Disability: a single ambition, concrete initiatives

EDF has been a committed member of a network of stakeholders working to research and develop ways to promote disabled recruitment.

It is an effective policy that is also a component of our policy of purchasing from the sheltered sector, and our commitment to promoting sport for all.

Recruiting people with disabilities at EDF

We recruit disabled people who have the skills the Group’s departments need as full time staff or apprentices.

More than 4 000 disabled employees work within the Group, in a vast range of roles.

The Group’s commitment to promoting the recruitment and inclusion of disabled workers have been clearly laid out in signed agreements:

• over 25 years ago now, EDF was one of the first French companies to sign an agreement with trade unions on professional inclusion for disabled people
• 4 Group companies in France (EDF SA, ENEDIS, RTE, and Electricité de Strasbourg) signed a disabilities agreement and the Group-wide corporate social responsibility (CSR) contract also takes disabled people into account

Lastly, the sheltered sector is part of the Group’s purchasing policy and in 2015 almost €22 M purchases were made from sheltered sector bodies.

Thus, EDF makes a real contribution to providing access to work for disabled people.

A stakeholder network within EDF

In order to deliver our disability policies and support people with disabilities, EDF has founded a dedicated network that works both nationally and in the field alongside the employees its work supports.

• disability assignments for EDF companies in France
• and, for closer support, contacts within departments or regions that mobilise the stakeholders in question (medical/social sector, managers, HR, buyers, experts)
• monitoring committees
• action plans
• indicators

R&D initiatives for the inclusion of disabled people

EDF researchers are applying their expertise to disability projects launched as part of partnerships.

An example of their work is the AccesSim app that is used to model our surroundings, facilitate accessibility reviews, and make moving around easier. Users experience the world as seen by a person with reduced mobility as they use a wheelchair to navigate a virtual environment, recreating the main difficulties faced by wheelchair users every day.

The result: greater consideration for the restrictions faced by those with reduced mobility, and a very real awareness of the issue for all those involved in planning.

R&D researchers at EDF are also developing equipment and devices for use by disabled athletes, in training and in competition.