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2023 barometer of perception of CSR and equal opportunities in business

October 2023

This barometer, produced for Medef by Verian (formerly Kantar Public), which surveys employees of private companies, is made up of two parts: 

  • The barometer of perception of equal opportunities in business (12th edition
  • The corporate CSR perception barometer (5th edition)

The 12th edition of the barometer of perception of equal opportunities in business confirms that equal opportunities in business remains an essential issue in professional life. Recent key findings include: 

  • Employees see themselves better in their company and judge it to be more efficient when they have a positive perception of their company's commitment to equal opportunities; 
  • Equality of opportunity requires above all equality between women and men and equal pay for both women and men; 
  • Knowledge of internal policies regarding equal opportunities is increasing within small businesses (13% in 2019 to 28% this year); 
  • Companies that continue to represent the diversity of society for nearly 80% of employees; 
  • A stable proportion of employees believe they have at least one potentially stigmatizing characteristic (8 out of 10 employees), with seniority topping the list of responses; 
  • Age remains the most feared fear of discrimination in the labor market and the fear of one day being discriminated against in one's workplace is more present among young people; 
  • A decreasing tolerance towards subjects of tension and radicalism present in companies and a confidence in management which increases in the face of these behaviors. 

The CSR perception barometer covers four main objectives: 

  • To better understand the level of interest of employees in CSR subjects (climate change, environment, ethics, quality of life at work, etc.) and their expectations of the company; 
  • To analyze the evolution of employees’ perception of actions taken by companies; 
  • To help business leaders develop their CSR strategy; 
  • To demonstrate the CSR commitment of companies to their stakeholders. 

This year, key findings from the CSR part of the Barometer, include: 

  • Health and safety at work, quality of working life and equality between women and men constitute the top three priorities of employees as well as perceived priorities of their company 
  • The actions deployed in CSR are considered effective by more than two thirds of employees after the post-covid decline. 
  • 8 out of 10 employees think that their company has a social or environmental objective, and almost 6 out of 10 employees believe that their company has a positive impact on society. 
  • We see that employees see themselves better in their company and judge it to be more efficient when they have a positive perception of their company's commitment to CSR. 
  • Teleworking is becoming normalized and improves employees' appreciation of their working conditions in general and their manager. 

 Medef Publications: 

  • 12th edition of the barometer of perception of equal opportunities in business 
  • 2023 edition of the corporate CSR perception barometer 

 Survey carried out from May 26 to June 9 2023, online, among a representative sample of 1,500 private sector employees aged 16 and over in France.  

Representatives ensured by the quota method applied to the following variables: gender, age, company size (from 20 employees), sector of activity (industry/ commerce/ services) and region. 

Fabienne Cadenat 

Directrice Conseil 

Adeline Leblond-Maro 

Études opinion / politique / communication 

This barometer was issued under our former global brand name: Kantar Public.  

Fabienne Cadenat
Director
France

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