Delivering health and safety

Health, safety and sustainable development are all interconnected. We cannot imagine a brighter future without providing a safe environment for everyone at the company. We are committed to making safety a priority for our sports users and our teammates.

Countries and local players have access to tools they can use to verify that each teammate experiences safe working conditions and to make improvements when necessary.

In every one of our stores, warehouses and head offices in France, health and safety are monitored by QVT Specialists and safety captains who apply safety guidelines as dictated by their local needs and regulations.

In addition to the physical health and safety rules for workstations, Decathlon also recognises the psychosocial risks related to workplace well-being. Efforts in this area can help reduce stress, absenteeism, workplace accidents, turnover and more.

In 2017, 94% of our teammates felt safe in their work environment and 80% said that they play their sport regularly, which is a source of health and well-being.

Health and safety in figures

in 2017

94%

of teammates feel safe in their workplace,

+1% compared with 2016

256

Quality of Life at Work Referents in France

in France

80%

of teammates play their sport regularly,

+3% compared with 2016

2017 Summary

The safety of our teammates is a priority, so there is now a safety captain in every store in France.

Agreements on arduous working conditions were signed in France.

Efforts to mitigate psychosocial risks were stepped up in France with the Be + project.

Developing solutions to prevent psychosocial risks

In 2017 efforts to improve physical and mental well-being for employees were expanded. To achieve quality of life at work, it is essential to strike a balance between one’s personal life and professional life.

Work exploring psychosocial health risks began in 2016, and it found that companies were not focusing on this issue despite multiple incidents. Finding meaning in their work, clearly understanding the roles of each individual, and projecting into the future are all factors that can influence employees’ sense of satisfaction and productivity.

That is why in France Decathlon provides teammates with multiple forms of support, ensuring that everyone can find the right solution for their needs through the Be + project. The project has four pillars:

Mental wellness: providing audio resources, relaxation sessions and meditation, “how I perform with positive thinking”, the importance of breathing and heart coherence techniques.

Preventing incidents through awareness and training: educating HR Liaisons and QVT Specialists about warning signs (burnout, violence at the company or elsewhere, stress, etc.) and developing active listening skills.

Supporting others and being supported in times of crisis via contacts inside and outside the company: a hotline was created in 2016 to reach social workers so that any employee can reach out, anonymously, to receive medical or psychological help. Another mental health option available to all employees and HR Liaisons provides psychological expertise and guidance on developing better habits. In addition, outside counsellors are brought in for isolated events, primarily after trauma, and 24/48-hour psychological response units are set up in the event of a death, a hold-up, etc.

Promoting interactions with fellow sports players: coming together and sharing ideas as a community on topics related to well-being at work through sport.

Focus

« The right to disconnect »

On 23 November 2017, management and social partners signed an agreement expanding the right to disconnect to all French teammates with “employee” or

“supervisor” status; previously, this right had been granted to teammates with

“manager” status following an agreement dated 8 December 201619.

A new agreement on the right to disconnect was signed for logistics teams on 7 December 2017 and the support services teams signed the Happy Connected Charter.

The company agreements affirming Decathlon employees’ right to disconnect aim to prevent their professional lives from spilling over into their personal lives, something that has become increasingly common since the advent of the digital revolution. The agreements are intended to protect time off and holidays so that everyone can maintain a good work-life balance for themselves and their families.

The agreements contain three main themes :

– Protecting time off and holidays

– Best practices for using communication tools

– Awareness and training

An Oversight Committee has also been created to monitor the progress made on the actions set out in this agreement.

Risk prevention: arduous working conditions

As part of a risk prevention process, Decathlon has identified the occupational risk factors that are likely to affect the health and safety of our teammates.

These risk factors are associated with different areas, such as working conditions (night shifts or repetitive tasks), the physical environment (presence of hazardous chemicals, temperatures, noise, etc.) or physical demands on teammates (posture, load handling, etc.).

A pair of specialised training courses have been developed for our teammates in France to better identify risks and, when necessary, correct working conditions.

How captains help manage safety in our stores

Decathlon’s uncompromising attitude toward safety is a global commitment. As part of our empowerment and subsidiarisation efforts, safety is now handled locally by those most familiar with the regional context. Decathlon maintains high safety standards by giving each country and each store the tools and materials to ensure that safety is a priority, with specific criteria for each region of the world.

In France, safety captains are the local specialists in charge of keeping our teammates and users safe in our stores and warehouses. They receive regular training about handling evacuations, accidents and other topics and undergo evaluation using a variety of metrics, from self-assessments at the site to sessions with outside companies or internal audits.

Throughout the world, the safety measures put in place at our Decathlon stores comply with the safety guidelines in force in the countries where they are located.

In accordance with the idea of autonomy that is central to the subsidiarity principle, each country has developed its own local safety standards that comply with local regulations and insurance requirements. These are made even stronger through an analysis of risks specific to that country (for instance, less stringent local safety regulations, the geopolitical context, natural disaster risks, etc.).

The local safety guidelines proposed by Country Leaders are submitted to experts from the global Decathlon United network, who provide expertise and suggestions for continuous improvement.