Vilmorin & Cie - Annual report 2017-2018

ANNUAL REPORT Vilmorin & Cie 116 2017-2018 Social, environmental and societal INFORMATION 4 4.3.1.4. Actions to promote mobility and skills development Mobility Vilmorin & Cie has made internal mobility, whether in terms of geography or function, one of the structuring orientations of its human resources policy. Vilmorin & Cie offers a particularly favorable framework for career development: the diversity of business sectors and professions, along with geographical presence in 48 countries, means that staff can follow individual professional pathways and Business Units can benefit from a wealth of new skills, experience and know-how. There is a platform for the consultation of internal job offers on the Intranet available to all the Group’s employees, so that they can play an active role in their own mobility/evolution. 347 offers with a permanent contract were published this past fiscal year. This platform is also accessible to all trainees, apprentices and employees on short-term contracts, giving them the possibility to take up opportunities for permanent contracts, but also for internships, sandwich courses or fixed term contracts to supplement their training and their experience. 135 offers of internships and sandwich courses were disseminated, along with 20 offers of fixed term contracts for young graduates. In terms of results, 266 employees experienced internal mobility within Vilmorin & Cie in 2017-2018. Vilmorin & Cie also fosters internal promotion by encouraging employees to acquire new skills through training leading to new qualifications or diplomas. Moreover, as a result of Vilmorin & Cie’s increasing international dimension, international mobility has become of major importance. To encourage mobility, conditions for expatriation take into account the specific needs of expatriates and include, in particular, measures to encourage integration and the return of colleagues to their home country. The different measures of accompaniment include intercultural and language training for the employee and his or her family, payment of removal expenses, schooling for the children, return trips and rent, tax assistance, a commitment to reintegrate the employee in the sending country at the end of the expatriation period, and a mobility bonus. A new mobility policy has been deployed, in order to better take new mobility practices into account. For example, in order to facilitate the clarity of mobility abroad in the long term or for short- term assignments, documents have been created and disseminated so that employees can better prepare for this experience. On June 30, 2018, the Company had a total of 83 employees working abroad, a number that has evolved throughout the year with the beginning and end of expatriation periods. In addition, to supplement international mobility opportunities and allow a larger number of employees to experience this opportunity, short-term missions abroad (less than 6 months) are also offered. Training, a tool to develop skills and preserve know-how Vilmorin & Cie is actively committed to training in order to preserve the precious know-how related to the technical and scientific heritage developed by generations of agronomists and other experts. This is why Limagrain Academy, over and beyond programs run to disseminate the Group’s culture, has set up a “production academy” and a “breeding academy” to retain know-how in the Group. In addition, Vilmorin & Cie invests in external training so that its employees benefit from the most up-to-date knowledge for their development. Finally, Vilmorin & Cie is convinced that its future depends on the wealth of young talent that must be encouraged today. With the same objective, Vilmorin & Cie encourages apprenticeship and sandwich courses, so that young people can gain easier access to employment, whatever their profession. Evolution of the total number of training hours Training hours 2015-2016 109,865 2016-2017 129,257 2017-2018 125,959 In 2017-2018, 125,959 hours of training were run in the group, for 4,853 employees, representing 72.94% of Vilmorin & Cie's permanent headcount. Analysis of staff trained by gender and status In % 15-16 16-17 17-18 Gender > Men 59.7 62.0 60.9 > Women 40.3 38.0 39.1 Category > Managers 37.2 34.8 33.3 > Non-managers 62.8 65.2 66.7 During the course of the fiscal year, Vilmorin & Cie devoted 2.9 million euros on training for its employees, including the budget for Limagrain Academy. 4.3. Conducting activities in an ethical, sustainable and effective manner