A socially-responsible employer

In an environment that is undergoing rapid, far-reaching changes, the human aspect is more than ever a core component of the CAP2030 strategic project, itself a key factor in the Group's performance.
To tackle the industrial and commercial challenges it faces, EDF must remain a socially-responsible and committed employer and a benchmark in terms of its employees' health, professionalism and engagement, by building their skills and fostering greater workforce diversity.

Since the beginning of the health crisis, the EDF group has implemented a new work organisation to guarantee the protection of its employees and fulfil its public service missions. EDF has opted for collective negotiation to overcome this period, thus consolidating the need for social democracy in business.

On June 3, all trade unions unanimously signed the collective agreement on the revival of activity. It is now applicable to EDF SA employees. The agreement guarantees the protection of employees via progressive return-to-site protocols while strictly respecting social distancing, with particular vigilance towards fragile employees. Said agreement organises the revival of activity via, in particular, the reprogramming of activities suspended during the health crisis by the end of 2020. Finally, it lays the groundwork for a future social project to integrate HR and organisational innovations resulting from the crisis into working methods. This consistency framework has also been shared with the Group's subsidiaries.

The well-being of the women and men in our company, and that of our contractors, is an absolute priority. To achieve this ambition, the Group has set itself two priorities:

• eradicate fatal accidents in the Group, once and for all;
• protect the health and safety of all our employees, subcontractors and stakeholders.

In 2015, the EDF Group reasserted its commitment to eliminating work-related fatal accidents among its employees and contractors, and in particular established the following:

• a health & safety strategy committee and regular reporting to monitor progress;
• “Life Saving Rules", which employees and contractors must know and follow;
• reporting and processing of hazardous situations and feedback.

By the end of 2021, 35,16% of EDF Group employees have been covered with the Health & Safety certification ISO 45001 (or OHSAS 18001 gradually replaced), and also MASE. On May 23rd 2019, EDF renewed their commitment with this association by signing a partnership charter to improve the Group’s health and safety performance for their contractors. 87% of EDF Group generation sites have been covered with Health & Safety certification.

In 2021, the Group adopted a new Health and Safety policy which consists of a commitment signed by all members of the Executive Committee, and highlights the importance of a collective approach in order to make progress in this area, as well as of the requirements addressed to all the Group's departments, divisions and companies to strengthen the steps taken. The subjects of health and the development of partnerships with service providers are the main thrusts of this new impetus.

In support of its efforts to improve performance, the Group has established a reference framework for its personnel. This framework goes by the name of “BEST” (acronym for Building Excellence in Safety Together). It consists of 8 health and safety standards. Leaders use it as a tool for carrying out self-assessments against the Group’s best practices and practices outside the company.

By focusing on day-to-day behaviours, EDF intends to eradicate fatalities and reduce the number of personal injuries.

EDF ensures gender diversity at every level of the company's management and is resolutely committed to the effort to promote women managers to key positions. This commitment relies on making technical professions more attractive for young women and upholding equal opportunity for the women and men in the Group at each step of their career.

EDF has held Equal Employment Opportunity Certification since the scheme's inception in 2006, and in 2014 achieved certification to the Gender Equality European & International Standard (GEEIS).

A women's network exists in France and is expanding internationally. An initial trial scheme of "Happy Men" clubs for men committed to equal employment opportunity will be launched in late 2016.

To attract women to technical professions, over 250 EDF women employees give talks to young girls in secondary schools as part of a partnership with the association "Elles bougent". Gender diversity is steadily increasing at EDF, even in the technical professions. Gender pay equality in comparable jobs has been achieved and a partnership has been signed with INED (the French National Demographic Research Institute) for the institute to monitor and analyse data on pay.

Because people sometimes need a helping hand to achieve their full potential, EDF keeps the social ladder working by helping over 5,000 employees every year obtain a diploma or set up their own business.

EDF banks on its employees' potential by investing in qualifying diploma courses:

• over the last five years, over 1,000 employees have been able to give their career a boost ;
• over 35% of the 35,000 managers in France (at EDF and Enedis) became managers in the course of their career.

For EDF, the social ladder also means helping nearly 100 employees every year to take over or set up a business, each of which in turn creates an average of three jobs outside the Group.

Under the sponsorship of the International Labour Organisation, the EDF Group has concluded a worldwide Responsible Employer agreement with 13 trade union federations*.

This international agreement is designed to guarantee the development of a common set of standards for the Group’s 160,000 employees, spread across 24 countries. Its purpose is to incorporate new social requirements for employees and bolster EDF’s international development, in keeping with the company’s public service values.

The agreement embraces a series of commitments to social responsibility, such as fiscal transparency, protection for whistle-blowers, anti-corruption and anti-fraud measures, prevention of violence and harassment in the workplace, duty of care to subcontractors and suppliers, equality between men and women, and action against discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation.

This new agreement replaces a previous agreement on social responsibility signed by EDF in 2005 and renewed in 2009. At the time, EDF was one of the first multinationals to adopt this type of policy.

* France: CFE-CGC, CFDT, CGT-FO, CGT/ Great Britain: UNISON, Prospect Unite, GMB / Belgium: FGTB (CGSP-Gazelco), ACV-CSC-BIE; FILCTEM-CGIL, UILTEC-UIL, FLAEI-CISL, FEMCA-CISL / International organisations: IndustriAll Global Union and Public Services International 

On 12th November 2019, the EDF Group signed an agreement on sustainable mobility for French-based Group employees, together with union organisations. Improving and reducing mobility sets the main objective of reducing CO₂ emissions and, by doing so, contributing to a CO₂ neutral energy future. Three flagship measures are deployed: carpooling, cycling, and electric mobility. Before the confinement and the coronavirus health crisis, 60% of employees’ journeys in France were less than 5 km and were mostly done by car. The progressive deconfinement phase allows us to do things differently, such as choosing to cycle over driving to work for example.
Alongside these alternative transport solutions and to reduce the often-heavy traffic in metropolitan areas, new working methods such as occasional remote work or telework have been made available to employees since 2016. For example, in 2019, telework at EDF SA saved 10 million kilometres (sum of the number of kilometres travelled by each teleworker on the home-work journey). This corresponds to nearly 1,900 tonnes of CO₂ and is the equivalent of 10 return flights Paris-New-York for 1 person (source: French Environment and Energy Management Agency). EDF is changing with its employees and innovating by anticipating changes in society.

An innovating initiative, "Combattre le CO₂, ça commence par nous" (lit. "Fighting CO₂ begins with us")

"Together, we can reduce our carbon footprint every day!" is how EDF challenged all its Group employees in France to contribute to a CO₂ neutral future.
Each employee can commit to improving their energy consumption and therefore reduce their carbon footprint, with eco-gestures, but also choosing alternative mobility solutions such as carpooling, electric vehicles or even cycling.
The EDF Group is committed to climate protection and sustainable mobility. That is why the Group encourages its employees to take action for a CO₂ neutral energy future. Everyone can be exemplary in the energy transition, by offering the means to be an actor, client, and ambassador of the Group's challenges, innovations, and low-carbon solutions.