Mindful that employee commitment is key to the Group’s success, Rubis ensures that individuals have the opportunity for professional development with the aim of attracting, developing and retaining its talents. To do this, Rubis focuses its efforts on promoting diversity and equal opportunities (section 4.3.1), employee skills development (section 4.3.2), health, safety and well-being at work (section 4.3.3) and involving employees in the Group’s value creation (section 4.3.4).

Group risk mapping has identified the main social risks related to activities. These risks mainly concern the health and safety of employees and external service providers working on Group sites. Apart from these risks, a key challenge relating to human resource management was identified by the relevant departments in each division: attracting, developing and retaining talent while the Group grows and where human resources must be adapted to Rubis’ development strategy. This challenge is dealt with in this chapter.

To make the most of its human capital and better handle the specializations involved in the Group’s different activities, and in line with its corporate culture, its social policy roll-out has been decentralized. Rubis Énergie and its subsidiaries as well as the Rubis Terminal JV manage their human resources autonomously, in line with Rubis’ values, and implement local actions adapted to their needs and challenges.

Employee status and fluctuations in numbers

As of December 31, 2020, the Group’s headcount was 4,142, including 449 within the Rubis Terminal JV, an increase of 4.8% compared with 2019. This growth, observed across all regions where the Group operates, is largely attributable to the consolidation of Gulf Energy in Africa.

CHANGE IN NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES BY DIVISION AND BY REGION

Diversity and inclusion are part of the Group’s DNA. They represent an asset to the Company and a key to the effectiveness of its teams. The Group has committed to outlaw any discrimination based on origin, religion, gender or sexual orientation, state of health and/or disability, political opinions, religious beliefs or family status. These values are clearly stated in its Code of Ethics. To ensure that everyone is protected against potential discrimination, a workplace whistleblowing system (Rubis Integrity Line) has been rolled out across the whole Group so that any situation undermining the values of the Group and its subsidiaries can be flagged. The Integrity Line enables all Group employees, as well as external and temporary workers, to report any such situation in a secure way via a website (see section 4.4.1.1).

Since combating discrimination corresponds to a major social issue, the Group has set itself the target of zero discrimination in all cases reported, notably via its ethics hotline.

4.3.1.1 PROFESSIONAL EQUALITY BETWEEN MEN AND WOMEN

RISKS

In an industrial environment where most employees are assigned to operational tasks, with hours and working conditions that can sometimes be difficult, the headcount has historically been dominated by men. In line with its principles of non-discrimination and convinced that lack of diversity is damaging to value creation, the Group has set up initiatives to help talent to flourish without any gender distinction.

GENDER BREAKDOWN WITHIN THE GROUP AS OF 12/31/2020

MEASURES TAKEN TO IMPROVE GENDER EQUALITY IN THE WORKPLACE

Measures to improve professional equality between men and women are being phased in within the entities. For example, Rubis Énergie’s Jamaican subsidiary (Rubis Energy Jamaica) is one of the first English-speaking companies in the Caribbean to have committed, in March 2019, to the gender equality certification process devised by the United Nations Development Program (Gender Equality Seal for Public and Private Organizations). This certification includes the following objectives:

Company agreements promoting the inclusion of women and gender equality in the workplace have also been concluded in some of the Group’s subsidiaries, complementing existing measures in the fight against discrimination in hiring, the promotion of equal pay, career development, etc.

Vitogaz France, for example, renewed a company agreement aimed notably at facilitating the access of women to positions of responsibility, neutralizing the impact of periods of maternity or adoption leave on professional evaluation, fostering career development and, lastly, promoting measures aimed at ensuring an optimal balance between work and family obligations.

SRPP (Réunion Island) has concluded a company agreement with four objectives (monitored by defined quantitative indicators) aimed at promoting professional equality between men and women:

Communication campaigns were also launched to highlight women’s involvement in the Company and to help combat gender stereotyping in the workplace. For example, the Rubis subsidiary operating in the Eastern Caribbean (Rubis Caribbean) is actively involved in the international Women’s History Month campaign, which consists of putting the spotlight on women’s contributions to historical events and contemporary society, and publicly recognizing the work done by its female employees.

In 2019, SARA launched the “NO to Sexism” campaign at all of its sites. Since then, a series of actions have regularly reminded Group employees and employees of external companies that sexism in any form whatsoever will not be tolerated. A team of actors first helped everyone understand, through real-life scenes, what sexist behavior is and how serious it is. Articles are regularly published to address the subject. To go further, a leaflet has been distributed to remind everyone what the law says on the subject and the penalties incurred.

The Group’s subsidiaries encourage the hiring of women in our male-dominated professions and fight against all forms of discrimination and sexism, in particular by ensuring that their recruitment processes, compensation policies and career management give everyone the same opportunities.

A company agreement was renewed within the Rubis Terminal JV in 2017. It focuses on the areas of hiring, training and career development through the use of monitoring indicators. A report is presented each year to the central Economic and Social Council. The ongoing situation is positive, particularly in terms of training. The Rubis Terminal JV is currently considering setting a target for the number of women in the workforce, which will be submitted to its Board of Directors.

RESULTS

The number of women employed by the Group was up 3.24% year on year (1,053 female employees as of December 31, 2020, compared with 1,020 as of December 31, 2019). Women employees account for 25.35% of the total headcount.

Management positions (Senior Managers) in Rubis SCA (parent company) are mainly held by women.

At Group level, women hold 31.1% of positions of responsibility (senior executives and executives), higher than their representation as a percentage of the total headcount. The percentage of women holding executive or senior executive posts (21.2%) is markedly higher than the percentage of men with equivalent responsibilities (16.2%).

Increasing the number of women on management bodies

Objectives have been set in 2020 to increase the number of women on Rubis SCA’s management body, as well as on the Management Committees of Rubis Énergie and its subsidiaries, in order to continue improving the representation of women in management positions:

NB: The data include those of the Rubis Terminal JV. The details excluding the Rubis Terminal JV are shown in the table at the end of this section 4.3.

At the level of the governing bodies:

GENDER EQUALITY INDEX FOR FRENCH COMPANIES

To compare pay gaps between men and women in France, a professional equality index has been phased in by French law 2018-771 of September 5, 2018 on the freedom to choose one’s professional future, for French companies with more than 50 employees.

The index, expressed as a score out of 100, is calculated on the basis of four or five criteria, depending on the size of the Company’s workforce:

Rubis Énergie subsidiaries: thanks to action taken to eliminate gaps, the gender equality indexes of the three French companies concerned increased significantly between 2019 and 2020:

For the Rubis Terminal JV, its French subsidiary reported scores of 84/100 in 2020 relating to 2019 and 85/100 in 2021.

4.3.1.2 GEOGRAPHICAL DIVERSITY

Operating in over 40 countries around the world, and with more than 50 nationalities in its workforce, Rubis is keen to capitalize on the rich cultural diversity of its employees and make an impact in the regions in which it operates. Employees are split equally between Africa, the Caribbean and Europe in terms of activities. In order for this cultural diversity to be reflected in corporate culture and management, when acquiring foreign subsidiaries, the Group tries to retain and/or hire local employees, for their experience and knowledge of the country: more than 98% of Group employees are hired locally. Thus, only two positions are generally occupied by expatriates in subsidiaries, those of Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer. The rate of expatriates on the various Management Committees of the subsidiaries was thus 22.5% in 2020 (25% excluding the Rubis Terminal JV).

GEOGRAPHICAL BREAKDOWN OF EMPLOYEES

NB: The data include those of the Rubis Terminal JV. The details excluding the Rubis Terminal JV are shown in the table at the end of this section 4.3.

4.3.1.3 INTERGENERATIONAL DIVERSITY

The age structure shows that the Group maintains broad intergenerational diversity in its headcount, which greatly enhances the experience of its teams and the transfer of knowledge. Each age group is represented in a relatively homogeneous way, without any significant variations between business lines and regions. To anticipate the retirement of senior employees, the Group has set up an active training policy. Furthermore, the Group contributes to the integration of young people into the job market by recruiting interns, students on apprenticeship and professionalization contracts and new graduates.

BREAKDOWN OF EMPLOYEES BY AGE GROUP

To retain this intergenerational dynamic and maintain proximity between younger and older employees, Rubis Énergie and the Rubis Terminal JV in France have introduced practices favoring seniors.

Since intergenerational diversity is key to social cohesion between all the generations, Rubis Énergie prioritizes:

The Rubis Terminal JV is committed to:

For young employees, the Group encourages combined work-study programs, which it sees as a good way of bringing young people into the world of work.

4.3.1.4 DISABILITY

The Group has adopted a policy of openness in favor of disability, which includes funding associations and institutions working in healthcare as part of its social engagement activities (see section 4.4.3.2).

Within Rubis Énergie, several subsidiaries use supply, subcontracting or service contracts with establishments and services assisting disabled people through work (ESAT) or sheltered companies (EA). At the same time, recruitment companies are asked to ensure that each job opening is accessible to people with disabilities.

At Rubis Antilles Guyane, for example, hiring for various leave replacements is done through Cap Emploi, which manages people with disabilities. This allows integration into the Company and may lead to a permanent contract as needed, which was the case in 2020.

In South Africa, it is a legal requirement (Employment Equity Act) for companies to employ a minimum of 2% of people with disabilities in their workforce. People with disabilities account for over 4% of the Easigas workforce.

The Rubis Terminal JV has also signed partnership agreements with ESATs, medico-social establishments for disabled people and institutions operating in the sheltered sector.

For instance, for more than 20 years, the Rubis Terminal JV company headquarters has been sourcing office supplies and maintenance products from establishments employing workers with disabilities under the auspices of the Commission for Rights and Autonomy of People with a Disability (CDAPH).

RISKS

The Group is convinced of the importance of developing its employees, whether through knowledge enhancement or the diversification of experiences. The ongoing improvement of individual skills helps motivate teams, encourages the emergence of innovative ideas, and boosts employee efficiency and employability. It also sustains Group service quality and increases safety at facilities.

MEASURES TAKEN

As the development of employee skills is a key factor in the Group’s performance, training objectives have been set. Rubis Énergie has set itself the target of maintaining the rate of training at over 50% of its total headcount over the year and, more generally speaking, providing sufficient training sessions to ensure that employee performance levels do not drop. The Rubis Terminal JV’s target is to train 100% of head office employees in each country in HSE risk awareness by 2021.

Training as a means of moving forward

In accordance with the wishes expressed by employees, the Group invests in general training to upgrade and enhance employees’ skills throughout their careers.

Rubis Énergie and the Rubis Terminal JV have set up a wide range of training courses adapted to their own challenges:

Training as a means of preventing risk

To protect the physical integrity of its employees in performing their duties, the Group is investing:

RESULTS

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, many training sessions could not take place (lockdown, travel restrictions, etc.), and some were canceled due to a lack of a minimum number of participants. Despite this particular backdrop, 51,578 training hours (down 33.1% compared with 2019) were delivered within the Group in 2020, some of them remotely. At the same time, the number of employees benefiting from training was down just 3.9% (2,869 beneficiaries in 2020, compared with 2,986 in 2019), allowing the proportion of employees benefiting from training to remain at high levels of 68% at Rubis Énergie (retail & marketing and support & services activities) and 79.6% within the Rubis Terminal JV.

NUMBER OF TRAINING SESSIONS DELIVERED AND EMPLOYEE BENEFICIARIES

In general, sustained risk prevention efforts were maintained, with 40% of employees trained in health and safety. The increase in this rate compared with the previous fiscal year (23.2% in 2019) is attributable to the pandemic, which prompted subsidiaries to step up their health and safety training and awareness-raising efforts (protection measures, work in confined spaces and psychosocial risks).

NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES TRAINED IN HEALTH AND SAFETY

4.3.3.1 HEALTH AND SAFETY

Personal health and safety are key to the Group’s social policy. These risks affect both employees and staff from external companies, as well as customers and local residents living near sites operated by Group entities. This subject is dealt with in section 4.2.3.2.

4.3.3.2 QUALITY OF LIFE AT WORK

RISKS

The Group is aware of the importance of offering its employees working conditions that allow them to reach their full potential. This is necessary to ensure motivation, cohesion and stability among teams. It is key to performance and builds employee commitment.

Moreover, employee commitment is very much dependent on Senior Managers’ capacity to help new employees settle in, to inform their teams of what the Company expects of them, how their work contributes to the Group’s success, to be respectful and attentive to the needs of the individual, and to develop the collective intelligence and mutual listening skills required for any relationship built on trust.

Lastly, health insurance coverage for employees aims to protect them from the potentially significant financial impacts of illness or accidents.

MEASURES TAKEN

Labor relations

Rubis’ labor relations are based on listening, dialog and mutual respect for all employees. Every subsidiary maintains open and constructive relations with staff representative bodies, where they exist (mainly in companies operating in France). Collective agreements pertain notably to wages, the company savings plan, incentives, profit-sharing, gender equality and training (see section 4.3.4).

Collective agreements are concluded with the aim of achieving positive impacts, in particular on employees’ working conditions and the Company’s economic performance. High-quality dialog has a direct effect on the success of developments within the Company to adapt to a changing environment.

In France, all Rubis Énergie employees, as well as those of the Rubis Terminal JV, are covered by a collective agreement. The employees of Rubis SCA, the parent company, are not covered by a collective agreement due to the small number of employees and its status as a holding company.

Moreover, numerous measures are unilaterally taken on health and safety issues in accordance with rules established by the Group and after consultation with employee representative bodies. At Rubis Énergie, for example, more than 45 health and safety agreements are in place in all subsidiaries.

Rubis Énergie has set the following targets with the aim of maintaining a working environment that is conducive to the well-being of its employees and employee retention:

Monitoring psychosocial risks

The Group specifically targets the prevention of psychosocial risks, knowing that this improves quality of life at work. During periods of lockdown linked to the Covid-19 pandemic, which led many Group employees to work from home in 2020, sometimes for long periods, increased vigilance was paid to the well-being of employees, and measures, such as regular newsletters, were taken, along with training on working in confined spaces and training on preventive measures against the Covid-19 pandemic have been implemented.

To increase prevention of these situations, a psychosocial risk assessment is conducted and updated on a regular basis in certain subsidiaries. To encourage the signaling of potential risks, Group employees, as well as external and temporary employees, can report any harassment in a secure manner via the professional whistleblowing line gradually being rolled out in the Group’s subsidiaries (Rubis Integrity Line), in addition to traditional reporting channels (line Managers, HR, staff representatives) (see section 4.4.1.1).

Work commitment

The Group encourages the emergence of initiatives that promote dialog and team spirit. These are, in particular, reflected by:

Social security insurance for employees outside France

Mindful of the role that social security coverage can play in combating inequality and the importance of protecting its employees’ health, the Group is endeavoring to roll out coverage for employees working in countries where coverage is not mandatory.

As of December 31, 2020, 97% of the Group’s employees had health coverage, whether mandatory or not. In countries where no mandatory health insurance is in force, the subsidiaries have voluntarily set up plans to cover healthcare costs. In addition, 88% of employees benefit from provident insurance thanks to the 161 social security or provident insurance agreements in force.

At Rubis Énergie, the provision of private social insurance (provident, healthcare) is at the employer’s initiative for employees working outside France, except for those foreign subsidiaries that had implemented such systems prior to their acquisition by the Group.

Within the Rubis Terminal JV, employer contributions are made to provident and private health insurance funds for employees working outside France.

RESULTS

Indicators of employee turnover and absenteeism are used to assess changes in the social climate and motivation of employees in subsidiaries.

Monitoring of staff turnover indicates that the Group maintained a dynamic recruitment policy in 2020, despite the health situation. Net job creations (number of new hires less all departures) totaled 102 (including 17 within the Rubis Terminal JV).

EMPLOYEE TURNOVER IN 2020

The rate of absenteeism due to non-occupational accidents or illnesses, as well as the rate of unjustified absences, remain relatively stable at a very low level, with the exception of the Rubis Terminal JV, where a large number of employees are on leave for long-term illnesses.

ABSENTEEISM NOT RELATED TO AN OCCUPATIONAL ACCIDENT OR ILLNESS⁽¹⁾

NB: The reporting scope for this indicator covers 90.5% of employees (see methodological note, section 4.5).

PERCENTAGE OF EMPLOYEES COVERED BY COMPANY AGREEMENTS

Fifty-two collective agreements, company agreements or unilateral decisions were signed at Rubis Énergie in 2020, covering more than 1,000 employees. At the Rubis Terminal JV, 45 collective agreements, company agreements or unilateral employer decisions were signed in 2020, covering 325 employees.

RISKS

Failure to involve employees in the Group’s value creation could impact their commitment to work and hence the Group’s performance. For this reason, Rubis seeks to compensate active contribution by employees in the Group’s economic and financial performance, so that they benefit from this value creation, under its compensation policy and/or capital increases reserved for employees.

MEASURES TAKEN AND RESULTS

Wage increases

Employees receive a fixed salary as well as additional compensation based on individual performance (variable salary, bonuses). Wages are regularly reviewed based on individual performance and changes in the cost of living. Decisions on pay are, for the most part, decentralized in each operating subsidiary.

In 2020, 51% of employees received a pay rise. The rate of employees receiving a pay rise is similar regardless of the category (non-executive, executive or senior executives), with the rate for non-executive employees being the highest (51.6%). Lastly, the proportion of female non-executives and senior executives receiving a pay rise was higher than that of men in these categories (more than 58% of female non-executives and senior executives received a pay rise, compared with 49.6% and 47.8% for male non-executives and senior executives respectively).

PERCENTAGE OF EMPLOYEES RECEIVING A PAY RISE

NB: The data include those of the Rubis Terminal JV. The details excluding the Rubis Terminal JV are shown in the table at the end of this section 4.3.

Profit-sharing and incentive agreements

Rubis Énergie and the Rubis Terminal JV have, in accordance with French law, introduced profit-sharing and incentive agreements. Rubis SCA only has an incentive agreement. In 2020, employees were able to benefit from this scheme.

Employee savings and shareholding plans

Employee shareholding is one of the pillars of the Group’s compensation policy. It strengthens the sense of belonging to the Group and enables employees to share in its performance.

The Group’s French subsidiaries have company savings plans. Rubis SCA has also set up a mutual fund (Rubis Avenir) invested in Rubis shares, through which employees of the Group’s French companies in which it has a stake of more than 50% (including eligible employees of the Rubis Terminal JV) can subscribe for annual capital increases. As of December 31, 2020, Rubis Avenir held 1.32% of Rubis’ share capital.

In 2020, 52.82% of eligible employees took part in the issue (67.16% in 2019). The subscription period took place at the start of the first period of lockdown in France (late March-early April 2020).

Incentive plans

The purpose of long-term incentive plans (performance shares, stock options) is to acknowledge the positive contribution made by certain high-potential Group executives and Senior Managers worldwide to the implementation of the Group’s strategy and to its growth. They are a valuable tool in human resources management, allowing Rubis to attract and retain talents. The plans involve only a small portion of the capital and are subject to demanding performance conditions. It is important to note that the plans do not benefit Rubis SCA’s Managing Partners.

The characteristics of these plans and their performance conditions are described in detail in chapter 6, section 6.5.