Paris, France: Stef has been awarded the Pepsico Pures trophy in the Social Initiative”category for Stef’s ‘Mission Disability’.
The project, ‘Mission Disability’, rewarded by Pepsico France, led to a substantial increase in the number of disabled people employed, rising to 4.35% of Stef’s workforce at the end of 2011, up from 2.78% at the end of 2006.
Robert Isabella, human resources manager for diversity and quality of life at work at Stef, says: “In the field of operations, the issue of disability is rarely a top priority for managers and ‘able’ employees.
“We generate interest and involve everybody in three different ways: we use convincing proofs (to show that it is possible and that it works), we innovate to raise awareness (through sports and fun events, encounters…) and we use disability initiatives to test ways to improve the working conditions of our entire community.
“These initiatives created a feeling of complicity and increased the cohesion of our teams around a common goal: the integration of a disabled person”.
In 2006, Stef’s Human Resources department commissioned a study to better understand the challenges and ways to improve the disability policy. “It was clear that local initiatives had to be supported from the top and broadened with clear and ambitious goals”, the company said. Mission Disability was the result of the review..
Left to right: Armando Amsalem, general manager, Pepsico France with Céline Liegent, human resources manager for the logistics division of Stef and Francis Lemor, chairman, Stef
In, 2006, Stef’s management and its trade union representatives signed a three-year agreement (2007-2009) on disability. This agreement covers every entity of the group. Every subsidiary including entities will less than 20 employees (not covered by the national legislation on disability) can benefit from subsidies and support mechanisms. In 2009, another three-year agreement (2010-2012) was signed by every union of the group.
Key figures
- Before the first agreement was signed, the Group employed 277 officially disabled people (2.78% of the total workforce). On December 12, 2010, the Group had 512 disabled employees (4.35% of the workforce).
- Since the first agreement was signed, 248 disabled employees have joined the Group.
- A the end of 2010, the ratio of disabled employees exceeded 6% (the legal ratio) at 26 sites, versus at only 9 sites before the first agreement
- Over 2 240 peoples have been trained and made aware of the disability issue (managers, H.R. managers, personnel representatives, employees…), 15% of the total workforce.
- 103 employees benefited from special training or improved working conditions to help them keep their job
- Close to 100 “Relay Handicap” created.
- 24 expert-diagnosis were performed on site to implement a long-term H.R. policy in favour of the disabled..
The idea that diversity benefits the performance is widely shared inside the group. “Mission Disability” has three principal objectives:
- To promote the recruitment and integration of disabled people and their retention by the Group.
- To develop a culture of closeness and trust among the employees concerned
- To educate other internal communities.
