Valuing different ages, cultures, genders and backgrounds
There is more to the promotion of diversity that just combating discrimination. This challenge is everywhere. From recruitment to career management, what concrete actions are we taking?
A Group with a multitude of nationalities. “Bonjour”, “Hi”, “Bom dia”, “Olà”,... ENGIE’s employees speak more than 25 languages. All these nationalities enrich our daily lives and encourage open-mindedness and mutual respect. This broad spectrum of cultures enables us to multiply our points of view and to develop solutions and offers that are adapted to the local circumstances, in every country where the Group is present.
A Group with a broad mix of generations. We need the know-how and the experience of the people who have been working for us for decades, just as much as the ambitious and uncompromising vision of younger employees who have only just entered the world of work. This is the reason why we are encouraging the development of apprenticeships in the Group, with a target of 10% of apprentices in the European headcount by 2030. Likewise, we are also encouraging mentoring by our seniors, who can share their skills and knowledge.
A Group with a gender equality policy. Gender equality is one of the UN’s 17 sustainable development goals designed to transform the world. We are taking numerous actions to turn the goal of gender equality into a reality: awareness-raising days, partnerships with local NGOs, signing of the “#StOpE au sexisme ordinaire” charter in France and audits of our recruitment policies. These actions are not just words. They are monitored and analysed, and they underpin our ambitious target of 50% of female managers by 2030. Our Fifty-Fifty programme has a precise road map that is based on diagnostics conducted on every level of the organisation. This policy, which we introduced more than 10 years ago, has fostered a culture of gender equality that we continue to improve and develop day after day.
A Group that respects sexual orientation and gender identity. Our commitment to the combat against discrimination related to sexual orientation prompted us to sign the “Autre Cercle” LGBT+ charter in France. We have also set up the “Allodiscrim” platform to report cases of discrimination and launched the “Friends by ENGIE” in-house network in favour of our LGBT+ employees. Group projects also collaborate with local and professional equality initiatives, like the “WoMen Up” programme, which aims to create a gender-neutral environment, where everyone can realise their full potential.
A Group that is open to disability. ENGIE has been pursuing a proactive disability programme for decades. The Group has signed more than 10 agreements in France that have made the inclusion of the disabled one of the core subjects of our actions. Our target in France is to reach 6% of disabled employees in our headcount. In addition to adapting the working environment, our manifesto for inclusion, our certified agreements and our work with local partners, all aim to bring the worlds of education and work closer together by inviting disabled students to join a work-study programme in the Group. We also organise various internal event to raise awareness, such as the annual “DuoDay” at ENGIE’s head office in France, when volunteers can form a duo with a disabled person in order to share their daily lives. Inclusion is making progress in the Group, day after day.
A Group that is open to people from all backgrounds. At ENGIE, we do not believe that there is a single career path. Which is why we have chosen to reach out to young people from under-privileged neighbourhoods to help them gain a foothold in the world of work. In France, the Group has signed the “Entreprise et Quartiers” charter. It is also involved in the “Capital Filles” operation, which enables female mentors in the Group to support young high school girls from under-privileged backgrounds, by introducing them to scientific, technological, and industrial professions and helping them to choose a career path.
A label to reward our actions in France
ENGIE has been taking of all forms of diversity for several years already. In 2012, the Group was awarded the "Label Diversité”, in recognition of the efforts it has made to combat all forms of discrimination in recruitment, the daily lives of our employees and access to training and promotion. This award has encouraged us to continue these efforts to build a more inclusive society.
The resolution that we have written into the description of our corporate purpose - “To accelerate the transition towards a carbon-neutral world, through reduced energy consumption and more environmentally-friendly solutions. This corporate purpose unites the company with its employees, its customers and its shareholders, and reconciles economic performance with a positive impact on people and the planet. ENGIE’s action is global and durable.” - will only become a reality if everyone contributes! By supporting youngsters, seniors, people from under-privileged backgrounds, women, the disabled and our LGBT employees, we make sure that everyone plays an active role in a project that extends beyond the boundaries of the company.
We bring together a variety of visions and experience, because the company cannot be a neutral place. Irrespective of their age, sexual orientation, gender identity, culture or origins, we offer every one of our employees an opportunity to jointly invent a future that reflects who we are and fulfils our aspirations. At ENGIE, we create value by promoting diversity and by acquiring the means to take up the major challenges that the Group, and society, are facing.
