Healthcare and employee protection

Objective

  • Improve social protection for all staff.

Priorities

  • Develop humanitarian and social (health) projects to help those employee categories that are particularly vulnerable**.
  • Support the HIV Committees in the Group’s African subsidiaries in the implementing their programmes for prevention**.

Highlights in 2010

  • In February 2010, all of the Group’s initiatives launched over the last two years as part of its stress management and prevention led to Societe Generale being classified as “green” in terms of psychological risk by the French Ministry of Labour.
  • New partnership with an association for the employment of the disabled in order to update first aid kits for staff in Societe Generale buildings and branches.
Staff throughout the Societe Generale Group are provided with extensive health and disability coverage, which in many countries goes beyond the minimum local legal requirements.
Societe Generale also permanently monitors the possibility of any risks liable to affect the health of its staff, anywhere in the world.
The Group already has several health and safety initiatives are in place:
  1. Social protectionInternational Retail Banking continued with its existing healthcare and personal protection insurance schemes at its subsidiaries and continued to add to its employee cover (improved access to healthcare, implementation of death and disability coverage, complementary pension plans).
    As such, as of the end of 2010, almost 15,000 employees in the Mediterranean Basin and Sub-Saharan Africa (in addition to 2,000 beneficiaries – spouses and children) had access to healthcare coverage which guarantees that the company will contribute to their healthcare expenses.
  2. Health and safety of international travellersIn order to effectively protect the health and safety of its international travellers and employees who move between countries, Societe Generale introduced its “Health, Safety, Security” global assistance programme in 2009 with the support of International SOS, the global leader in international health and safety services.
This assistance programme provides:
  • a 24/7 advice and assistance hotline,
  • guaranteed assistance in an emergency or crisis,
  • an information website on health and safety risks,
  • provision at central Group level of a tracking tool for business travellers, combined with an e-mail sent to the traveller containing a memo and safety advice specific to the destination, as soon as tickets are booked.
In line with national regulations regarding occupational health and safety, particularly in mainland France, employees who are required to travel outside of France for their work receive appropriate medical cover. This includes the prevention of work-related risks associated with travel, including vaccinations, prescriptions for local diseases, practical information on local sanitary conditions and assistance for certain specific situations. For expatriates, a medical exam at a specialised centre (CMETE) is included in this cover.
Societe Generale also permanently monitors the possibility of any risks liable to affect the health of its staff anywhere in the world (prevention of global health crises).
** in line with our Global Compact commitments