Diversity is a foundation of Orange Wholesale’s commitment for tomorrow. The diversity of our teams reflects that of our customers. It brings us closer to them, and more eijective as partners. On a daily basis, we’re taking concrete action so that this diversity exists not only at a global scale, but also within each of our departments, in each of our 33 global offices as we are many, in one.
“Providing talented women with a fulfilling on-the-job experience helps them deliver a solid professional performance”Véronique Bacques
Gender Equality Director, Orange
It’s in the HR teams that we have the strongest levers for action. When we talk about gender diversity, we’re inevitably talking about recruitment and all stages of employee experience. When we talk about career development, HR can support women. Regarding equal pay, all the elements are in the hands of HR managers. So it makes sense for this diversity issue to be handled by HR. At Orange, we also work closely with our CSR colleagues on all aspects of governance. Because we are committed to providing them with a fulfilling on-the-job experience throughout their career, the talented women who join us can deliver a solid professional performance.
We’re committed to achieving a 25% feminization rate in our technical, technological and innovation teams and 35% within management by 2025. We’re now standing at 21.9% and 34.1% respectively. Equal pay for men and women in comparable situations is also a target. These indicators give rise to an annual assessment shared with trade unions as part of our global social agreement. All these reports and indicators are audited and certified by Bureau Veritas as part of their GEEIS matrix – Gender Equality European & International Standard. To date, Orange has audited 24 countries and 20 entities.
Our Hello Women program is one of the concrete actions implemented by Orange to achieve our goal. This is a major initiative to support some twenty international projects to develop the feminization of technical and digital professions throughout the career: from raising the awareness of the youngest to encouraging the loyalty of women engaged in a technical role, through the identification of female talents and career change. Orange offers programs for women to facilitate work-life balance, including personal development, coaching, networking and inspiring women’s meetings, in many countries.
“Without diversity, there’s no room for curiosity, creativity or questioning”Agnès Boussion
Diversity and inclusion Director, Orange Wholesale
Academics suggest a 30% to 40% increase in performance in teams where the diversity of profiles is evident. This diversity also enables us to reflect the image of society, and therefore that of our customers. Finally, diversity also improves quality of life at work. In a diverse team, it’s easier to be yourself - you don’t feel like a clone. Without diversity, there’s no room for curiosity, creativity or questioning. At Orange Wholesale, our diverse teams bring varied mindsets, enabling everyone to contemplate how a colleague might approach a problem differently, for example.
There’s no magic formula that makes it effortless. It requires all the qualities of a manager: flexibility, creativity and a real sense of leadership, giving meaning to all and translating it to fit each individual. There’s also the responsibility of all team members. They must know themselves well to be able to express what’s important, and there’s much dialogue needed, with an awareness of what each brings to the other, with a shared sense of motivation.
