Creating a feeling of belonging for all our staff through our words and actions
Everywhere in the world, in all our professions, our 71,000 people embody, on a daily basis, the values of openness and diversity which constitute our DNA and those of our brands. We have never disregarded our differences: on the contrary, we are proud of them and encourage them. Thus, if 97.7% of our employees work in France or in the Netherlands, 6.1% are nationals of neither of these countries.
Air France-KLM firmly believes that an effective policy of diversity and inclusion is key to the well-being of employees within the company, and has a positive impact on the performance of the organization. The Group is thus committed to combatting all forms of discrimination and promoting equal opportunity.
The professional integration of young people and recruitment of persons with disabilities are also part of our daily priorities.
To exit stronger from the crisis, in 2021 the Group launched an internal evaluation to analyse its Diversity & Inclusion (D&I). On this basis, we plan to build a future action plan to encourage an ever-more-inclusive culture and leadership, and reinforce our measures to combat all forms of discrimination and inequality, in aspects like representation, inclusion and equity, as well as to ensure the objective measurement of our progress.
Air France-KLM has set itself a long-term objective of reaching parity between men and women within the Group Executive Committee and within the top 10% highest levels of management.
Medium-term targets of a minimum of 33% women within the Group Executive Committee and 40% of the top 10% management level positions to be held by women by 2030 were also set by the Air France-KLM Board of Directors in 2020. Concretely, in the event of the recruitment and/or appointment of new members with equal skills, expertise and management qualities, preference is given to female candidates.
Air France-KLM Board of Directors
Air France-KLM Executive Committee
of women in the Group’s total employees
of women in management functions, at all levels
of women in junior management functions
of women amongst the pilots exercising managerial functions
In all the Group’s companies, initiatives in favor of Diversity & Inclusion are deployed to give our Corporate strategy a tangible form.
In March 2019, the KLM President & CEO signed the Talent to the Top Charter, a manifesto aimed at increasing the number of women in management positions. Every year, the progress is tracked based on six criteria: Leadership, Strategy and Interventions, HR Management, Communication, Knowledge and Skills, and Work Climate. The evaluation remained stable on these six criteria in 2021 despite the crisis.
In 2020 and 2021, the coaching programs Femmes de Talent within Air France and Female Leadership within KLM were maintained and adapted (digitalized content and optimized duration).
Air France has also pursued its awareness-raising and prevention of sexism and sexual harassment actions. In June 2021, all the members of the Executive Committee signed the Stop Sexism commitment.
Despite a difficult context, the Air France-KLM Group has reaffirmed its commitment to welcoming persons with disabilities. In 2021, the hiring of employees with disabilities was maintained despite a hiring freeze. The airline also prioritizes suppliers who employ persons with disabilities (more than €8 million of procurement was made from companies and organizations in the protected and adapted sector in 2021).
The 2021-23 Disability Agreement was signed in January 2021. Through this 11th Agreement, Air France reaffirmed its desire to continue an ambitious policy by maintaining the recruitment of people with disabilities and by pursuing actions in favor of maintained employment (the employment rate of workers with disabilities reached 5.57% in 2021).
For the third year running, Air France took part in the DuoDay (six events in digital form and one in a face-to-face setting) and organized remote internships for school children with disabilities. During European Week for the Employment of People with Disabilities, Anne Rigail, Chief Executive Officer of Air France, reaffirmed the airline’s commitment to the inclusion of employees with disabilities.
KLM continues to offer guaranteed employment for employees with an incapacity level of below 35%, which is reflected either by maintained employment within KLM or help with finding another job. KLM offers protection against redundancy to employees whose disabilities prevent them from working and who are five years before the legal retirement age.
The Air France-KLM Group has a long history of engagement with the LGBTIQ+ community which finds its concrete manifestation in powerful initiatives within the different airlines.
Respectively in 2019 and 2021, Air France and KLM signed the association L’Autre Cercle’s LGBT+ Commitment Charter and the Amsterdam Workplace Pride Declaration. The latter aim to develop a working environment in which openness and equality are fundamental, and where there exists an explicit awareness of diversity, inclusion and the LGBTIQ+ community.
Since 2020, KLM has deployed the “Inclusive Ally” program, aimed at recognizing colleagues who demonstrate innovative and inclusive behavior. This initiative drives culture change and is in line with the People Sustainability strategy. During the annual Workplace Pride Leadership Gala, individuals and organizations that have made an exceptional contribution to the acceptance of LGBTIQ+ colleagues in the workplace are recognized.
Furthermore, in 2021, KLM led a Pride “road show” involving colleagues discussing D&I at different KLM locations, with a particular focus on transgender. 2021 also saw KLM participate for the fourth time in the Workplace Pride Global Benchmark, whose report showed an increase in the commitment and representation of the LGBTIQ+ community within the airline.
