Diversity and Inclusion at Upcoop: our initiatives and commitments

The Group's many commitments reflect its determination to push back against discrimination and promote diversity. Our "Mission Diversité" introduced by the HR Department in 2011 leads practical, long-term diversity & inclusion initiatives through a network of local representatives in Group entities. 

In 2011, Upcoop launched its proactive policy to promote the integration and ongoing employment of people with disabilities. This Diversity & Disability policy has allowed us to increase the proportion of disabled employees in our workforce from below 1% in 2011 to more than 6% today.

This has been made possible by an intensive awareness-raising policy involving company employees. Role-playing exercises, exhibitions, an introduction to signing, a concert of music featuring a disabled artist, exhibitions, theatre performances, a blindfold challenge, funding for the Gennevilliers basketball team, inviting elite digital gamers... all of these initiatives and more have helped to create the current climate of trust around disability.

More employees every year are now taking part in awareness-raising initiatives. Some are even taking the initiative themselves through ideas such as company participation in charity races to raise funds for breast cancer research.

Disability is now fully integrated into the Upcoop HR policy. It’s also the subject of a partnership agreement with Agefiph (the organisation promoting the employment of people with disabilities) and 3 agreements approved by the DRIEETS (Regional and Interdepartemental Directorate for the Economy, Employment, Labour and Solidarity). The issue of disability is integral to all management practices and annual appraisals.

The inclusion of differences is another particular strength of Upcoop, and we’re in no doubt that diversity drives performance, which is why we focus the same level of attention on every job application we receive. Join us

Reconciling employee lifestyles with quality of work life is a constant theme, particularly in terms of balancing work with parenthood or caring for a family member.

A number of different schemes are in place for this purpose.

• In France, a weekly clinic run by a social worker is available for employees struggling with life problems. This service is part of our broader commitment to reconciling the personal and professional lives of our employees and, in the broader sense, the "Quality of Work Life” we offer.
• Initiatives are also underway in all Group operating countries to optimise working conditions in ways that contribute to a healthy life balance (the way work is organised, teleworking, services to help with daily life responsibilities, etc.).

Professional equality

Our cooperative principles express our commitment to ensuring fair treatment and equal opportunities at every stage of our employees’ career paths. We see it as only natural that our teams reflect the society in which we operate, whether in terms of background, gender, age or qualifications. 

The Group's membership of the United Nations Global Compact, the signature of the French Diversity Charter and an agreement to prevent discrimination in France all evidence this commitment.

Our Gender Equality Index rating

In accordance with the provisions of the French Avenir Professionnel Act of 5 September 2018 introduced to eliminate pay gaps between women and men, the Up Group publishes its Gender Equality Index rating, which was 90 out of a maximum of 100 points for 2024. This index rating is calculated on the basis of the 5 indicators set by the legislation:

• The gender pay gap  (35 points out of 40)
• The gap in individual raises (20 points out of 20)
• The gap in promotions (15 points out of 15)
• Raises upon return from maternity leave (15 points out of 15)
• The proportion of women in the company's ten highest-paid employees (5 points out of 10)

Gender diversity on the Board of Directors

Upcoop has made the choice to include in its articles of association the concept of conformity for ballot papers, which must now reflect a proportion of between 40% and 60% for each sex. On 17 June 2023, the 648 employee-members elected a new Board of Directors composed of 6 women and 7 men.

Learn out more about our governance.

Awareness and training initiatives around professional equality:

Upcoop is fully committed to raising employee awareness of a range of professional equality issues, and providing the appropriate training:

• International Women's Day
• Pushing back against sexual harassment and sexist behaviour 
• Pushing back against stereotyping 
• Solidarity Meetings are held throughout the year to promote the employment integration of offenders and refugees
• Managing religious issues in the workplace

Our priority is to increase the representation of women in positions of responsibility and on the Board of Directors, which currently has equal gender representation. To achieve these goals, we are stepping up our training and awareness-raising initiatives to reassert the importance of gender diversity at all levels of our organisation. Every year, the Group also brings its employees together around awareness-raising and information initiatives designed to deconstruct stereotypes and raise awareness of the dangers around stereotyping.  This policy is implemented through a range of agreements and initiatives implemented in a large number of countries.