Vilmorin & Cie - Annual report 2017-2018

ANNUAL REPORT Vilmorin & Cie 115 2017-2018 4 4.3.1.3. The professional development of employees Employee development is a strong component of the Group’s human resources policy. Given the Group’s specific organization in Business Units, Corporate Human Resources has a mission to promote the sharing of knowledge through a cross-cutting approach to development, and to identify talents in order to prepare for the future. An annual talents review is organized at Group level under the responsibility of Corporate Human Resources. This review mobilizes all Vilmorin & Cie's Business Units with the aim of detecting internal talents, encouraging internal mobility and promotion, and identifying pools of potential managers for key positions. Each Business Unit runs its own careers committee. As a result, more than 80 people are mobilized on these subjects. Information from the careers committees in the Business Units are then consolidated and shared during a careers committee meeting of all the Group’s Human Resources Managers and Corporate Human Resources (GHRC) . An annual review of Human Resources talents by this body is also organized. Finally, the Group careers committee focuses on top executives, executive managers and high potential managers. Several indicators have been deployed at Vilmorin & Cie concerning succession plans and mobility assumptions for the executive manager population. Thus, over fiscal year 2017-2018, 69% of executive managers have at least one possibility identified for their next position and 80% have at least one identified successor. An analysis of these successors shows that more than 50% of them come from the non-executive management population, which makes it possible to build solid pools for key positions, limit the risk of skills shortages and guarantee motivating career prospects within Vilmorin & Cie. Moreover, employability at Vilmorin & Cie's is based on several levers: Appraisals throughout employee careers, Internal dissemination of job offers, which has been extended. In 2017-2018, 347 job offers for permanent positions were published, and 206 employees submitted their application, An extended catalog of training programs at Limagrain Academy, Career paths, Opportunities to work abroad, including an incentive policy for short stays (between 1 and 6 months) abroad. Appraisals throughout employee career The annual appraisal (the campaign runs every year from June to September; the interview is conducted by the manager). The interview consists in assessing the activities achieved and skills mobilized over the past year. It is also an opportunity to assess the employee’s training needs and wishes, and to review his or her professional evolution. Training in the form of e-learning, webinars and information organized on the Group Intranet have been deployed to allow those involved to prepare their appraisals in the best possible conditions. The information provided allows Human Resources to build up the training plan, to implement development plans and to prepare career committees to review promising employees and decide on promotions, mobility opportunities and accompaniments. During fiscal year 2017-2018, 82.43% of employees benefitted from a development appraisal, and 79% of executive managers. Bi-annual professional interviews: these interviews are initiated by Human Resources every two years. They are conducted by the manager, and are an opportunity to analyze perspectives for professional evolution in terms of qualification and employment. Career interviews: initiated in 2015, these interviews are organized every six years before the age of 45, then every five years after the age of 45. They are set up and run by Human Resources, and prepared with the manager. Their objective is to prepare a summary of the employee’s professional career. Interviews to prepare the end of a career (as of the age of 57): these interviews are part of the Group’s Generation Contract and are organized and run by Human Resources for French personnel; they are set up to prepare the final career period, to initiate the procedures necessary to prepare pension files and to organize succession plans. Departure and return-to-work interviews after a long absence (maternity or adoption leave, childcare leave, etc.): these interviews are initiated by Human Resources. They are set up for successful transitions before and after these absences, to prepare the return to work, to keep in contact, and to avoid any breakdown in the relationship. Career paths The development of a benchmark job index for the Group’s top executives and executive managers was finalized in 2016-2017. A first application was carried out as part of the annual interviews and executive management appraisal campaign. Indeed, the desire for mobility is now being expressed on the benchmark jobs resulting from this common reference framework, thus enabling a more precise analysis of the career paths possible for this population. In addition, the implementation of a benchmark job reference system is continuing in the Business Units and those working on an update of the Group’s job index. Three Business Units and two cross-cutting organizations are using their business reference system for mobility and career paths for their employees. Two additional Business Units have committed themselves to the project, either by updating their reference system or by building their own. The project will continue in 2018-2019. 4.3. Conducting activities in an ethical, sustainable and effective manner Social, environmental and societal INFORMATION