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What is an Inclusive Company?

Inclusion in a company refers to creating a work environment where each individual, regardless of their origin, gender, health status, sexual orientation, age, disability, or any other personal characteristic, feels valued and respected.

An inclusive company promotes equal opportunities and strives to reduce discrimination and biases. It implements policies and practices aimed at fully integrating the diverse talents of its employees, recognizing that diversity is a strength that can enhance overall performance.

What are the Different Types of Inclusion?

• Social Inclusion: This involves integrating people from different socio-economic and cultural backgrounds. Companies can offer mentorship programs or training to achieve this.
• Gender Inclusion: This involves promoting gender equality in recruitment and career advancement, implementing policies against sexual harassment, and promoting equal pay.
• Inclusion of People with Disabilities: This involves adapting workstations and infrastructures to make them accessible to everyone and promoting recruitment and professional development policies that are inclusive.
• Inclusion of LGBTQ+ Individuals: Inclusive companies ensure a respectful and welcoming work environment for LGBTQ+ people by adopting anti-discrimination policies and promoting training on sexual and gender diversity issues.

Some Statistics on Discrimination in the Workplace

Statistics on workplace discrimination highlight the significant progress still needed to achieve true inclusion.

According to a study by the International Labour Organization (ILO), nearly 20% of workers worldwide have experienced discrimination.

In France, the Defender of Rights reports that 34% of people believe their careers have been hindered due to discrimination, particularly related to age, gender, or ethnic origin. These figures underscore the need for concrete actions to promote inclusion in companies.

Why Be an Inclusive Company?

Being an inclusive company offers numerous benefits, including the ability to leverage a wide range of perspectives and experiences that stimulate innovation and creativity.

A diverse company is often better equipped to understand and meet the varied needs of a diverse clientele. Inclusive companies are more attractive to talent, especially younger generations who place great importance on diversity and inclusion in their career choices.

Finally, inclusion in the workplace fosters a positive work environment, reduces turnover, and improves employee engagement, contributing to better overall company performance.

Actions Implemented at Crédit Mutuel Arkéa

Crédit Mutuel Arkéa places people at the heart of its actions, recognizing that inclusion and diversity issues vary depending on territorial contexts, professions, and company structures. Since early 2024, a diversity strategy has been deployed across all entities of the Crédit Mutuel Arkéa group. It covers several dimensions: gender, health, age, origins, and other dimensions, family situation, sexual orientation/gender.

Employees who are Diversity Ambassadors play a crucial role in identifying priority issues and supporting them with the company's backing.

Gender Diversity

Since 2015, Crédit Mutuel Arkéa has placed the issue of gender diversity at the core of its concerns. Through a team dedicated to Inclusion & Prevention, the company strives to promote the presence of women at all hierarchical levels and in all professions, as part of the 2022-2024 professional equality agreement.

Here are some of the actions implemented:

• Workshops: To combat gender stereotypes, sexism, etc.
• Boosting Potential Program: This program aims to encourage women's advancement to the highest levels of responsibility through a structural and global approach. In 2020, a study by sociologist Denis Monneuse on gender parity at Crédit Mutuel Arkéa identified four female personas, leading to the creation of four programs piloted since 2022:
  • Young Shoots: A sensitization program to help young female employees take charge of their careers through support on fundamentals (networking, building a professional project, etc.).
  • The Revealer: A tripartite system (employee, promoting manager, HR reference) to explore employees' potential, expand networks, remove barriers to their advancement, and position them as active participants in their career paths.
  • In Search of the Incredible Female Leader: An electronic and anonymous voting campaign among leaders and managers to improve women's access to leadership positions.
  • Trigger: A ten-month support program for high-potential women to accelerate their advancement to the highest levels of responsibility.
• Participation in Workshops on Companies and Gender Diversity: Within an observatory aimed at quickly and sustainably improving gender diversity in organizations by promoting the relationship between gender diversity, governance, performance, justice, and CSR.

Domestic Violence

Crédit Mutuel Arkéa recognizes that domestic violence impacts the workplace. The Inclusion & Prevention service is committed to combating this violence by seeing the company as a lever to help victims:

• Training: A network of employees named "The Watchful" and HR proximity functions are trained through a serious game offered by Cesim Health, combining escape game mechanics with key messages to integrate.
• Communication: Regular communications raise employee awareness of domestic violence issues.
• Dissemination of Support Systems: Information on the support systems in place for victims or witnesses of domestic violence.

Disability

With a disability policy in place for nearly twenty years and the signing of our first disability agreement (2003), we have long been committed to promoting diversity and inclusion.

Whether through awareness-raising, maintaining the employment of our disabled employees, recruitment, or promoting digital accessibility for all, our disability initiatives are numerous and varied.

These are all symbols to raise awareness among all men and women in the company of a mission that places humans at the heart of its strategy.

LGBTQIA+

A recent study by IFOP, a leading opinion research institute, in partnership with L'Autre Cercle, reveals the considerable weight of heterosexual and cisgender norms in the workplace.

A finding that would be trivial if it did not have consequences on the health and careers of the affected employees. But this is not the case.

By relying on our network of ambassadors, we wish to commit to this important issue for the group's employees.

Age

Crédit Mutuel Arkéa is a company where employees from four generations, with diverse aspirations and ways of working, collaborate. The Inclusion & Prevention department is committed to creating an inclusive workplace for all.

Since early 2024, the group has been conducting a sociological study on age in collaboration with a researcher specializing in diversity and inclusion at work to analyze the professional aspirations of the group's employees according to their age groups.

The objective is to best adapt our actions based on this work.

How to Measure a Company's Inclusivity?

Several indicators can be used:

1. Demographic Diversity: The composition of teams in terms of gender, ethnic origin, age, disability, etc.
2. Promotion and Retention Rates: Evaluating equal opportunities for advancement and whether retention rates are consistent across different groups.
3. Employee Satisfaction: Using surveys to measure the sense of inclusion and well-being within the company. An initial survey was conducted with Mozaïk RH, mapping inclusion and diversity in the Crédit Mutuel Arkéa Group. Here are some initial findings in the infographic below.
4. Number of Discrimination Complaints: Tracking the number of discrimination complaints in the company and their resolution to identify areas for improvement.
5. Engagement in Inclusion Programs: Employee participation in diversity and inclusion programs and initiatives.

Key Takeaways on Inclusive Companies

Adopting an inclusive approach is essential for any company wishing to develop and grow in an increasingly diverse world.

An inclusive company respects and values each employee and benefits from the wealth of perspectives brought by a diverse workforce.

By implementing inclusive policies and practices, measuring progress, and drawing inspiration from the best practices of other companies, each company can contribute to creating a more equitable and high-performing work environment for everyone.

"Diversity is a fact, but inclusion is a choice we make every day." – Nellie Borrero