Social Indicators

Social reporting provides the indicators that measure Veolia Water's social performance. This is a detailed breakdown which all of Veolia Environnement's divisions have produced since 2001.

This breakdown is carried out by the human resources department of each operating company and consolidated by the Human Resources Department of Veolia Water.

They can then be used as a tool to monitor and pilot human resources management policies. These policies are adapted in accordance with the realities facing each operating company.

At the same time, this reporting provides an inventory of good social and societal practice.

Improvement Indicators

Improvement Indicators	2004	2005	2006	2007
Turnover rate	9,09%	8,71%	9,18%	9,56%
Resignations rate	3,51%	3,49%	3,43%	3,71%
Individual dismissals rate	1,95%	1,74%	1,55%	1,27%
Absenteeism rate	5,46%	5,34%	5,08%	4,94%
Occupational accident frequency rate	20,75	18,08	17,62	15,56%
Occupational accident severity rate	0,62	0,52	0,46	0,46%
Rate of fixed-term contracts	5,23%	5,67%	5,23%	6,55%
Rate of temporary workers	4,27%	4,54%	5,40%	4,95%
Total average of overtime hours per employee	59,79	53,65	51,04	45,56
Rate of employees in sandwich courses	1,69%	2,16%	2,16%	2,08%

The acceleration in the turnover is largely explained by a growing labour market and an increased number of people leaving for retirement.

Haut de page

Social performance data

Social performance data	Unit	2004	2005	2006	2007	GRI
Headcount
Total headcount		67 848	70 765	77 841	82 867	LA1
Number of employees on permanent contracts		64 053	66 764	72 525	78 950*	LA1
Number of employees on fixed-term contracts		3 795	4 001	5 316	3 917	LA1
Number of men		53 178	55 308	60 206	63 861	LA2
Number of women		14 670	15 457	17 634	19 005**	LA2
Headcount of employees on work-study program contracts		1 146	1 529	1 682	1 725
Headcount of disabled employees		1 024	1 026	1 292	1 425
Recruitment
Total number of new recruits		7 994	8 891	10 184	12 056	LA2
Departures
Total number of staff departures		8 824	8 024	8 945	9 846	LA2
-including individual dismissals		1 325	1 228	1 207	1 051	LA2
Job mobilty transfers
Total number of job mobility transfers		2 397	2 480	2 687	3 638***
Overtime
Mean amount of overtime per employee p.a.	hours	60	54	51,04	46
Temporary staff		2 817	3 098	4 024	3 968	LA1
Organization, working time, absenteism
Weekly Hours of Work	heures	38	38	37,74	38,1
Total number of working days of staff absence	jours	767 821	772 789	948 878	831 932
Remuneration & compensation, social contributions, bonuses and employee gainsharing
Mean gross annual remuneration	euros	25 392	26 752	26 082	26 767
Mean gross annual remuneration paid to men	euros	26 141	27 520	27 019	27 773
Mean gross annual remuneration paid to women	euros	22 557	23 841	22 738	23 221
Difference between mean remuneration paid to men and women	%	-13,7	-15,4	-15,8	-16,4****
Professional relations and collective agreements
Total number of collective agreements signed		523	328	387	434
Total number of employee representatives		3 361	3 759	3 836	4 366	LA4
Hygien health and safety conditions
Total number of occupational accidents leading to sick leave		2 326	2 096	2 231	2 120	LA7
Frequency rate		20,7	18,1	17,63	15,6	LA7
Severity rate		0,62	0,52	0,46	0,46	LA7
Training
Total number of employees attending training programs		77 585	87 230	42 328	48 004	LA8
Expenditure per trained employee	euros	519	508,8	666	409,6
Mean length of training programs	hours	13	15	13	11,4
Social initiatives
Subsidizing social programs	euros	25 849 300	25 860 600	25 480 413	28 020 706

* Veolia Water increased the number of employees with unlimited-term contracts between 2006 and 2007. Only a small minority of its employees are recruited under a fixed-term contract, which is in accordance with the Group's social policies.

** The ratio of men to women employed varies by business and reflects the sometimes difficult conditions of the work available .However, more than half of the Group's employees working in general functions and administrative services are women.

*** The number of participants in our training increased significantly between 2005 and 2007, and an increasing number of women benefited from it. Training encouraged internal mobility within the Company.

**** Our social policy is aimed at reducing differences and promoting equality of opportunities. Salary differences within the Group are generally less than or very much less than, differences determined by Eurostat across Europe (the average difference in France is 18.9%, while the difference among Veolia's employees is only of 12.6%).

Corresponding with key GRI indicators which are based on version 3 of the Guidelines, referred to as G3.

Data required under the French New Economic Regulations Act (Nouvelles Régulations Économiques) can be found in the Reference Document 2006: section 17.2 for corporate information; section 6.3.3 for environmental information.

For further information regarding the methodology