Inclusion: driving performance in companies

Professional inclusion is about the “capacity of our society to enable everyone to access and maintain employment, and progress in their work, regardless of their career path, age, health status or difficulties”¹. For companies, this is more than just a box-ticking exercise. It means being able to offer, over the long term, a work environment in which everyone can feel at home and respected. Implementing such an environment therefore implies a profound cultural transformation, affecting attitudes as well as working methods. It is, however, well worth the effort!

Inclusion: a sure bet for companies

Several studies have shown that inclusion is a driver of economic performance for companies, some stating that there is a link between diversity and profitability². In fact, since inclusion enables companies to draw from a diverse range of points of view, it guarantees creativity and innovation. According to the audit and consulting firm Deloitte, “companies committed to inclusion have almost 60% more chance of seeing an increase in their profits and productivity”³. Indeed, a company that fosters a diverse workforce is more likely to be able to understand and anticipate the needs of customers where diversity is also important. By providing a work environment conducive to professional growth, inclusion also strengthens the commitment of employees, at the same time as helping to forge a sense of belonging that boosts talent retention. Lastly, it is a major asset in appealing to younger generations, who are especially mindful of the values upheld by employers.

Practical steps to strengthen workplace inclusion and diversity starting with recruitment

In France, companies have clearly understood the benefits of inclusion and have put in place a variety of sourcing and recruitment policies aimed at promoting diversity in their teams. The VINCI group, for example, has opted to implement a proactive policy aimed at increasing the number of women in its teams: at Group level, every manager recruitment shortlist must now include a female profile. “We consider that once we have increased female representation in management roles, the rest of the teams will follow,” explains Ludovic Demierre, VINCI’s Director of Human Resources. To fight against discrimination, the Group is working closely with the “Elles Bougent” association to promote scientific and technical careers to girls in middle and high schools. Meanwhile, Sodexo launched the movement “Élan” in 2025, bringing together various leading French groups such as Accor, Orange and Sanofi, all focused on the shared goal of boosting workplace diversity. “Élan” offers diversity candidates mentoring sessions, round tables on specific topics and meetings with female directors in an attempt to lift the barriers linked to a lack of information and self-censorship.

Inclusion, in addition to careers guidance and recruitment, also calls for companies to contribute to changing attitudes. In 2019, BNP Paribas was thus the first major French company (listed on the CAC 40 index) to join the #JamaisSansElles movement, making a commitment to refuse to take part in any event with more than three speakers where no women were involved.

Inclusion: overcoming the barriers

Although many companies are making investments in diversity and inclusion, stumbling blocks remain, starting with the complexity and scale of the issue. Invisible disabilities, for example, are still poorly understood by companies, even though they account for 80% of disabilities⁴.

Sources :

¹ Le marché de l’inclusion. Qu’est-ce que l’inclusion professionnelle ? URL : https://lemarche.inclusion.gouv.fr/ressources/quest-ce-que-linclusion 

² McKinsey & Company. Faire progresser la diversité socio-culturelle au sein des instances dirigeantes des entreprises françaises. 10 décembre 2021. URL : https://www.mckinsey.com/fr/our-insights/favoriser-la-diversite-socio-culturelle-dans-les-entreprises-francaises  

³ Deloitte. Comment faire de l’inclusion un levier de transformation des organisations ? 19 juin 2023. URL : https://www.deloitte.com/fr/fr/services/consulting/research/diversite-et-inclusion.html  

⁴ Fonction publique. Principaux chiffres de la politique du handicap dans la fonction publique. 23 septembre 2022, mis à jour le 19 janvier 2023. URL : https://www.fonction-publique.gouv.fr/devenir-agent-public/choisir-le-service-public/inclusion-des-personnes-en-situation-de-handicap/principaux-chiffres-de-la-politique-du-handicap-dans-la-fonction-publique#:~:text=12%20millions%20de%20Fran%C3%A7ais%20sont%20en%20situation%20de%20handicap%20%3A%2080%25%20avec%20un%20handicap%20invisible%20survenu%20%C3%A0%20l%E2%80%99%C3%A2ge%20adulte%20ou%20jeune%20adulte  

⁵ Samir Hamladji. Classement exclusif - Egalité femmes-hommes au sein du CAC 40: "du mieux mais des défis persistants". Les Échos. 7 novembre 2025. URL : https://www.lesechos.fr/idees-debats/leadership-management/classement-exclusif-egalite-femmes-hommes-au-sein-du-cac-40-du-mieux-mais-des-defis-persistants-2197294  

⁶ Ibid.