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WOMEN AND MEN IN HISTORY
THE QUEST FOR WELL-BEING
THE SOCIAL BENEFITS IN SOCIETE GENERALE'S HISTORY
FREE TIME AND WORKING TIME
Since the beginning of the 20th century,
Societe Generale offers its employees various number of hobbies.
As of 1903, the CASG, or Athletic Club of Societe Generale,
allows the bank personnel to practice different sporting activities
like soccer, rugby, track and field, fencing or tourism.
Outings are regularly organized encouraging employees
to discover France's national treasures
of as well those of its neighbouring countries.
The bank employees also receive invitations
to attend various cultural events.
In 1917, the women employed by the bank,
as well as the wives and children of employees
are proposed a trip in a rest home during the summer.
A taste of what will soon be known as recreational centres
that begin opening up in France in the 1920's.
The question of vacation will slowly arise in the discussions
between the labour unions and the employer's union
of the banking sector.
July 3, 1936,
the first collective agreement for banking is signed
offering new possibilities to Societe Generale's employees,
notably a set number of paid holidays,
more advantageous than the legal requirement:
21 days instead of 15 for the common collective agreement.
The salaries in the sector are also raised.
A Societe Generale employee of 40 years of age
with 20 years in the company
will make about 19,000 French francs
compared to about 16,000 FF in retail.
It's also in the 1930's that the first cafeterias,
specifically for the Societe Generale's employees
are opened for the central services
but also in the bank's branches in France and in other countries.
After the war,
these cafeterias are generally run by the works council
that applies a digressive prices in relation to the employee's salary.
The 1970's will be the decade
where the lunch break benefits from new factors
such as a cafeteria allowance
as well as meal tickets.
As of the 1980's
the employees benefit from Societe Generale's sponsorships.
Concerts are organized once a month at the head office or in other offices
and are under the aegis of Societe Generale's musical sponsorship
that seeks to favour a larger diffusion of classical music.
For more than 20 years now, the employees at the headquarters
have been able to go to the auditoriums during their lunch breaks
to rediscover the great artistic movements of the 20th century.
HOUSING
As of 1918,
Societe Generale includes the housing of its employees
within its social policy.
Its first action is to supply funding to various housing companies
that supply cheap accommodation, the ancestor of rent controlled housing.
Thanks to the subsidies it pays, the bank is given priority
on available apartments for its employees,
be it to buy or to rent.
In 1949, four years before the obligation for employers
to participate in the construction effort,
Societe Generale creates a housing committee
under the aegis of the CEO of the company
to construct buildings where a certain number of apartments
would be reserved for employees of the bank.
Still at the brink of the 1950's,
Societe Generale sets up a system of housing advance for its employees,
who get very low interest rates
allowing them to buy property
and get established or to do work on their homes.
For the years and decades to come,
all of these systems are reinforced.
SOCIAL PROTECTION AND FAMILY RIGHTS
Societe Generale's social protection policy
arises soon after the inception of the bank.
At the end of the 19th century, the bank introduces a prevention fund
in order to give the employees a lump payment in case of serious illness.
Other company initiatives follow.
It's important to remember that at the time
the state social security is in its earliest stages.
In terms of social protection, and for quite some time,
it was a privately run affair.
The fact that the state comes into to play in 1910
will be considered controversial by a lot of people.
It should be noted that in most banking establishments,
the boards had introduced what was referred to as social causes.
You mentioned that Societe Generale created a prevention fund in 1897,
an indemnity for fathers in 1910,
so all of these measures, all of these social causes created by the banks
are in way a paternalistic procedure
and this banking paternalism has two identifiable objectives:
firstly to establish the loyalty of its employees
and also to teach the employees the concept of company culture.
A new social protection doesn't erase the previous one.
The mutual aid societies aren't antinomic
to the state social security that would later come about.
During the 1930's, the social security process
is accelerated at Societe Generale.
The post of social worker is created
and an infirmary for the employees is opened.
Employees on long sick leaves
receive a payment equivalent to 2 months salary.
Then come the 1940s and the Second World War.
In 1942, a cooperative is opened to sell products from farms
owned by the Group around Paris and in the Indre region.
That same year a bonus for family procurements is set up
so that packages may be sent to prisoners of war and their families.
The objectives of the employees' social well-being and of their families
are reinforced in the years following the conflict.
Two categories are particularly targeted.
Firstly, the children of the employees are given particular attention.
Besides the bonus for a birth,
allowances are given for daycare or for child care
as well as yearly indemnities for school fees.
Linguistic trips are organized
and Societe Generale buys large estates
to create recreational centres for the employees' children.
The first one opens its doors in 1948, the Baticoliere, near Lyon.
The other priority in the social protection policy
is personnel reaching the end of their careers
that receive indemnities for this
as well as employees who have long-term illnesses.
The later benefit from daily allowances
in addition to those given by social security
or more modestly, receive packages for Christmas.
A number of these measures are still in effect today,
notably educational support for children of the employees
and the activities available through the works council,
such as attending the movies, museums, sporting events,
and going on holidays amongst other possibilities.
THANKS TO ERIC BELOUET