In view of International Day of People with Disabilities, L’Oréal restates its commitment – made more than 20 years ago – to employ and include people with disabilities
Clichy, 28 November 2018. More than 20 years ago, L'Oréal committed to employ and include people with disabilities as one of the three pillars of the group's Diversity & Inclusion Policy, along with ensuring gender equality and empowering people of all social, economic and cultural backgrounds. "Diversity and inclusion are core values of L'Oréal's strategy. For us, creating an inclusive and diverse environment is simultaneously a business performance issue, an HR priority and a component of our responsible employer stance," said Jean-Paul Agon, Chairman and CEO of L'Oréal. To mark the International Day of People with Disabilities, L'Oréal will involve all its subsidiaries by celebrating Diversity Week from 3 to 7 December 2018 and organising its "Disability Awards", an internal competition focusing on the inclusion of people with disabilities and seeking to share and promote best practice.
65 projects worldwide promoting the inclusion of people with disabilities
100% accessible hairdressing salons, mental health awareness campaigns, internships for young people with learning disabilities, beauty tutorials in sign language... The 65 projects competing for the tenth anniversary edition of L'Oréal's "Disability Awards" encompass all areas of disability inclusion, from employment to accessible consumer services, as well as training, awareness-raising and partnerships with professionals from the sheltered work sector. Fifteen of these projects will be shortlisted for the final, held in France on 7 December, and the teams will defend their projects in front of a jury of senior managers from L'Oréal and charities.
"The key idea behind these Awards first held in 2008 is to identify what works, share it, and perhaps to roll out a local idea worldwide," explains Margaret Johnston-Clarke, Global VP, Diversity and Inclusion. This is true of the "Break the silence" visual campaign developed by the United States to encourage employees to disclose their disabilities. "An employee who discloses their disability is more relaxed and happier in the workplace. But the absolute preconditions for speaking more freely are an inclusive environment and caring management." These conditions have been met in the US, where the number of people with disabilities has grown from 71 to 285 in the space of four years. Having won a Disability Award in 2016, the intention is to adapt the initiative and roll it out in all countries.
About L'Oréal
L'Oréal has devoted itself to beauty for over 100 years. With its unique portfolio of 34 international, diverse and complementary brands, the Group generated sales of 26.02 billion euros in 2017 and employs 82,600 people worldwide. As the world's leading beauty company, L'Oréal is present across all distribution networks: mass market, department stores, pharmacies and drugstores, travel retail, branded retail and ecommerce. L'Oréal's excellence is based on research and innovation, and its 3,885 researchers working to meet beauty aspirations all over the world. L'Oréal's new sustainability commitment for 2020 "Sharing beauty with all" sets out ambitious sustainable development objectives across the Group's value chain.
For more information: http://mediaroom.loreal.com
For more information on diversity at L'Oréal: https://www.loreal.com/group/diversity-and-inclusion
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