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2015 REGISTRATION DOCUMENT SCHNEIDER ELECTRIC86
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
2COMMITTED TO AND ON BEHALF OFEMPLOYEES
4.5 Anticipating workforce needs
As Schneider Electric’s strategy continues to evolve, the Group
has been working to widen and strengthen its Strategic Workforce
Planning practice across businesses, functions and geographies.
Since the creation of a small team dedicated to Strategic Workforce
Planning in 2011, a solid workforce planning method has been
deployed. Numerous new entities are deploying the practice to
translate their business strategies into implications for workforce
needs and skills . Entities which previously implemented workforce
planning are now starting to review and refresh their plans on
an annual basis and are focusing on the implementation of the
workforce actions that enable the execution of their business
strategies.
Approach
Schneider Electric’s Strategic Workforce Planning method
systematically connects the business strategy to the key workforce
implications and enables concrete decision-making and precise
action-planning around recruiting critical roles, developing critical
competencies and evolving workforce productivity. The practice
relies on a strong collaboration between the business leader, the
human resource business partner and the fi nance controller. This
collaboration enables a high quality translation of the business
strategy into the most important workforce priorities and ensures
fi nancially sustainable decisions.
The Group prioritizes the deployment of the workforce planning
practice for those businesses and functions where the strategy and
transformation drives signifi cant implications for the workforce. For
example, a collective force encompassing the solution business
strategy, focusing on the services business, software, the Global
Supply Chain transformation and the digitization transformation,
drives the need for identifying critical gaps in the workforce.
The workforce planning practice emphasizes the mobilization of
expert teams in Talent Acquisition and Learning Solutions. Talent
Acquisition supports the businesses to apply aligned talent-sourcing
strategies that ensure internal talent is identifi ed and leveraged,
and external talent is brought in through the right channels such
as graduate recruitment or targeted experienced recruitment for
critical roles. Learning Solutions design the relevant development
paths to up-skill candidates for critical roles and competencies as
well as supporting effective on boarding and integration of external
talents into the Schneider Electric business.
Action plans
All action plans serve to make workforce planning part of Schneider
Electric’s management DNA. This means that the deployment
to new functions, businesses and countries is continued and
that existing workforce plans are continuously refreshed and
subsequently implemented. The Group continues to introduce
workforce planning for numerous country organizations in both
emerging and mature economies following a business strategy
campaign that was deployed during the year. Today, the method
reaches two- thirds of the countries where Schneider Electric
operates. Workforce planning has also been systematically applied
to the prioritized business segments with a focus on solution
oriented critical talents. Furthermore, the Group continues to make
progress with the R&D function as well as spreading the method
across the Global Supply Chain division.
Alongside the continuous deployment, a development program
has been launched for HR Business Partners and other key HR
Leaders to strengthen their business acumen and their ability to
derive workforce implications and apply aligned workforce planning
within their entities.
4.6 Diversity and inclusion
Approach
At Schneider Electric, diversity is an integral part of our history,
culture, and identity. Having gone through a series of acquisitions,
the Group has now operations in over 100 countries, its employees
speak more than 50 languages, and 43percent of its workforce
comes from new economies. The fi rst Diversity Group policy was
written in 2006 and, at the end of 2013, Schneider Electric launched
a new global Diversity & Inclusion policy. The Group strongly believes
that its success and its future depend on its collective ability to:
•refl ect worldwide and diverse marketplaces;
•boost innovation with diversifi ed teams;
•leverage the value of the company’s diverse character and
multiple facets.
More importantly, Schneider Electric believes that in treating all
people with respect and dignity, it strives to create and foster a
supportive and understanding environment in which all individuals
realize their maximum potential, regardless of their differences.
Diversity and inclusion commitments
The new Diversity & Inclusion policy describes how Schneider
Electric wants to welcome differences as real value for the company
and how its commitments should be addressed and implemented
across the whole company. The Group works through the following
major commitments:
•value diversity at all levels of the company: