In 2022, a Group agreement, applicable in European countries where it operates, was signed to set the conditions for the creation, operation and role of the European Works Council for the 2023-2026 term.
1.5 Inclusion and diversity
A key point in the VINCI Manifesto, the Group’s corporate culture relating to diversity is derived from a policy of broad inclusion. As such, preventing any form of discrimination and promoting equality are its top two priorities. As part of this commitment, VINCI endeavours to increase the proportion of women in the Group and improve access to career opportunities for people of all social, ethnic, educational and geographical backgrounds. The Group firmly believes in promoting the diversity of profiles and ensuring that all staff can follow an adapted career path.
Several governing bodies have been formed to build a sustainable culture of diversity throughout the Group. VINCI’s Diversity Department was set up in 2004 and tasked with two main responsibilities. In collaboration with the human resources departments at each business line, the first was to design integrated tools that could be used by all subsidiaries, and the second was to raise the awareness of all business lines about the shared values of inclusion and respect for differences. The Inclusion and Diversity Department has also been working with the regional human resources Pivot Clubs since 2008 to structure the means of action implemented and share best practices identified within the Group.
In 2011, a network of coordinators was created to support the Inclusion and Diversity Department in its endeavours and ensure that its strategy is applied locally. Now made up of 682 coordinators, the network has since led awareness initiatives and encouraged the development of effective tools to support inclusion within each business line and region. The coordinators are trained on specific issues and regularly pool know-how during inclusion and diversity days or via their collaborative platform. Together, they aim to develop policies and initiatives that can be rolled out across the Group. Overseeing the entire network, managers help them structure their influence and gain recognition for their work in favour of inclusion within the Group. Outside experts, influential external figures and internal initiators of best practices are invited to speak at network meetings. Coordinators identify and define inclusion issues within their scope. Solutions are then planned, and their application is supported by the network.
To encourage inclusive management at all levels of the organisation, the Group continues to identify risks of exclusion, including discrimination, and opportunities for inclusion through three key initiatives: the Diversity label, the “VINCI fights discrimination – what about you?” digital platform, and a clear understanding of inclusion and diversity issues.
The Diversity label is awarded by an outside organisation (Afnor Certification, in France). The certification process examines action plans focused on preventing discrimination, promoting inclusion and diversity, and respecting equality. This valuable tool enables the Group to identify risks of discrimination and promote its best practices in human resources management. At end-2022, almost 8,000 people, including the entire workforce of motorway companies, were employed by VINCI entities in France having received the French Diversity label (11 in all). In the United Kingdom, two entities, representing 54% of the workforce, were awarded labels by the National Centre for Diversity. In Germany, VINCI Energies companies adhere to the commitments of the Charta der Vielfalt. Other VINCI companies were recognised in 2022 for their inclusive practices and processes. For example, HEB (VINCI Construction) won an award from Diversity Works in New Zealand and Balfour Beatty VINCI (VINCI Construction) achieved Clear Assured Gold Standard accreditation for Diversity and Inclusion, the first construction partner on the HS2 project in the United Kingdom to earn this distinction. The Group continues to seek and deploy these labels internationally.
The self-assessment tool “VINCI fights discrimination – what about you?” is an application developed by the Group’s Human Resources Department to measure the effectiveness of procedures put in place by a company, business line or department in reducing the risk of discrimination. The platform is divided into nine modules covering nine facets of professional life: recruitment, induction and integration, managing jobs and skills, training, remuneration, departures and sanctions, social dialogue, quality of life in the workplace, and diversity policy. These modules are broken down into 150 situations in which discrimination could potentially arise. All Group employees can access the platform via a dedicated website and answer the self-assessment questionnaire to determine the likelihood of each situation, measure the entity’s resilience to discrimination, and suggest any priority actions that need to be implemented. The French version has been available since 2016, and a universal version for all countries was developed with the support of the regional human resources Pivot Clubs and the Inclusion and Diversity Department. Worldwide, the number of hours of training increased to 28,631 hours.
Overcoming the challenges of inclusion and diversity: Since 2021, VINCI Academy has included a training course on Up! that provides solutions for enhancing inclusive management and a guide on using the gender equality index indicators to navigate gender neutral pay and promotion policies. These modules are available in several languages.
