Safeguarding the health, safety and well-being of our employees

The HSE Occupational Health and Safety Department and the Human Resources Department share responsibility for all matters relating to occupational health, safety and risk prevention, including safeguarding employees’ physical and mental health, coordinating occupational healthcare services and ensuring staff well-being.

In France, the Human Resources Department includes a standalone Occupational Health and Prevention Service, which is responsible for harmonising occupational health policies, ensuring that services in this area are adequately resourced, and coordinating healthcare provision across the Group’s countries of operation.

Thales entities set their own labour relations policies with input from local employee representative bodies and in accordance with International Labour Organization conventions.

Achievements in 2024

• The lost-time injury frequency rate was 1.47 (a 32% reduction relative to 2018).
• The severity rate of accidents at work was 0.04 (a 10% reduction relative to 2018).
• 75.7% of employees worked at an ISO 45001-certified site.

Target: 

• Reduce the lost-time injury frequency rate to 1 or lower by 2030.

Ensuring a safe and healthy working environment

In 2019, we rolled out a new roadmap outlining the path towards our goal of building a stronger safety culture. Measures include:

“Masterclass” training sessions focused on health, safety and environmental issues and priorities:

Knowledge of operational risks and the associated mitigation measures and behaviours is crucial in enabling managers and employees to maintain the right level of vigilance. 

Thales’s Human Resources and HSE departments implement and maintain training courses on workplace health and safety across the Group.

Dedicated support to help staff implement risk prevention measures in line with ISO 45001 – Occupational health and safety management systems:

Occupational safety risk management procedures are included in Chorus, the Group-wide process management system, which can be accessed by all employees, at all entities worldwide.

The HSE process requires a safety management system to be implemented at all sites to ensure that operational risks are avoided, managed and limited, while complying with the general principles of prevention. 

An integral part of the processes that govern the Group’s activities, the HSE process sets out best practices and methodological guides, and specifies the rules that must be followed at all levels of the organisation. It also defines risk management and alert procedures to be applied in the event of an accident. 

HSE maturity assessments are supported by the Thales Integrated Maturity System, a framework developed in-house.

In 2024, 75.7% of employees worked at an ISO 45001-certified site.

ISO 45001-certified sites undergo internal and external audits.

Employee well-being and work-life balance

Each of Thales’s countries of operation adapts its working time arrangements to applicable local laws and agreements.

We offer support for working parents, including childcare provision in France, and we are certified as a Family Inclusive Workplace in Australia.

We have introduced a “Smart Working” policy, which aims to offer employees greater flexibility and a better work-life balance. To do this, teams assess management methods, interactions, the work environment, and the tools they need. Following this collective reflection, they draw up a charter and equip themselves with the resources required to implement the new organisation.

Thales is committed to reducing stress at work. As “key player in quality of working life”, managers receive training on mental health and psychosocial risk factors. The Group’s efforts also include enhancing ergonomic practices and reducing high noises in the workplace.

The Group also participates in local public health initiatives.

By the end of 2024, 78 189 employees were employed full time, 81,005 were on permanent contract and the absenteeism rate was of 3.07%.

Labour relations at Thales

Thales’s success – as a business and as an employer – hinges on a culture of constructive and permanent dialogue. By engaging with representative bodies and listening to staff concerns, the Group is able to navigate change in a way that reflects the needs and interests of its people.

The European Works Council has 35 members representing staff in 11 countries, covering over 70% of its workforce. 

And as of the end of 2024, 80% of Group employees were covered by at least one collective labour agreement.