Michelin Has signed A New Agreement To Strengthen Disability Policy

• A new agreement to strengthen Michelin’s disability policy while sustaining initiatives already in place.
• New measures to encourage job retention.

On January 30, 2024, the management of Michelin France and the three representative trade unions CFDT, CFE-CGC and SUD as well as FO signed a new agreement to encourage the employment of people with disabilities for the 2024 – 2027 period. The agreement follows on from the previous agreement signed in 2021.

The signing of this agreement will strengthen Michelin’s disability policy, while sustaining initiatives already in place; in particular by promoting recruitment, integration and job retention. Respect for people is one of the Michelin Group’s founding values and particular attention is paid to all of its employees, thus fostering their growth within the company, to help them achieve their best.

The new agreement is in line with the Michelin Group’s “All Sustainable” vision and its ambition to become a global reference by 2030 in terms of employee engagement, diversity and inclusion.

Through this agreement, the Michelin Group intends to extend its appeal and to be recognized by other players as a company that welcomes disabled workers in order to continue to recruit for permanent and temporary positions, including apprentices and interns.

“Michelin believes that diversity in all its forms is a source of progress in the company; fostering creativity and nurturing collective intelligence. By signing this agreement, we hope to promote access to employment and job retention but also to provide a climate of confidence conducive to recruitment and integration.” Pierre-Alexandre Anstett, Personnel Manager, Michelin France

NEW MEASURES TO ENCOURAGE JOB RETENTION

The Michelin Group and the trade unions that signed the agreement consider job retention to be the core objective of the company’s disability policy. The agreement therefore includes plans for two new schemes that take disability constraints inherent to professional life into account.

• People with disabilities may require time to attend more frequent medical appointments, to complete specific administrative procedures and to rest. In order to factor in these additional time needs, the agreement provides for a new scheme entitled, “BOETH* Living Time”. Employees registered as BOETH can benefit, in complete confidentiality, from two annual remunerated leave days, paid into their individual TSA**.
• An end-of-career scheme will enable people with disabilities to take early retirement. Eligible employees will therefore have 3 days per month of notice before their planned date of retirement, limited to 18 months, that is 54 days maximum, paid directly into their individual TSA.

PROMOTING THE RECRUITMENT OF PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES AND FACILITATING THEIR INTEGRATION INTO THE COMPANY

PROMOTING RECRUITMENT

The new agreement will help to raise awareness and step-up training on disability topics, particularly among key recruitment players. Two mandatory courses will be introduced for all individuals involved in recruitment and integration. This measure will lead to a greater understanding of the different types of disability, to offer recruitment processes that are tailored to specific needs.

FACILITATING INTEGRATION

To assist with the integration of disabled employees, the agreement envisions upgrading the awareness-raising policy, by including a presentation of Michelin’s disability policy during every onboarding session for new hires (both for permanent and temporary positions).

The agreement emphasizes that the integration process for disabled employees is an important phase and reinforces existing processes.

From the recruitment phase onwards, the employee’s integration will be monitored by an on-site Disability Referent. A voluntary mentor will support the employee, manager and other team members as part of this integration. If necessary, a monitoring scheme between the Disability Referent and the employee may also be implemented.

In addition to the new measures, the agreement will enable the Group to sustain initiatives that have already been introduced, in particular awareness-raising and training on disability topics. These undertakings also concern purchases for the sheltered and adapted work sector.

During the period covered by the previous agreement (2021-2023), a progressive rise in the number of people supported by on-site disability referents was observed. Approximately 300 employees received support with administrative procedures per year, and almost 90 adaptations were made to work stations or with regard to flexible working arrangements.

Almost 800 employees have already recognized their disability status at Michelin France. Moreover, many employees, in particular those with an invisible disability, refrain from disclosing their disability at the recruitment stage, but do so during their career. Such disclosures result from communication and awareness-raising drives that are part of Michelin’s disability policy and implemented by the Disability Mission across all sites.