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All over the world, companies are increasingly concerned about the well-being of their employees. Enough to push some of them to offer them specific leave to take care of their employees, whether they are parents, caregivers or victims of violence. This trend initiated in the United States is now gaining momentum in France.
Axa announced on October 3 the launch of a new program, “We Care”, to improve the physical and mental health of its employees. It aims to give “the time, support and necessary resources” to the group’s 120,000 employees so that they can “make personal and professional decisions with complete confidence”, as indicated by a statement.
This involves in particular the introduction of new paid leave. These are intended for employees who are parents, caregivers or victims of sexual, domestic or intra-family violence. In the future, they will all be able to benefit from paid absences of up to five days.
In the case of employees planning to have children, the world leader in insurance and asset management has committed to doubling the duration of leave granted to the co-parent. It now goes from four to eight weeks, fully paid. Additional leave and flexible working arrangements will also be offered to employees receiving or recovering from in vitro fertilization (IVF), or in the case of miscarriage.
Regarding its policy on domestic violence, Axa announced its intention to provide access to psychological support, support services and flexible working arrangements to workers affected by such a situation, in addition to the five days of paid absences.
Fight against employee discomfort
Axa is not the only French company wanting to improve employee well-being, at a time when it is increasingly deteriorating. As proof, 44% of working people in France are in a situation of psychological distress (a state which covers symptoms of depression and exhaustion), according to a barometer carried out by OpinionWay for Empreinte Humaine among 2000 respondents. Three-quarters of respondents say that their psychological health is partially or totally linked to work. This is why companies like Orange, Accenture, Mazar or Safran offer their teams several types of leave, partially or fully paid, to make their lives easier. But, for the moment, they are still an exception in the French landscape.
However, employers would do well to adopt similar measures. The feedback generally points towards employee well-being. Employees who benefit from this additional paid leave often have the impression that their company listens to them and ensures that their personal aspirations or obligations do not (too much) impact their professional life.
In addition to being a source of satisfaction for workers, this armada of additional leave is a good argument for attracting and retaining candidates. Indeed, Orange’s “breathing leave”, which allows the group’s employees to be absent between three months and a year, while receiving at least 70% of their salary, is reserved for those who have at least ten years of seniority. Enough to make them want to stay in office for a long time.
To find out more about the different paid leave that certain companies offer, listen to the Trendz episode dedicated to this theme, “To please employees, everyone has their own leave”. He is available on the Majelan application but also on Spotify, Deezer, Apple Podcasts and Podcasts Addict.