BIC_REGISTRATION_DOCUMENT_2017

OUR ENVIRONMENTAL, SOCIAL, AND SOCIETAL RESPONSIBILITY Our social responsibility to our employees

2.4. Our social responsibility to our employees

The women and men who make up BIC Group have been the key to its success from the very beginning. With factories all around the world, distribution teams in 53 countries and about 4 million sales outlets spanning the globe, BIC thrives on a shared corporate culture, enriched by local specificities. The challenge for its Human Resources is to continue to nurture this common culture, founded on BIC’s values and philosophy, across geographic, professional and organizational borders. Shared protocols, based on the Group’s history and built to serve its industrial and commercial goals both present and future, are deployed to develop the skills and strengthen the commitment of everyone in the Company, while protecting and improving their health, safety and well-being. Working with its social partners, BIC strives to create a favorable environment for the long-term development of its employees, and of the Group as a whole.

2.4.1.

THE WORKFORCE

For the year ending December 31, 2017, BIC Group had 14,934 permanent employees and 3,913 temporary staff. The BIC workforce, Cello Pens excluded, totaled 7,938 permanent and 1,467 temporary employees located in 52 countries around the world.

The seven legal entities of Cello Pens, which joined BIC Group in 2013, had 6,996 permanent employees and 2,446 temporary staff present on December 31, 2017. The following sections describe the profile and changes in BIC’s workforce in 2017, Cello Pens excluded.

Breakdown of the workforce by region and activity 2.4.1.1. Changes in staff numbers by region are shown below:

WORKFORCE BY REGION – IN FULL-TIME EQUIVALENTS AS OF DECEMBER 31 (EXCLUDING CELLO PENS)

Variation 2017/2016

Workforce by region

Dec. 2015

Dec. 2016

Dec. 2017

Europe

3,928 2,317 3,395 9,640

4,144 2,345 3,367 9,856

4,014

-3.1%

North America

803

-65.8%

Developing markets

3,121 7,938 1,467 9,405

-7.3%

TOTAL PERMANENT STAFF

-19.5%

Temporary staff

1,504

1,579

-7.1%

TOTAL

11,144

11,435

-17.8%

In 2017, permanent employees decreased by -19.5% or 1,918 employees. This essentially reflects the decrease of headcount in BIC Graphic activities (1,908 fewer employees between December 2016 – (2,214 employees) and December 2017 (306 employees)). In 2018, Graphic activities are present in Europe only. In all other BIC subsidiaries, headcount is stable. Permanent employees (with a permanent employment contract) accounted for 84% of the Group’s total workforce. Temporary workers accounted for 16% of the Group’s total workforce, split

across temporary staff, fixed-period contracts and school and university interns. As of December 31, 2017, the number of temporary workers was lower than December 31, 2016 by 112 (1,467 vs. 1,579). In BIC Graphic activities, following the sale and restructuring, the number of temporary workers decreased from 211 to 13, while in the rest of the BIC Group, the number of temporary workers increased from 1,365 to 1,454. Temporary workers are employed in manufacturing (89% of temporary staff), sales support (2%) and distribution and administration (9%), essentially due to the highly seasonal nature of BIC’s activities.

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BIC GROUP - 2017 REGISTRATION DOCUMENT