Universal Registration Documents 2021

Mindful that employee commitment is key to the Group’s success, Rubis ensures that individuals have the opportunity for professional development, with the aim of attracting, developing and retaining its talents. To do so, Rubis focuses its efforts on promoting diversity and equal opportunities (section 4.4.1), employee skills development (section 4.4.2), health, safety and well-being at work (section 4.4.3) and involving employees in the Group's value creation (section 4.4.4).

Group risk mapping has identified the main human resources risks related to the Group’s activities. These risks mainly concern the health and safety of employees and external service providers working at Group sites. Apart from these risks, a key challenge relating to human resource management was identified by the relevant Management in each division: attracting, developing and retaining talent while the Group grows and where human resources must be adapted to Rubis’ development strategy. This challenge is dealt with in this chapter.

In line with its corporate culture and in order to make the most of its human capital and better address the specificities involved in the Group’s activities, the deployment of Rubis' human resources policy has been decentralised. Rubis Énergie, its subsidiaries and the Rubis Terminal JV manage their human resources autonomously in line with Rubis’s values and implement local actions adapted to their needs and challenges.

In addition, in order to support skills development and foster internal mobility, a project relating to establishing a process for identifying and supporting Talents was initiated within Rubis Énergie at the end of 2021. It should be implemented starting in 2023.

As of 31 December 2021, the Group had 4,335 employees, including 626 at the Rubis Terminal JV, a 39.4% increase compared to 2020 subsequent to the integration of Tepsa. Within Rubis Énergie, headcount increased in the Africa zone in particular (+5.25%).

The Group’s shipping activity requires the use of crews who are hired through temp agencies or under a limited term employment agreement. At 31 December 2020, the number of crew members who had signed an employment contract with a Group entity (under international temporary contracts) stood at 84. These non-permanent workers are not taken into account in the published social metrics. However, Rubis is particularly careful to ensure that the working conditions of these crews comply with ILO conventions applicable them (see section 4.5.1.1).

Diversity and inclusion are part of the Group’s DNA. They are an asset to the Company and key to the effectiveness of its teams. The Group is committed to ensuring that there is no discrimination based on origin, religion, gender or sexual orientation, health status and/or disability, political views, religious beliefs or family status. These values are clearly stated in the Group’s Code of Ethics. To ensure that each individual is protected against discrimination, a whistleblowing system (Rubis Integrity Line) has been rolled out across the entire Group so that any situation undermining the Group’s values and those of its subsidiaries can be reported. The Integrity Line allows all Group employees as well as external and temporary workers to securely report any such situation via a website (see section 4.5.1.1).

Since combating discrimination is a major issue in the area of employment, the Group has set itself the target of there being zero proven reports of discrimination, notably through the application of its ethics hotline.

In an industrial environment where most employees are assigned to operational tasks, in some cases with hours and working conditions that can be difficult, the employee population has historically mostly consisted of men. In line with its principles of non-discrimination and convinced that a lack of diversity impairs value creation, the Group has taken initiatives to help talent to flourish without any gender distinction.

Measures to improve professional equality between men and women are progressively being implemented within Group entities. For example, Rubis Énergie’s Jamaican subsidiary (Rubis Energy Jamaica) is one of the first companies in the English-speaking Caribbean to have committed, in March 2019, to the gender equality certification process devised by the United Nations Development Programme (Gender Equality Seal for Public and Private Organisations). This certification includes the following objectives:

• •eliminating gender-based pay gaps;
• •increasing the role of women in decision-making;
• •improving work/life balance;
• •improving women’s access to traditionally male jobs;
• •eradicating sexual harassment in the workplace;
• •communicating in a more inclusive, non-sexist, way.

Company agreements promoting the inclusion of women and gender equality in the workplace have also been entered into in some of the Group’s subsidiaries and complement existing measures in the area of fighting against discrimination in hiring, the promotion of equal pay, career development, etc.

For instance, Vitogaz France entered into a company agreement aimed at facilitating women’s access to positions of responsibility, neutralising the impact maternity/adoption leave periods have on professional evaluation and career development and, lastly, balancing work and family obligations.

In 2021, SRPP (Réunion Island) renewed its company agreement with four objectives (which are monitored by defined quantitative indicators) aimed at promoting professional equality between men and women:

• •achieving a percentage of review of individual situations by gender that is equal to the workforce’s gender breakdown over the term of the agreement;
• •ensuring both men and women have access to training;
• •when recruiting for permanent, fixed-term or temporary contracts, presenting at least one female candidate in predominantly male sectors (at gas filling plants for example); likewise, presenting at least one male candidate when recruiting in predominantly female sectors (administrative and accounting services for instance);

• •100% of employees will have an interview with their Manager upon return from maternity or parental leave and 100% of requests for paternity leave will be granted on first request and on the dates selected by the employee.

Communication campaigns were also launched to highlight women’s involvement in the Company and to help combat gender stereotyping in the workplace. For example, the Rubis subsidiary operating in the eastern Caribbean (Rubis Caribbean) is actively involved in the international Women’s History Month campaign, which consists of putting the spotlight on women’s contributions to historical events and contemporary society by publicly recognising the work done by its female employees.

In 2019, SARA launched the “NO to Sexism” campaign at all its sites. Since then, a series of actions regularly remind Group employees and employees of outside companies that sexism in any form whatsoever will not be tolerated. Through real-life scenes, a team of actors first helped each participant to understand what sexist behavior is and how serious it is. Articles are regularly published on the subject. To go further in depth, a leaflet has been distributed to remind everyone of the law on the subject and the penalties incurred.

The Group’s subsidiaries encourage the hiring of women in male-dominated professions and fight against all forms of discrimination and sexism, in particular by ensuring that their recruitment processes, compensation policies and career management provide everyone with the same opportunities.

A company agreement was renewed within the Rubis Terminal JV in 2017. The agreement focuses on hiring, training and career development through the use of monitoring indicators. A report is presented to the central Economic and Social Council every year. The situation is positive, particularly in terms of training. The Rubis Terminal JV is currently considering setting a target for the number of women in the workforce, which will be submitted to its Board of Directors.

The number of women employed by the Group was up 5.03% in 2021 (1,106 female employees as of 31 December 2021, compared with 1,053 as of 31 December 2020). Women employees account for 25.3% of the total headcount.

At Rubis SCA (the parent company), the majority of management positions (senior executives) are held by women.

At the Group level, 34.9% of all management positions (senior executives and managerial personnel) are held by women, i.e., a higher proportion than their percentage of total headcount. The percentage of women holding managerial or senior executive posts (27.5%) is also markedly higher than the percentage of men with equivalent responsibilities (17.5%).

Targets for increasing the representation of women on Rubis SCA’s governing body and on the Management Committees of Rubis Énergie and its subsidiaries were defined in 2020 in order to continue improving the number of women holding senior positions:

• •50% of the Group Management Committee, which was created in February 2021, is composed of women. This Committee brings together the Managing Partners, the Chief Financial Officer, the Managing Director in charge of New Energies, CSR policy and Communication, the Corporate Secretary and the Consolidation and Accounting Director. The Committee assists the Managing Partners with the performance of its missions: it formalises and coordinates the various actions and policies carried out by the Managing Partners in coordination with the subsidiaries. The Managing Partners has set a target of maintaining the proportion of representatives of each gender on the Group Management Committee at least 30% by 2025. In October 2021, Rubis SCA was awarded a special prize for gender equality in respect of its Management Committee in the Rankings on increasing the representation of women on management bodies with the SBF 120 (Palmarès de la féminisation des instances dirigeantes du SBF 120) organised by the French ministry responsible for gender equality;
• •in 2021, Rubis Énergie also committed to achieving a proportion of 30% (on average) of female representatives on the Management Committees within its entire scope by 2025. This objective has been included in Rubis’ CSR Roadmap, Think Tomorrow 2022-2025.

At the level of the governing bodies:

• •50% of the members of the Group Management Committee, which has six members, are women;
• •women sitting on the Management Committees within Rubis Énergie and its subsidiaries represented 27.4% of those Committees’ membership on average as of 31 December 2021 (compared to 24.6% in 2020), including a female Managing Director of the subsidiary in Rwanda. A woman is also Managing Director of the Cameroon subsidiary, which is not included in the above-cited rate given the size of the entity, which does not have a Management Committee.

To compare pay gaps between men and women in France, a professional equality index has been phased in for French companies with more than 50 employees by French law no. 2018-771 of 5 September 2018 on the freedom to choose one’s professional future.

This index, which is scored out of 100, is calculated on the basis of four or five criteria, depending on the size of the Company’s workforce:

• •pay gap between men and women (40 points);
• •difference in the rate of individual pay rises between men and women (35 points for companies with fewer than 250 employees; 20 points for companies with more than 250 employees);
• •difference in the male/female promotion rate (15 points, only for companies with more than 250 employees);
• •share of female workers receiving a pay raise following maternity leave (15 points);
• •number of women represented in the top 10 compensation packages (10 points).

The workforce at the Group holding company, Rubis SCA (which includes those of Rubis Patrimoine for the purposes of monitoring social indicators), does not allow the index to be calculated on a voluntary basis (workforce below the required thresholds).

Rubis Énergie subsidiaries: the gender equality indexes published in 2021 in respect of the four French companies at issue remain very good (over 80/100), even though certain indices were slightly down between 2020 and 2021:

• •SRPP (Réunion Island): 94/100 in 2021 (compared with 92/100 in financial year 2020);
• •SARA (French Antilles): 81/100 (compared with 92/100 in 2020) (learn more at http://www.sara-antilles-guyane.com/index-de-legalite-professionnelle-de-sara/);
• •Vitogaz France: 86/100 in 2021 (compared with 88/100 in 2020);
• •Rubis Antilles-Guyane: 81/100 in its first year of publication.

Regarding the Rubis Terminal JV, its French subsidiary reported scores of 84/100 in 2020 relating to financial year 2019 (88/100 in 2021).

Operating in over 40 countries around the world and with more than 60 nationalities in its workforce, Rubis is keen to capitalise on the rich cultural diversity of its employees and make an impact in the regions in which it operates. Employees are split equally between Africa, the Caribbean and Europe in terms of activities. In order for this cultural diversity to be reflected in corporate culture and management, when acquiring foreign subsidiaries, the Group tries to retain and/or hire local employees for their experience and knowledge of the country: more than 98% of Group employees are hired locally. Thus, only two positions are generally occupied by expatriates in subsidiaries, those of Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer. The percentage of expatriates on the subsidiaries’ various Management Committees was 18.1% in 2021 (20.9% excluding the Rubis Terminal JV).

The Group’s age pyramid shows that the Group has broad intergenerational diversity in its headcount, which greatly enhances the experience of its teams and the transfer of knowledge. Each age group is represented in a relatively equal way, without any significant variations between business lines and regions. The Group has set up an active training policy in order to anticipate the retirement of senior employees. Furthermore, the Group contributes to the integration of young people into the job market by recruiting interns, students under apprenticeship or professionalisation contracts and recent graduates.

To retain this intergenerational dynamic and maintain proximity between younger and older employees, Rubis Énergie and the Rubis Terminal JV have introduced practices favouring seniors in France.

Since intergenerational diversity is key to social cohesion between all generations, Rubis Énergie prioritises:

• •anticipating career development;
• •developing skills and qualifications;
• •transmitting knowledge and developing mentoring.

As of 31 December 2021, 34 people on work-study contracts (alternant) and 54 interns worked at Rubis Énergie.

The Rubis Terminal JV has committed to:

• •keeping employees aged 55 and over in the workforce;
• •training in ergonomics;
• •paying part of the cost of qualifications that certify skills learned through experience (the French Validation des acquis de l’expérience programme).

Regarding young employees, the Group encourages combined work-study programmes, which it views as a very suitable tool for bringing young people into the professional world.

The Group has adopted a policy of openness favouring disabilities, which includes funding associations and institutions working in healthcare as part of its social engagement activities (see section 4.5.2.3).

Within Rubis Énergie, several subsidiaries use supply, subcontracting or service contracts with establishments and services assisting disabled people through work (Établissements et Services d’Aide par le Travail, ESAT) or a company employing a minimum number of disabled employees (Entreprise Adaptée, EA). At the same time, recruitment firms are asked to ensure that each job opening is accessible to people with disabilities.

For example, at Rubis Antilles Guyane, hiring for various leave replacements is conducted through Cap Emploi, which works with individuals with disabilities. This allows integration into the Company and can lead to a permanent contract as needed, which was the case in 2020.

In South Africa, the law (Employment Equity Act) requires companies to have disabled individuals make up at least 2% of their workforce. Individuals with disabilities account for over 4% of Easigas’s workforce.

From 15 to 19 November 2021, SARA observed the European week for the employment of people with disabilities at all its sites. The Quality of Life at Work Department organised an awareness-raising event on the issue of lifelong, temporary and sudden disabilities. Employees were able to take part in webinars about the role of occupational medicine, various disabilities, and to participate in workshops on adapted routes to put themselves in the shoes of a person with a visual or motor disability. The aim was to change the way people see each other in order to value employees who are or will be disabled. Employees greatly appreciated the week’s programme, and the various events were very well attended.

In addition, in 2021, Vitogaz France sought to strengthen its commitments with respect to integrating and maintaining employment for people with disabilities. As part of its desire to promote diversity and equal opportunity, the company committed to implementing an employment policy for people with disabilities featuring five pillars;

• •facilitating the recruitment and integration of people with disabilities;
• •maintaining employment of people with disabilities;
• •developing training initiatives that will make it possible to achieve or facilitate the integration of disabled workers;
• •integrate ESATs into the company’s purchasing policy as far as possible;
• •raise awareness through dynamic communication about how disability is perceived.

To carry out these actions, a disability correspondent has been appointed. 

The Rubis Terminal JV has also signed partnership agreements with ESATs, medico-social work establishments reserved for disabled individuals (formerly known as Centres d’Aide par le Travail), and sheltered workshops.

For instance, for more than 20 years, the Rubis Terminal JV company headquarters has been sourcing office supplies and maintenance products from establishments that employ disabled workers under the auspices of the Commission for Rights and Autonomy of People with a Disability (CDAPH).

In order to promote the integration of people with disabilities, by 2023, 100% of the General Management bodies and Human Resources Departments will receive training on the fight against preconceptions against people with disabilities, and by 2025, 100% of our employees will receive training on this issue.

The Group is convinced of the importance of developing its employees, whether through knowledge enhancement or diversification of experiences. The ongoing improvement of individual skills helps motivate teams, encourages coming up with innovative ideas, and boosts employee efficiency and employability. It also makes Group service quality durable and increases safety at facilities.

In addition, in line with internationally defined development priorities, Rubis is attentive to the consequences of energy transition on the workforce and the creation of decent work and high-quality jobs. The principles of just transition for workers consist of attractiveness and development of talent, including workers in the just transition process, and supporting and training workers. To do so, Rubis committed in its CSR Roadmap, Think Tomorrow 2022-2025, to training each year 10% of its employees on changes in its businesses (energy transition, CSR, etc.) by 2025.

As developing employees’ skills is a key factor in the Group’s performance, training objectives have been set. Rubis Énergie has set itself the target of maintaining the rate of trained employees at over 50% of its total headcount over the year and, more generally speaking, providing sufficient training sessions to ensure that employee performance levels do not drop. The Rubis Terminal JV’s target is to train 100% of the employees of the head offices in each country in HSE risk awareness.

An e-learning platform was developed in 2021 and put online in March 2022. The first module is dedicated to preventing corruption. The platform will be supplemented with other training modules as necessary.

In accordance with the wishes expressed by employees, the Group invests in general training to upgrade and enhance employees’ skills throughout their careers.

Rubis Énergie and the Rubis Terminal JV have set up a wide range of training courses that are adapted to their own specific challenges:

• •language training;
• •management training;
• •functional training: training in law, customs, pay systems, etc.

Concerned about protecting the physical integrity of its employees while performing their duties, the Group invests in:

• •health, through providing training in ergonomics for jobs that carry risks to employee health, as well as safety training for different “at risk” jobs aimed at staff and external workers, product training (welding, chemical product handling), workplace first aid and rescue, etc. Several subsidiaries set up pandemic-related training courses (preventive measures against the Covid-19 pandemic, Covid-19 contact persons, working in confined spaces, etc.);
• •industrial safety, with the assistance of professional bodies such as the GESIP (Groupe d’Étude de Sécurité et Chimiques – Group for Safety Research in the Petroleum and Chemical Industries). These training courses are designed to continually improve the safety of people and facilities at industrial sites in an environmentally friendly manner;
• •road safety, to reduce the risk of road accidents in regions with poor quality road infrastructure and/or generally inadequate driver training (defensive driving) (see section 4.2.3.2.1);
• •the environment and quality (incorporation of ISO standards);
• •verifying systems designed to protect facilities (tank maintenance, training in operating fire-fighting systems, etc.);
• •partnerships with providers, such as the Association for Prevention in the Transport of Petroleum Products (Association pour la Prévention dans le Transport d’Hydrocarbures – APTH), which provides training and assistance to safety advisers, the Association of Training in Fuel Trading (Association de Formation dans le Négoce des Combustibles – Asfoneco), the Red Cross, etc.

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, many training sessions could not take place (lockdown, travel restrictions, etc.), and some were cancelled due to the minimum number of participants not being met. Despite these special circumstances, 61,142 training hours (+18.5% compared to 2020 and -20.7% compared to 2019) were delivered within the Group in 2021, some of them remotely. Nevertheless, the number of employees who received training increased by 24.1% compared to 2020 and by 19.2% compared to 2019, such that the proportion of employees who received training increased to a higher level, reaching 82,4% at Rubis Énergie (Retail & Marketing and Support & Services activities) and close to 82% within the Rubis Terminal JV.

Notably, these training needs were able to be identified during annual reviews. In 2021, 73.7% of employees had a review meeting with their line Manager.

In general, risk prevention efforts continued, with 54% of employees trained in health and safety. The increase in this rate compared with the previous financial years (40% in 2020 and 23.2% in 2019) is attributable to the pandemic, which prompted subsidiaries to step up their health and safety training and awareness-raising efforts (protective measures, work in confined spaces and psychosocial risks).

The Group puts personal health and safety at the very heart of its social policy. These risks affect both employees and staff from outside companies, as well as customers and local residents living near sites operated by Group entities. This subject is addressed in section 4.2.3.2.

The Group is conscious of the importance of offering its employees working conditions that allow them to reach their full potential. This is necessary to ensure motivation, cohesion and stability among teams, is key to performance and builds lasting employee commitment.

Moreover, employee commitment is very much dependent on the ability of Senior Managers to help new employees settle in, make their teams understand what the Company expects of them, how their work contributes to the Group’s success, to be respectful and attentive to the needs of each individual, and to develop the collective intelligence and mutual listening skills required for any relationship built on trust.

Lastly, social protection cover for employees aims to protect them from the potentially significant financial impacts of illness or accidents.

Rubis’ relations with all its employees are based on listening, dialogue and mutual respect. Every subsidiary has open and constructive relations with employee representative bodies where they exist (mainly in companies operating in France). Collective agreements notably cover wages and salaries, the company savings plan, incentives, profit-sharing, gender equality and training (see section 4.4.4).

Collective agreements are entered into with the aim of achieving positive outcomes, including with respect to employees’ working conditions and the Company’s economic performance. High-quality labour relations have a direct effect on the success of developments to be made within the Company in order to adapt to an evolving environment.

In France, all Rubis Énergie and Rubis Terminal JV employees are covered by a collective agreement. The employees of Rubis SCA, the parent company, are not covered by a collective agreement due to the small number of employees and the company’s status as a holding company.

Moreover, numerous measures are unilaterally taken on health and safety issues in accordance with rules established by the Group and after consultation with employee representative bodies. For instance, at Rubis Énergie more than 39 health and safety agreements are in place in all of its subsidiaries.

Rubis Énergie has set the following targets with the aim of maintaining a working environment that is conducive to the well-being of its employees and employee retention:

• •stabilise headcount and jobs on a like‑for-like basis;
• •keep its absenteeism rate for non-occupational illnesses at under 2%.

The Group specifically targets the prevention of psychosocial risks, knowing that doing so improves quality of life at work. During lockdowns linked to the Covid-19 pandemic, which led many Group employees to work from home in 2020 and sometimes for long periods, increased attention was paid to employees’ well-being and measures were put in place, such as regular newsletters and training on working in confined spaces and on preventive measures against the Covid-19 pandemic.

A psychosocial risk assessment is conducted in certain subsidiaries and is updated on a regular basis in order to better prevent against these situations. In addition, to encourage the detection of potential risks, Group employees and external and temporary employees can securely report any harassment via the whistleblowing line that is gradually being rolled out in the Group’s subsidiaries (Rubis Integrity Line) as well as through traditional reporting channels (line management, HR, employee representatives) (see section 4.5.1.1).

The Group encourages initiatives that promote dialogue and team spirit. These include:

• •the organisation of team-building events to foster employees’ team spirit. For example, within Rubis Énergie, many subsidiaries organise end-of-year meals with all employees, sometimes with their respective families. Sports activities, seminars, after work events, galettes des rois parties and workshops are also organised. For example, at Galana (in Madagascar), all employees of the three subsidiaries (PTP, GRT and GDP) went to the countryside for a team building session in the Andasibe natural park, located halfway between Antananarivo and Toamasina, on the weekend of 25 and 26 September 2021. The objective was to get to know each other better and to come together in a pleasant environment after the health crisis. The departments of each subsidiary creatively presented their activities, stakes and challenges in an artistic and playful way. The 220 participants spared no effort to astound, make people laugh and, most of all, help others learn about the work they do through skits, films, and even rearranged songs. Some managed to present a cartoon. Rubis Energia Portugal launched a new issue of its digital magazine. At Vitogaz Switzerland, from 14 to 17 July 2021, some employees met with young karate players and instructors in Leysin (Vaud canton) at a karate camp. During the week, the employees discovered karate, self-defense and Qi-Gong to relax, develop social links, integrate, and develop the body and mind. In Nigeria, Ringardas organised a town hall meeting and picnic to boost employee engagement;
• •the launch of a digital collaborative platform, Rubis Team, to facilitate interaction among Rubis SCA and Rubis Énergie employees working on different continents. This tool streamlined exchanges and encouraged a sense of belonging to the Group, and really proved its effectiveness during the pandemic, which led to long periods of working from home for a large number of employees;
• •improving the ergonomics and design of workspaces. For instance, Rubis Mécénat (the Group’s cultural fund) develops artistic projects at the Group’s industrial sites or in subsidiaries’ premises, thus helping to establish a sense of well-being and stimulate employees’ creativity;
• •involving employees in the realisation of sustainable sociocultural projects. For example, Rubis Mécénat has involved employees in projects such as “Of Soul and Joy” in South Africa (photography programme aimed at young people in townships), the “InPulse” art project in Jamaica (creative visual arts platform), and “Ndao Hanavao” in Madagascar (social design innovation lab) (see section 4.4.2.3);
• •seeking employees’ assistance with community projects. These types of initiatives are conducted locally in most subsidiaries (sponsorship or fund-raising, support for charitable associations and the organisation of local community events, etc.) (see section 4.4.2.3);
• •highlighting employees’ work (celebrating successes at internal events, etc.).

Mindful of the role that social protection cover can play in combating inequality and the importance of protecting its employees’ health, the Group strives to offer coverage for employees working in countries where coverage is not mandatory.

As of 31 December 2021, 99.2% of the Group’s employees had health coverage, whether mandatory or not. In countries that do not mandate health insurance cover, the subsidiaries have voluntarily set up plans to cover healthcare costs. In addition, 90% of employees benefit from provident insurance thanks to 214 social security or provident insurance agreements in force.

At Rubis Énergie, contributions to private social protection insurance (provident, healthcare) are made at the employer’s initiative for employees working outside France, except in foreign subsidiaries that had implemented such arrangements prior to being acquired by the Group.

Within the Rubis Terminal JV, employer contributions are made to provident and private health insurance funds for employees working outside France.

Indicators regarding employee turnover and absenteeism are used to assess changes in the labour relations context and the motivation of employees in subsidiaries.

The monitoring of staff turnover shows that the Group maintained a dynamic recruitment policy in 2021 despite the health situation. Net job creations (number of new hires less all departures) totaled 103 (including 10 within the Rubis Terminal JV).

The rate of absenteeism due to non-occupational accidents or illnesses and the rate of unjustified absences remain relatively stable at a very low level, with the exception of the Rubis Terminal JV, where a large number of employees are on leave for long-term illnesses.

Sixty-three collective agreements, company agreements or unilateral decisions were signed at Rubis Énergie in 2021, covering more than 800 employees. At the Rubis Terminal JV, 45 collective agreements, company agreements or unilateral employer decisions were signed in 2020, covering 325 employees.

Failure to involve employees in the Group’s value creation could impact their commitment to work and hence the Group’s performance. For this reason, Rubis seeks to compensate the active contribution by employees to the Group’s economic and financial performance so that they benefit from this value creation, through its compensation policy and/or capital increases reserved for employees.

Employees receive a basic salary and additional compensation based on individual performance (variable salary, bonuses). Salaries and wages are regularly reviewed in light of individual performance and changes in the cost of living. For the most part, decisions on pay are decentralised and are made by each operating subsidiary.

In 2021, 51% of employees received a pay rise. The rate of employees receiving a pay rise was similar regardless of the category (non-managerial employee, managerial employee or senior executives), with the rate for non-managerial employees being the highest (51.3%). Lastly, the proportion of women receiving a pay rise was equal to or higher than the proportion of men in all categories.

In accordance with French law, Rubis Énergie and the Rubis Terminal JV have introduced incentive and profit-sharing arrangements. Rubis SCA only has an incentive arrangement. In 2021, employees were able to benefit from this scheme.

Employee shareholding is one of the pillars of the Group’s compensation policy. It strengthens employees’ sense of belonging to the Group and enables employees to be awarded in connection its performance.

The Group’s French subsidiaries have company savings plans. Rubis SCA has also set up a mutual fund (Rubis Avenir) that invests in Rubis shares, through which employees of the Group’s French companies that are at least 50% owned by the Group (including eligible employees of the Rubis Terminal JV) can subscribe for annual capital increases. At 31 December 2021, Rubis Avenir held 1.53% of Rubis’ share capital.

In 2021, 66.3% of eligible employees took part in this issue (52.8% in 2020). 

The award of long-term incentivising compensation (performance shares, stock options) aims to acknowledge the positive contributions made by certain high- potential Group executives and Senior Managers around the world to implementing the Group’s strategy and to the Group’s growth. This sort of compensation is a human resources tool that allows Rubis to attract and retain talents. The plans involve only a small portion of the capital and are subject to demanding performance conditions. It is important to note that Rubis SCA’s Managing Partners do not benefit from this type of compensation.

The characteristics of these plans and their performance conditions are described in detail in chapter 6, section 6.5.