very good performance: one called “Quarterly sales acceleration”, which offers a special bonus to the best salespeople in the field, and the other, which rewards the best sales of products from the HPM nutrition range. The Taiwanese subsidiary, meanwhile, congratulates employees for their remarkable attitudes and results by awarding them a Value Award and granting “honor” leave to encourage the best performers.

In addition to the recognition program developed and facilitated internally that allows an employee to honor another employee, Mexico has launched three communication campaigns to encourage recognition: Virbac Pride, where employees present their experience in a video, Leadership stories, where leaders explain how they have overcome difficulties encountered in managing their teams (which gives some the opportunity to find their mentor), and Who we are, where employees share their hobbies and interests in a document.

The organization of events to celebrate performance is also a sign of gratitude that employees appreciate. Uruguay invited its employees to participate in a three-day event in Argentina to celebrate the achievement of sales targets and to thank them for their contribution to this success. Chile, meanwhile, held quarterly ceremonies during which a large number of employees were honored by members of leadership and their teams.

OUR RESULTS

Performance indicators	2021	2022	2023
Absenteeism	3.09%	3.01%	3.45%
Employee turnover rate	11.2%	13.1%	14.0%
Great Place to Work Trust Index	73%	-	-
Percentage of employees on payroll as of 12/31 who took at least one training course/Total headcount as of 12/31	81%	72%	77%

Over the years, this priority area for the Group has become ingrained in the corporate culture. Our priority actions, which are borne by EHS management, are to ensure that industrial equipment and the risks associated with the use of chemicals comply with local regulations.

OUR KEY OBJECTIVES

To increase the safety of employees in the workplace by implementing action plans such as better protection against potentially hazardous materials, improved ergonomics and psychosocial hazard management, which aim to reduce the number of workplace accidents.

GOVERNANCE

Created in 2015, our Group EHS department has put in place a rigorous policy to identify and assess safety risks and to develop means of prevention and methods of monitoring their effectiveness. We have defined severity and frequency criteria to better target the actions to be implemented to reduce the number of accidents and to include human and organizational factors in the in-depth analysis of these events. The objective is to avoid any recurrence of accidents and to develop a safety culture for all our company staff, external company staff and temporary workers. 

OUR ACTION PLANS

Safety culture

In all countries, we implement numerous preventive measures concerning the health and safety of our employees. Multi-year action plans on production machine compliance are thus in place at all major industrial sites: Australia, United States, Chile, Mexico and France. Chemical risk management is also taken into account, starting with product design, first on the choice of components but also on the number and type of analyses that must be performed at the different steps in the process.

In 2023, we continued to focus our efforts at our industrial sites in France by continuing our audits with respect to compliance with the five golden rules, and by initiating a program to develop a strong safety culture with the French Industrial Operations department intended to:

• make sense of safety;
• impact people and behaviors;
• capitalize on what has already been implemented;
• deploy innovative tools;
• build a resilient EHS system;
• reduce accidents.

At the same time, internationally, and particularly in Chile, risk prevention campaigns related to the use of cell phones during on-site movement have been initiated, thus reducing the number of accidents by half between 2022 and 2023.

Management of psychosocial hazards

With regard to psychosocial hazards, the various departments in our company, supported by HR teams and designated partners (management and the workforce, the workplace physician, the workplace social worker, etc.), are continuing their global approach to the quality of life at work. In 2023, the GPTW action plan defined in 2022 was fully implemented on: 

• well-being at work (creation of “quiet” spaces for confidential professional exchanges, deployment of the Klaxit application to encourage carpooling between employees, evolution of telework with the inclusion of a new form and publication of quizzes to test knowledge on working guidelines);
• recognition (portraits of employees in their daily work, coaching to support new employees as they start their positions, mentoring to develop technical and behavioral skills, easier access to job offers to promote internal mobility, and creation of the HR newsletter to simplify access to HR information);
• participatory management (launch of peer feedback to promote recognition and development and promote cross-functional collaboration).

In connection with our GPTW action plan for well-being at work and as part of the week dedicated to well-being at work (WBW) every June in France, we organized an event in 2023 with scheduled yoga sessions at the office. Guided by an outside facilitator, these sessions consist of practicing relaxation and concentration exercises through simple movements and breathing and relaxation techniques practiced on office chairs in work attire. We offered employees the opportunity to participate in a yoga session and discover the benefits of this practice, adapted to the workplace, to improve their well-being.

Workplace well-being service have been strengthened by the addition of an additional partner to have a joint duo and ensure even wider coverage for the prevention or management of personal or professional situations. Discussions between the elected psychosocial hazards representatives and management have also made it possible to deal with and prevent individual or collective risky situations.

In addition to traditional whistleblowing channels (direct supervisors, Human Resources, social worker, occupational physician, staff representative), employees also have, under French law n°2016-1691 of December 9, 2016, on transparency, the fight against corruption and the modernization of economic life, known as the Sapin 2 act, access to a whistleblowing platform that allows them to report, anonymously or not, facts or practices that violate the rights and policies of countries.

At the international level, subsidiaries also pay particular attention to the management of psychosocial hazards and the well-being of employees. Mexico, Chile and Northern Europe regularly launch assessments in this area to measure potential risky situations and work first and foremost on prevention. Brazil has set up a call service provided by an external partner allowing employees to discuss health-related topics, both from a psychological and a financial standpoint, as well as social and legal assistance needs. 

Uruguay combines prevention, promotion and direct actions: occupational medicine is involved in the recruitment phase to identify risks and then through annual follow-up appointments. Conferences and workshops are organized to address different topics: cardiovascular disease, blood pressure, eating habits, etc. Lastly, the doctor can also intervene to help find solutions for problems related to convalescence.

The Vietnamese subsidiary also takes steps to improve the management of these risks: For example, it has implemented teleworking to improve work-life balance. It also organizes workshops on psychological health as well as sports days for its employees. In addition to the information and prevention programs shared monthly with employees, South Africa organizes Vitality Days, during which employees can undergo a set of medical tests to allow them to assess their health and obtain medical assistance if a risky situation is detected.

Finally, Australia has expanded its psychological support service by adding financial or other support to help employees who need it. It has also developed a training module for managers and leaders to raise awareness on topics related to psychological health.

OUR RESULTS

Performance indicators	2021	2022	2023
Frequency of work accidents	4.88	4.25	3.67
Severity rate of work accidents	0.33	0.15	0.22

^{The frequency rate used is based on French regulations and defined as the number of work accidents that resulted in at least one lost workday, divided by the number of hours worked, multiplied by one million.}

^{The severity rate used is based on French regulations and defined as the number of lost days following accidents at work that resulted in at least one lost workday, divided by the number of hours worked, multiplied by one thousand.}

The frequency rate of our Group’s occupational accidents, within the scope of the eighteen countries, has clearly improved in 2023 compared to 2022, reaching a new all-time record of 3.67. This improvement is the result of preventive actions related to the development of the safety culture, as described above.

Increasing diversity within Virbac allows us to continually improve our ability to integrate differences. Openness and ability to integrate are fundamental elements for innovation, adapting companies and identifying opportunities. These qualities must be demonstrated in both the organization and the outside world.

OUR KEY OBJECTIVES

Encourage equal treatment and diversity of employees.

GOVERNANCE

For Virbac, gender equality in the workplace is fundamental and requires that no form of discrimination exists or is tolerated, both in terms of access to employment and promotion, as well as in wage policy and other determinants of working conditions.  

OUR POLICIES AND ACTION PLANS

Our diversity policy aims to guarantee equal treatment of staff, encourage diversity among people and human relationships and maintain worker employability. It is built around three key areas of focus: gender equality, disability, and age mix.

Gender equality

Within the defined scope, six countries have a pay gap of between -5% and +5% between women and men (South Africa, Chile, Colombia, France, New Zealand and Vietnam), and five other countries (Spain, United States, Italy, Japan and Uruguay) have a ratio of between -10% and +10%, all professional categories included. The weighted ratio, across all categories, represents a rate of 92%.

When it comes to equal pay for men and women, actions are taken to measure gaps, identify causes and take action. In France, for example, we signed a new agreement in 2019 which established the principles of gender equality in career paths (access to vocational training, wage equality between women and men in an equivalent occupation and for the same level of competence and work-life balance). This agreement reaffirms our willingness to analyze and reduce any gender pay gaps using a methodology that makes it possible to study them based on the gender equality index calculated by the Ministry of labor, employment and integration (index that amounts to 88 points out of 100 for our company in 2023). At the same time, we dedicate a specific budget to closing gaps in order to implement these salary adjustment measures each year.

In 2023, ten countries were given an internal grading tool that makes it possible to better manage internal equity, have a rational approach to external competitiveness and establish compensation and benefits policies. We regularly conduct Group-wide surveys on compensation in order to ensure that it remains competitive in the job market, and adjustments are made if necessary.

With regard to recruiting for key positions, priority is given to internal and local candidates. Recruitment decisions (internal or external) are based exclusively on the skills and qualification criteria for the position. The candidate’s nationality, gender or age does not play a role in our decision. As much as possible, we entrust leadership positions to local managers in order to be as close as possible to customers and the market culture. In 2023, within the defined scope, 93% of senior managers were local hires, and the management of ten subsidiaries was made up strictly of local hires.

Europe (58%) and the Pacific region (52%) are the two regions where women are in the majority. The North America and Latin America regions, with 47%, each exhibit a very balanced proportion. Africa and the Middle East, with 41%, show a more significant imbalance. Asia has the lowest number of women in the workforce (10%). This very low representation is due to India, which has only 19 women per 955 men, or 2% of our staff in this country. India remains a special case: the sales teams, for reasons pertaining to local culture, job stress and security (visits to farms on two wheelers), are more naturally made up of men. Excluding India, the Asian area still consists mostly of men at 55%.

This year, Mexico launched a week dedicated to women, during which activities and presentations on topics of interest to them were offered, making this event a great success. The Mexican subsidiary also extended the duration of maternity leave compared to the regulations in effect in order to fully support the maternity leave period and thus promote a gradual return to work. The Brazil subsidiary participates in an annual Human Resources forum that conducts awareness-raising activities with an emphasis on the importance of recruiting women, particularly in management positions.

In Chile, the percentage of women recruited to positions of responsibility (management and leadership) has increased considerably, with an executive committee consisting of equal numbers of men and women. As a rule, the subsidiary puts great emphasis on an inclusive culture that ensures gender equity by offering men and women equal job opportunities and compensation based on the position held, not on gender. The analysis of pay indicators by job family shows that the average wage gap between women and men does not exceed 5%. It should be noted that for some job families, such as supervisor or manager, remuneration is shown to be higher for women compared to men.

Vietnam also ensures equal treatment between women and men in all HR processes (recruitment, salary reviews, promotions, etc.). Today, the subsidiary is led by a woman who serves as managing director, and the women/men ratio of her direct reports is 6:4. 

This is also the case in South Africa, where a woman is at the head of the subsidiary, even though the majority of management positions, nearly 70%, are held by men. Responding to local legislation that promotes equal opportunities between women and men is a challenge in a work environment where it is difficult to find rare or advanced language skills to meet business needs in certain geographic areas of the country.

When recruiting, China and Taiwan also emphasize the importance of ensuring that candidate selection criteria are based solely on the expected competencies related to the positions to be filled, without discriminating based on the candidate’s gender.

Australia participates in a federal government-initiated program to promote women’s return to work after a career break and keep them employed. This innovative approach is designed to increase the proportion of women in the workforce as well as to encourage them to take on leadership positions. Through this contribution, the subsidiary intends to support women’s return to work and promote their inclusion in the workplace by exchanging information with other companies participating in the same program on the Australian continent.

The Australian subsidiary has implemented a series of actions to increase the representation of women in operational and executive management teams while being careful to adjust any differences in pay compared to men. In order to continue on this path in the coming years, it has developed a program for talented women to develop their leadership and give them the opportunity to become mentors.

Disabled workers

For several years, we have been reaffirming our commitment and desire to promote the employment of disabled workers and to ensure their integration and working conditions by applying a set of measures that revolve around five axes.

• Adjusting workstations: certain disabilities require the use of workstation or organizational adjustments for which we take full responsibility in order to facilitate working conditions. When recruiting or changing the job of an employee with a disability, regardless of the cause, the new position is subject to the necessary adjustments prior to taking up the position. 
• Supporting employees in their administrative procedures: in order to help and encourage employees with disabilities in their procedures with the competent authorities to obtain recognition as beneficiaries of the employment obligation or its renewal, exceptional leave of absence is granted and remunerated. These employees also receive support from the occupational health team, which is available to support them in their efforts. 
• Helping employees who have a child with a disability: to reaffirm our support to the employees concerned, in France we grant one day per year of additional paid leave.
• Enabling disabled workers to better balance professional and personal life: the adjustment and adaptation of living conditions within the company is an essential factor in inserting and integrating disabled workers under good conditions.
• Participating in the well-being of disabled workers beyond the framework of the company, by granting them one additional day of leave per year, and through the payment of a bonus in order to share in any arrangement of their living conditions at home that is necessary due to their disability.

Our subsidiaries pay the same attention to the employment of workers with disabilities and to the adaptation of their work environment to promote their inclusion in the teams (adaptation of their workstations on-site and at home, organization of their working hours, etc.). One of the members of the Human Resources team in Chile has been certified as an inclusion manager: Their role is to promote equal opportunities for people with disabilities to develop within the company. As for Taiwan and Vietnam, these subsidiaries also make every effort to adapt the work stations and working conditions of employees with disabilities and thus support their employability.

Australia has begun a partnership with an organization created by the Australian government that helps people with disabilities or permanent medical conditions find jobs.
Through the implementation of this pilot program, a disabled employee was hired at the Milperra storage warehouse. 

Age and culture diversity

We have always considered the contribution of the various generations and cultures of the countries in which we are established to be a true asset. Compliance by our employees with the values defined in our code of conduct is a prerequisite for any policy that values human capital. In the context of the extended company, the proper understanding by our partners of the rules related to employment practices is taken into consideration by the departments involved.

Brazil is working on a project to set up a Diversity Committee that will consist of representatives of minorities and volunteers to work on this subject in order to raise awareness about the problems encountered, especially in the professional environment. The Mexican subsidiary has launched a study to assess the level of inclusion of all types of diversity within its subsidiary.

In terms of age diversity, Chile values and promotes the inclusion of different generations, believing that they all contribute to development and innovation within organizations. While some countries such as Taiwan do not hesitate to recruit seniors by providing them with the necessary training to acquire new skills, others have a harder time convincing hiring managers to agree to hire older employees who nevertheless have good professional experience.

The variety of nationalities and cultural backgrounds within the subsidiaries is a real strength for our Group.
India has decided to implement an equal opportunity policy emphasizing the importance of each person in a country that is very diverse in terms of cultures and languages. Meanwhile, the Australian subsidiary has developed a diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging (DEIB) strategy by creating a group of volunteer employees from different functions. Its objective is to study areas for improvement to develop the DEIB footprint within departments. Australia also dedicates an event to highlighting this cultural diversity: Harmony Week.

OUR RESULTS

Performance indicators	2021	2022	2023
Gender pay ratio	77%	81%	82%

This ratio is obtained by dividing the total remuneration of women/female workforce by the total remuneration of men/male workforce, taking into account the weighting of the workforce by country.

In terms of the company scope (excluding India), the gender ratio, across all categories, is equal to 82% in 2023 compared to 81% in 2022 and 77% in 2021.
In India, in 2023, there were 19 women per 955 men, or 2% of the population. The low representation of women combined with the proportion of India in the overall workforce (about 20%) makes the ratio irrelevant and volatile from one year to the next. This ratio would be 85% by including India. 

Performance indicators	2021	2022	2023
Gender pay ratio for the executive and management category	-	-	84%

In 2022, employees were divided into six categories: executive, senior executive, director, manager, supervisor, and individual contributor. The gender pay ratio was then calculated based on three categories: executive, senior executive and director, representing a panel of 190 employees.

The implementation of the job catalog in May 2023 led to a change in the distribution of employees into four main categories: executive, management, professional, support/para-professional.

With the executive category only affecting 33 employees in 2023, it appeared more appropriate to broaden the basis of comparison by also including the management category for better representation. It should be noted that this change makes the comparison irrelevant with regard to past years.

Thus, the gender ratio, based on total remuneration, calculated by taking the weighted average of each headcount comprising the categories concerned, shows a rate of 84% for 2023, excluding India due to representation (1 woman per 171 men in the defined categories). This ratio would be 104% by including India.