Human Resources

HR Policy

 A commited Group 

FDJ runs the lottery in France. With 23 million players, we are a benchmark of the entertainment industry. We offer our employees a fabulous playground: a work environment that stimulates collective intelligence, 2,500 professionals driven to entertain our customers and change their lives (a new millionaire every 2 days), innovation approaches and state-of-the-art technologies poised to conquer new markets.

Recognizing that employee engagement is the key component of its performance, FDJ Group is committed to implementing an ambitious and innovative human resources policy centred on the employee experience. 
FDJ observes and enforces the ILO’s Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work at all Group entities: freedom of association and the effective recognition of the right to collective bargaining, elimination of all forms of forced or compulsory labour, effective abolition of child labour, and elimination of discrimination in respect of employment and occupation, as reiterated in the preamble to the agreement governing the appointment of Group union delegates.

The human resources policy is based on strategic workforce planning aimed at achieving the Group’s strategy, developing managerial, collective and individual performance, maintaining a high level of social dialogue to build a strong foundation  for management/labour relations  promoting the employability of all by developing business skills, behavioural skills and proficiency in cross-business digital tools.

 Hiring 

In 2020, in order to acquire the skills necessary to achieve its strategic objectives, the Group hired 200 new employees under long term contracts (excl. Sporting division) and 77 under short term contracts (excl. Sporting division), despite the health crisis.

These recruitments focused in particular on business lines and areas of expertise inherent in the company’s digital projects (customer experience managers, data analysts, web engineers and developers, project managers, traders for sports betting, logistics experts, sales representatives, etc.) in a bid to meet the challenge of winning over new customers and expanding the Group’s business, and to address the strategic adjustments made by the Group in response to the changing circumstances and impact of the health crisis on its business.

Despite the health crisis, FDJ Group thus continued hiring staff under all types of contracts (long term, short term) in 2020, while also taking on work-study participants to contribute to the employability of young professionals, who have been hit especially hard by the current crisis. 

 Skills, Management, Employability & Training 

To deploy its strategy, FDJ Group plans ahead for the skills sets it needs to recruit and/or develop internally, such as business line experts, cross-business project managers and line managers. 

The training policy is aimed at bringing about the Group transformation, as a means of implementing strategic priorities and as a key factor in improving employee skills and capabilities. 

Each year, the Group allocates a significant share of its budget to employee training, and as of 2020 has worked to adapt its training programme to telework conditions. The percentage of FDJ SA’s payroll earmarked for training held steady at 3% in 2020 (vs. approximately 4% in previous years).

The training programme covers five key areas: 

  • Skills directly focused on the business (e.g. cloud architecture, development languages, cybersecurity, digital marketing, UX design, etc.);
  • Digital media and data management;
  • Soft skills and management;
  • Operational efficiency and project management;
  • Languages: a significant effort was made to improve English-language skills in 2020 by providing all employees with open access to a training platform. 

In order to take individual situations into consideration and target its initiatives, the skills development plan combines multiple approaches: 

  • an individual training plan for employees being transferred, where they are changing roles and/or    assignments. 
  • a special course for employees taking on managerial positions; 
  • access to a skills assessment and/or training courses aimed at helping employees build their career plan, and a special programme designed to encourage staff members in their 50s to remain proactive towards the end of their career; 
  • special development programmes for women: transitioning into management, returning to work after maternity leave, etc.; 
  • language courses, based on required proficiency levels; 
  • an online training platform including hundreds of training modules on a variety of up-to-date professional topics. 

 Social dialogue & Group social foundation 

Management is committed, in the medium term, to harmonising devices, practices, representative trade union agreements at Group level (FDJ Group trade unions: FO, CFE-CGC and CFDT).

The high level of social dialogue is reflected in:

  • the very large number of staff representative meetings (including ad hoc meetings with all FDJ Group staff representatives where necessary, such as during the health crisis) 
  • the fundamental belief in the importance of presenting major projects to staff representatives (see Preamble to the agreement on the Group and the Group Committee). It is also reflected in the signing and implementation of multiple agreements underpinning the Group's necessary transformations. 

Negotiations with the main FDJ entities (FDJ SA and FDP) are held twice a month. Major agreements were thus negotiated on the right to disconnect, working time and telework which provided, well before many other companies and even before the health crisis erupted, the option of teleworking two days per week, donating days of leave and taking part in employee savings plans (see attachments for list of most recent agreements).

Similarly, in the interest of respecting and promoting the role of staff representatives and trade unions, FDJ has entered into an agreement on connected social dialogue, under which representative trade unions put out a website and newsletter to communicate and promote their initiatives even more easily to employees. Since 2018 and a preliminary framework profit-sharing agreement, the Group has been hard at work building a strong foundation for management/labour relations, and in October 2019 established a Group savings plan under the Offer Reserved for Employees (“ORS”) submitted at the time the company was privatised. In 2020, Group-level negotiations were stepped up despite the health crisis, with Management continuing to set up the Group foundation for sound management/labour relations, with a focus on:

  • Employee savings,
  • Mutual health insurance and personal protection insurance,
  • Strategic Workforce Planning (“GPEC”),
  • Professional equality, diversity and quality of life at work. 

Multiple Group-wide agreements (or covering the Group’s scope of operations) were entered into in 2020, strengthening the sense of pride in belonging to the Group and further building the foundation for sound management/labour relations. Three major agreements were signed at Group level, with supralegal status:

  • Agreement on requesting and donating leave and days off during the COVID-19 epidemic, entered into on April 7, 2020
  • “Group and Group Committee” agreement, entered into on April 22, 2020
  • Agreement on the appointment of Group trade union delegates, entered into on April 22, 2020.

 Remuneration 

Group remuneration and employee benefit policies reflect benchmark practices in its markets of operation, with the constant objective of treating all employees fairly and maintaining the Group’s competitiveness.

The starting salaries of new employees are compared against a market benchmark and the internal remuneration benchmark. They are subsequently reviewed once a year when setting the wage policy and conducting employee reviews. Part of the wage policy budget is set aside each year for closing the gender pay gap. 

Furthermore, a performance-based variable pay system has been gradually rolled out at FDJ over the last four years for all white collars (cadres) on long term contracts, i.e. 80% of the workforce. Given the activity of FDP and FDJ Gaming Solutions France, 100% of employees already have a variable share system.

Remuneration also includes employee profit-sharing and incentives, aimed at sharing the rewards of the Group’s performance and sustaining employee engagement. A Group-level profit-sharing agreement was signed in 2018. The company can make top-up contributions under incentive programmes, in accordance with the terms and conditions of the various agreements entered into by Group entities. 

 Employee shareholding 

Before privatisation, FDJ SA employees were entitled to take part in an employee shareholder mutual fund. As of the IPO, all Group employees have access to the fund, granted for the first time under the Pacte Act and the Offer Reserved for Employees (“ORS”). In 2020, employees were given the opportunity to invest the profit-sharing and incentives vested in 2019 in the Group shareholding fund under the Group Savings Plan (“PEG”). Starting in June 2021, in addition to profit-sharing and incentive payments on this fund, employees will be able to make voluntary payments to the Group shareholding fund at their discretion. At the start of 2021, Group employees owned roughly 4% of FDJ’s share capital via the Group shareholding fund! 

 Employee engagement rate 

90% of employees are proud to work for FDJ and over 85% are satisfied with their job and the work environment. More than 90% of employees are FDJ shareholders.

FDJ Group employees are free to take part in social initiatives organised by the FDJ Foundation. More than one-fourth are involved in associations working to promote integration and education. They can, for example, coach young people completing civic service programmes with the association “Unis-Cité”, or give presentations in middle school classes with the association “Energie Jeunes”.  

During the health crisis in 2020, Group employees showed solidarity by donating days of leave, thus raising €350,000 for the nation’s healthcare workers, research and the underprivileged.

Inclusion and Quality of Life at Work

 Quality of life at work (QLW) 
Employee engagement is made possible over the long term by qualify of life at work, including career motivation, managerial quality, and a sound work-life balance. The quality of the work-life balance is measured using an employee satisfaction scale consisting of annual performance reviews. 

 QLW in the digital age 

As part of its digital transformation, the company is continuously equipping its employees with digital tools: Mobile PC, smartphone for all, Office 365 tools to work remotely and in the office on shared documents. In the interest of maintaining a sound work-life balance, at end-2016 FDJ signed a right-to-disconnect agreement with all trade unions.

When it moved to its new registered office in 2018, the Group overhauled its office layout to promote employee sharing and collaboration as a means of improving workplace efficiency. These working environments are certain to continue evolving in response to the new balance between distance learnings/coursework, to develop operational efficiency and reduce travel between sites.

Telework will also be expanded with the aim of improving employee engagement and accountability. This agreement was fully implemented for 6 months and successfully changed perceptions and preconceptions of telework. This trial programme made it easier to get through lockdown, with telework becoming a widespread solution.

 

 Parenting 

FDJ Group has established a variety of measures aimed at supporting young parents.

FDJ Group goes above and beyond legal requirements with such measures, in fact. Paternity leave, available to the second parent (regardless of gender), is paid in full by the employer and covers 25 days, in addition to the three-day period granted at the time of birth.  Remuneration is covered in accordance with the length of leave, as follows: 

  • 3-month FDJ parental leave, during which employees receive 75% of their gross monthly base pay for the first two months and 50% the third month;
  • 6-month FDJ parental leave, during which employees receive 50% of their gross monthly base pay. 

This leave is available to the mother as well as the second parent, including if the child is born under a surrogate arrangement.

A parenting guide is available to (future) parents, containing information on the terms and conditions of FDJ Group programmes, as well as practical and administrative advice.

FDJ SA also offers nursery care for young parents. Five nursery spots will be freed up and available in 2021.

Inclusion : diversity and fight against all forms of discrimination

Diversity within the Group also calls for the inclusion of persons with disabilities, inter-generations and different social backgrounds. FDJ SA has held the AFNOR Diversity label since 2013.

 Gender equality in the workplace

For the last several years, the Group has been developing tools and programmes to promote gender equality. FDJ SA obtained a score of 100/00 on the gender equality index, with 92/100 for subsidiary FDP and 84/100 for subsidiary FGS France.

Indicators FDJ FDP FGS France
Pay gaps 40 37 34
Individual pay increases 20 20 35
Promotions 15 15
Maternity leaves 15 15 15
10 highest wages 10 5 0
TOTAL 100 92 84

 

FDJ SA was also awarded the AFNOR Gender Equality label in 2021.

In addition, the Group’s Diversity Network “ALL IN”, established in 2016, contributes to gender equality by providing multiple resources helping employees to work better together while achieving fulfilment in their career and opening themselves to a diverse external ecosystem where best practices can be learned. The initiatives undertaken by the ALL IN network are helping (re)educate people about gender equality, drawing on the experiences of all men and women, and surpassing our hang-ups and stereotypes.

A special task force focused specifically on parenting issues. 

 Disability 

As an employer, FDJ is fully committed to integrating persons with disabilities in the workplace. For more than five years  now, the employment rate of persons with disabilities has remained at a high level of around 6%. This policy is currently being rolled out at the subsidiaries, which are highly invested in this cause. They are actively involved in the programmes undertaken by FDJ SA, including efforts to train HR officers in the recruitment of applicants with disabilities, participation in dedicated job fairs, and participation in disability awareness-raising events such as Duoday and International Disability Day. The Group also has a special team, “Mission Handicap”, that provides support for employees with disabilities across the Group, focusing in particular on providing them with specially equipped workstations,individual follow-up and coaching as needed. 

Keenly aware of the difficulties involved in recruiting employees with disabilities, FDJ took the initiative in 2009 to create an association called “Hangagés”, comprising 20 disability projects “Missions Handicap” and two advisory partners for the purpose of sharing best practices in the employment of persons with disabilities. Its main objectives are to change the way disabilities are viewed in the corporate environment through training and awareness-raising, organising dedicated events, and facilitating the transmission of CVs.

To facilitate disability medical follow-up, either for themselves or a member of their family, the Group offers three additional days of absence per year for persons recognised as disabled, three days a year for parents with a child recognised as disabled, and a period of leave for employees serving as caregivers. 

FDJ also belongs to Tremplin, an association of more than 200 companies that helps students with disabilities as they complete their education and training. The member companies meet to review applications from students before offering them an internship or apprenticeship.

Lastly, FDJ supports the “protected sector” (secteur protégé) by making a significant volume of purchases, with an annual invoicing target of €800k from ESATs (établissement et service d’aide par le travail), which are establishments offering employment to disabled persons with special needs and unable to work in an ordinary setting, or EAs (entreprises adaptées), which are companies offering disability-friendly work environments, through partnerships in which these organisations can establish high-quality educational projects. 

 Different generations 

Several generations work together at FDJ Group. Our diversity approach aims to ensure that everyone feels welcome and confident in their work setting. 

We stand by our work-study participants, maintaining a 6% work-study contract rate despite the health crisis. We are also appreciated as a company that values and motivates its interns and work-study participants, having earned the “Happy Trainees” label for the third year in a row in 2021.  

As of 2017, FDJ reinvented the approach to senior employment with its action plan targeting “jeniors” (“junior seniors”), i.e. employees aged 45 and over interested in actively extending their career (career oversight, stock-taking reviews of individual action plans). Lastly, there is a programme available to help seniors plan for retirement so the transition goes smoothly when the time comes.

 Social backgrounds 

While capitalising on its partnerships with NQT (Nos Quartiers ont des Talents) and Mozaïk RH, aimed at integrating applicants from underprivileged areas, in 2019 FDJ also joined the new PAQTE (Pacte Avec les Quartiers pour Toutes les Entreprises) initiative launched by the French State. Under this programme, around forty employees help young graduates from underprivileged areas find employment under work-study contracts/internships at the Group and through mentoring programmes.

Related publications

Group Agreement - Gender Equality, Quality of Life at Work & Diversity

Group Agreement - Gender Equality, Quality of Life at Work & Diversity

January 2021
Diversity, Gender Equality and Quality of Life at Work Policy

Diversity, Gender Equality and Quality of Life at Work Policy

2021-2025