To mark International Women’s Rights Day, Colas organised a round table on 16 March dedicated to diversity and inclusion: “Inclusive careers: what concrete levers for Colas?”.
Chaired by Anahi Sandoval, Group HR Development Director, it brought together several leaders committed to inclusive career paths, around five themes: barriers to inclusion, mental load, maternity/paternity leave, the role of the company and transmission.
More than 350 employees took part in this discussion, which illustrates the Group’s ambition: to make inclusive careers a pillar of its social model and of its commitment to diversity and inclusion.
An already structured inclusive careers policy
Inclusion is at the heart of Colas’ HR policy and relies on concrete measures to support inclusive careers over the long term:
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Inclusive leadership training for more than 200 managers
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Inclusive recruitment to limit bias in candidate selection
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A mentoring program open to women and men, with nearly 80 people supported each year
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The internal We Colas network, with 800 members, mobilised to promote diversity and inclusion
These actions create an environment where talents, whatever their profile and background, can build truly inclusive careers within the Group.
Gender balance and gender equality at work: measurable results
Gender balance between women and men is a central focus of inclusion in the workplace at Colas. In just a few years, the key indicators have clearly improved:
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The proportion of women managers recruited has risen from 18.5% to 20.7%
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The share of women in director positions has doubled, from 3.8% to 7.5%
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The Executive Committee now has more than 35% women, compared with 13% in 2023
These developments strengthen equal opportunities for access to positions of responsibility and make inclusive careers more tangible for everyone, at all levels of the organisation.
Promoting work-life balance for inclusive career paths
Inclusive careers also rely on a sustainable work-life balance between professional and personal life. In many countries, Colas deploys:
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flexible working arrangements (remote work, adjusted hours, part-time work, sabbatical leave);
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opportunities for involvement in non-profit organisations during working hours, in support of social and professional inclusion;
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gender equity measures around parenthood, to support maternity and paternity leave and the return to work.
By reducing the mental load and supporting moments of transition, these measures contribute to more inclusive career paths and to talent retention.
The key role of the company in workplace inclusion
Colas fully assumes its corporate responsibility to anchor an inclusive workplace in the daily lives of teams, in support of inclusive careers for all.
From recruitment onwards, the focus is on alignment with the Group’s values (Respect, Engagement, Pioneer, Transmission) and on interpersonal skills that foster cooperation. Inclusive leadership is recognised as a key management behaviour.
To safeguard inclusive careers, the internal Be Signal platform can be used to report any behaviour that runs counter to inclusion rules (harassment, discrimination, etc.). Each alert triggers a thorough investigation, with possible sanctions.
Finally, Colas values the diversity of career paths and encourages non-linear trajectories (mobility moves, retraining, returns after a career break), in order to offer solutions tailored to each stage of professional life.
Inclusive careers: a long-term commitment
The “Inclusive careers” round table is part of an ongoing dynamic: making inclusion a sustainable driver of attractiveness, retention and performance.
By combining inclusive leadership, gender balance, work-life balance and diverse career paths, Colas is opening the way to fairer, more open and more sustainable inclusive careers for all talents.
