Social policy as a catalyst for innovation and development

Share & Care is an innovative, evolving social innovation programme

Launched in 2012, the Share & Care programme provides a common social framework of benefits available to all L’Oréal employees, built around four key pillars: Protection, Health, Balance and Workplace. L'Oréal is committed to ensuring that all employees worldwide have access to the best social protection, healthcare and well-being at work.

In 2021, L’Oréal made changes to its Share & Care programme to more accurately reflect employees’ needs and expectations in a fast-changing world weakened by the health crisis. The “Care” pillar became the “Health” pillar, introducing the notion of “personal ecology”, which goes beyond taking care of employees’ physical health. Now, in addition to existing occupational health facilities, employees can get financial assistance to protect their mental health or engage in activities to enhance their well-being. A number of brands are also committed to supporting mental health, such as Maybelline New York with its Brave Together programme.

The “Balance” pillar has also been supplemented with measures that include extending parental and co-parental leave, as well as hybrid arrangements allowing employees to work from home up to two days a week. Creating a pillar focused on the workplace demonstrates the Group’s drive to innovate by providing socially and environmentally responsible spaces that reflect new ways of working. 

Increasing employability through innovation

Employability—an individual’s ability to take advantage of training opportunities to progress in the company or change jobs—along with adaptation to new technology and changes in the labour market, are an integral part of L’Oréal’s social policy. Workplaces and the nature of work continue to evolve, especially in times of crisis. As a result, one of L'Oréal's biggest challenges lies in cultivating employees’ expertise and enabling them to develop new skills to prepare them for the kind of work they will be doing in the future.

This makes employability not only a responsibility shared between employee and employer, but also fertile ground for innovation. For example, the manufacturing plant in Aulnay-sous-Bois in France, originally designed for the production of fast-moving consumer goods, has been adapted and now produces the Group’s luxury fragrances. The transformation required everyone—technicians, operators and managers—to learn a new area of expertise within the industry and change the way they operate. L’Oréal provided hands-on support throughout the transition, enabling everyone to develop new skills in the best possible conditions. 

Supporting the beginning and end of working life

Entering the labour market and leaving it behind can be difficult stages in life. L’Oréal has developed a global programme specifically to support youth employment, since young people have been among those hardest hit by the Covid-19 health crisis. The L’Oréal for Youth programme gives them access to a wider variety of job opportunities. It entails specific initiatives to boost their employability, including broader access to internal learning content and a mentoring system with the Group’s top 1,000 leaders. At the other end of the age spectrum, the employability of the most experienced employees is also a key aspect of the Group’s approach to innovation and social responsibility.