Corporate Responsibility

Find out how deeply we value our employees’ well-being and health and safety, and see our work on labor and social performance indicators.

Employee's engagement

AXA has long history of conducting an annual engagement survey because collecting and responding to employee feedback and measuring engagement has always been an important part of AXA’s culture. For over 20 years, from 1993 to 2016 AXA conducted an annual engagement survey called SCOPE. 

In 2017, AXA decided to introduce a more innovative Pulsing survey approach to more closely align with its global strategy. Pulse surveys are short and focused surveys measuring a few components at a time, helping quickly identify areas of improvement. Pulse surveys are more agile than traditional long form engagement surveys due to their turnaround time (survey taken –> analysis of results) being much shorter. With this new method, AXA committed to listening to employee feedback much more frequently than it had in the past.

Employee Engagement is a critical factor of organizational performance for companies across the globe. Indeed, Engagement has a direct impact on operational performance for the AXA Group: studies have proven that a high level of employee engagement reduces employee turnover, leads to increased levels of client satisfaction and retention, plays a positive role in achieving higher sales, and leads to greater organizational efficiency. Find out more about how we measure employee engagement at AXA.

Working time and agile working environment

One of the Group's Diversity & Inclusion priorities over the recent years was to create and launch a reference framework to build the foundation for an agile working culture with the aim to attract and retain diverse talent. Group D&I, Human Resources, Real Estate Management, Group IT and Operational Excellence collaborated on this project. The framework offers a range of good practices, from both internal and external sources and a toolkit to support entities in implementing flexible work arrangements. Various initiatives are in place across many AXA entities where promoting agile working environment is a priority. It resulted in an increase in employee trust, empowerment and satisfaction, while fostering productivity, quality and efficiency at work and yielding a reduced environmental footprint.

AXA Belgium started the journey towards the New Ways of Working program ("NWOW") and by 2017, had all employees in Agile Working environments. Meanwhile at AXA Winterthur, in Switzerland leadership positions are announced as embracing a working time option of 80%. Here, members of senior leadership are already role-modeling this approach.

Health & safety

AXA is committed to provide and maintain a safe and healthy working environment for all employees and has formalized a Health and Safety (H&S) policy at Group level.

Health and safety conditions at all of AXA's sites are compliant with local regulations. As a financial services company, the Group's health and safety risks are relatively minimal, as illustrated by our indicators in this field. Figures on health and safety aspects can be found in the Group Social Data Report. Nevertheless, each local company carries out specific initiatives in line with the priorities set under its human resources policy.

AXA promotes employee health and well-being. Work has an essential place in each person’s life and must be a source of personal fulfillment. Concerns relating to health, safety and quality of life at work are part of the company’s responsibilities towards its employees’ well-being.

Stress-management information and training

Several entities across AXA have implemented programs on preventing stress at work, mental health and wellbeing (including awareness campaigns, training for managers, resilience training for senior executives or all staff, employee assistance programs, employee resource groups).

AXA France leads various trainings during the year on stress and workplace safety. AXA Spain and AXA Italy offer several online trainings and coaching sessions intended to help employees to manage their emotions and stressful situations. Resilience and/or Mindfulness training sessions were available to all employees in Spain, Switzerland, Ireland, AXA Italy and AXA Investment Managers.

Almost all of our core entities, like AXA Partners Global, GIE AXA, AllianceBernstein, AXA XL, AXA France, AXA UK & Ireland offer an Employee Assistance Programme (EAP), a free and confidential service, to assist with any difficulty employees may have in life (at AXA Spain this service is extended to direct relatives). At AXA XL UK, employees have access to a Stronger Minds program which provides access to mental healthcare and support (through the medical scheme with AXA PPP). There are 15 Mental Health First Aiders based in the London office and 2 at Ipswich location. These first aiders are a point of contact for any employee who is experiencing a mental health issue or is in emotional distress.

To support mental health, AXA Hong Kong set up a 24/7 hotline with an external vendor to provide over-the-phone counselling, or even to some extent, a face-to-face dialogue with clinical psychologist if needed. At AXA Italy, to prevent stress-related job risk, setting up of a listening desk for collaborators, run by an association of third-party psychologists. In addition, every 2 years, AXA Italy assesses in the whole company the level of work-related stress with the support of external psychologists. AXA Spain launched a sensibilization campaign on techno-stress, providing tips on how to avoid it.

AXA Group is a member of the International Labour Organization working group on mental health.

Healthy working environment

Several entities offer health check-ups (AXA Egypt, AXA Life Europe, AXA XL in UK, Poland, France and India), well-being awareness events and other health related topics sessions (quit-smoking programs -AXA Hong Kong, AXA Spain-, free flu vaccines -AXA Gulf, GIE AXA, AXA Spain, several entities at AXA XL-, blood pressure testing, AXA Spain). In February 2019, AXA Hong Kong, hold a health talk about caffeine and its impact on mood and performance. CPR/first Aid trainings are offered at AXA Belgium and AXA Mexico. AXA XL India conducts two sessions per month related to health & well-being (cancer awareness, nutrition, ergonomics, cardiac health and diabetes etc.) AXA Mexico, through AXA Keralty, has implemented an integral medical care program, “Sí Salud” for all our employees and their relatives in Mexico City (more than 2,000 employees). This plan has 3 pillars: prevention, treatment and follow-up. For very affordable prices, employees have access to medical consultations with generalists, specialists and reduction on medicine´s prices. AXA Italy has one of the best health contracts for its employees on the Italian market. In the main offices in AXA Spain there is a medical service for employees every day. In addition, AXA Spain offers premium access to Health Keeper app that includes a chat for medical consultation. AXA Direct Japan, AXA Hong Kong, AXA XL US, AXA France, AXA Spain and AXA Belgium offer a quit-smoking program. AXA Brazil, GIE AXA, AXA Lebanon and AXA Gulf provide free flu vaccines to their employees. AXA Gulf also offers free mammographs for employees and AXA Spain launched a campaign on breast cancer detection that includes workshops on breast auto-exploration. All AXA France employees have free access to medical assistance by teleconsultation.

Ergonomic workplace

We globally seek to provide optimal working spaces for our employees in terms of health and wellbeing. As part of local refurbishment projects, in addition to providing desks and chairs that are fully adjustable and ergonomic, communal spaces are providing relaxing areas for employees such as lounge rooms in our Belgian, French, Spanish and Italian offices. Each AXA Poland employee is trained on ergonomic use and configuration of working station. At AXA Hong Kong, the Morning Briefing session includes building employees’ awareness on health risk, e.g. importance of drinking water, proper way to cough and sneeze, the ergonomic way of working in front of a computer, stretching moves at the office, etc.

Illumination

AXA Spain has highly efficient LED lights to ensure proper illumination of working spaces as well as energy saving by adapting to natural lighting. At AXA Italy, offices are certificated LEED GOLD, for energy saving, the reduction of CO2 emissions, the improvement of the ecological quality of the interiors, the materials and resources used.

Air quality and noise

AXA Business Services (India): Internal air quality and noise level test take place every 6 months. Since 2010, AXA France is committed to have an HQE certification for their buildings. In Our Italian office, acoustic insulation measures have been implemented into meeting rooms. In AXA Spain, there is an automatic system with active polarization filters SIPAP® to ensure air quality.

Humidity

AXA Spain has an automatic system to maintain humidity according to the RITE Spanish regulation.

Temperature

In AXA Spain, the BMS (Building, Management System) controls the air conditioners with temperature sensors distributed all over the building.

Fitness facilities/Health/Nutrition

Raising awareness and encouraging a healthy lifestyle is part of AXA’s employees’ wellbeing strategy.

Several entities offer sport facilities/exercises classes, fitness centers for their employees and offer access to staff to restaurants with a wide selection of healthy meals. Nutrition advice is also provided to employees. AXA Italy offers in the office stretching and massage sessions and has launched a series of online lessons such as Taiichi, mindfulness, yoga to continue to provide employees with wellness services  while staying safe at home. AXA XL US offers different programs including Weight management. AXA XL US and UK offer gym reimbursement and AXA XL UK offers a Cycle-to-Smart Working Options Offering an inspiring and inclusive work environment is a significant part in AXA’s overall employee value proposition. The Group is working on building an inclusive workplace environment through the New Way of Working (NWOW) approach: an environment that sustains different forms of flexible work arrangements (teleworking, part-time work, hot desking, desk sharing, flexible hours, compressed work week). In 2019, 32% of AXA salaried employees under open-ended contracts do teleworking (36% of non-sales and 8% of sales salaried forces). In Europe, more than 41% of non-sales salaried workforce with open-ended contract do telework. See 2019 Annual Report section 7.

Supporting working parents

In January 2017, AXA launched a global parent policy which gives all AXA employees across the 62 countries where AXA operates the same rights and opportunities when expanding their family: a minimum of 16 weeks fully paid maternity/primary parent leave and 4 weeks fully paid paternity/co-parent leave, respectively. Benefits include: the ability to have flexible working schedules -recommended for the 6 months following return to work, dedicated HR support before, during and after the leave, advice on childcare options, leave to care for sick children and access to private rooms to pump milk. This policy has been rolled out with very positive feedback. AXA Spain offers a 9-extra-days paternity leave (28+9).

AXA Switzerland and AXA headquarters in Paris provide measures to reconcile work and family life: support in finding childcare facilities, subsidies to external childcare facilities, assistance with family support. AXA Spain allocates an amount of money to support employees with disability or whose children have some kind of disability.

 Our headquarters in Paris, AXA XL in France and AXA Spain organize a Kid’s Day, offering activities for children around a theme changing yearly.