Sustainability at Thales

People

Thales is planning ahead for the skills and technologies of tomorrow through training programmes and expertise-sharing initiatives that allow every employee to achieve their full potential. The Group provides a safe, caring and equitable workplace for all, applying a policy of zero tolerance towards discrimination and nurturing an inclusive culture at all levels of the organisation. At Thales, we encourage leadership and strive for each other’s safety and well-being, aiming to create an environment in which our people can thrive.

© Thales

A learning company is above all one that makes talent management the cornerstone of its human resources development strategy.

Clément de Villepin - Senior Executive Vice President, Human Resources

Unleashing the potential of our people

As a technology leader, Thales understands the importance of maintaining its cutting-edge expertise and continuing to attract the best talent. 

Since 2021, the Group has been rolling-out a worldwide skills development programme as part of its drive to become a learning company. We have identified reskilling and upskilling as strategic priorities at a time of rapid technological change. 

And we recognise that career-long development opportunities – starting at the point of onboarding – are instrumental to professional success.

© Thales

Key 2024 learning achievements

90%
of Thales employees took part in training or other skills development activities
91.4%
of staff in the target population had at least one career development interview and 96.5% attended a performance review meeting
31
in-house training programmes (academies) were available to employees

Attracting and rewarding talent

© Alexandre - Light Ex Machina - Thales

We recognise that our long-term growth and technology leadership depend on our ability to attract the best people at a time of intense global competition for talent in general, and for science and engineering skills in particular. The Group rewards its people for their dedication and performance and offers fair, competitively positioned compensation.

  1. A compensation policy that rewards performance

    Thales’s compensation policy is designed to reward individual performance and share the value created by the Group, with a strong focus on employee savings and share ownership. We offer attractive, competitively positioned compensation: in all our countries of operation, employees receive a base salary that, in the majority of cases, is above the statutory minimum wage.

  2. Building our talent pipeline

    To date, Thales has attended over 600 forums and other events as it seeks to connect with and attract future recruits. In 2024, over 250 students visited our stands at the Eurosatory international land defence show and at Euronaval, a major exhibition for the global naval defence community. We are a regular exhibitor at student job fairs and we run dedicated evening recruitment events at our sites.

  3. Say Hi: Human intelligence driving innovation

    Thales’s employer brand strategy aims to showcase the skills and expertise of the Group’s people and attract top talent. Central to this strategy is the concept of human intelligence: the power of our people to drive innovation and develop pioneering solutions that help make the world safer, greener and more inclusive.

Fostering an inclusive culture

At Thales, we see an inclusive culture as an enabler of innovation, creativity and performance. We are committed to fostering a respectful work environment in which everyone feels empowered to contribute to the Group’s collective success.

Key 2024 diversity and inclusion achievements

21.1%
of senior management positions were held by women (vs 18% in 2020)
64.1%
of management committees had four or more women members (vs 52.6% in 2023)
7%
of people with disabilities out of the total workforce in France (4% Group-wide)

© Alexandre - Ex Light Machina

Promoting gender balance at all levels

© Julien Lutt / CAPA Pictures - Thales

Thales is taking concerted action to attract more women into careers in science and technology – persistently male-dominated fields that account for the lion’s share of the positions on offer within the Group. Our far-reaching gender-balance policy places a particular focus on encouraging and supporting women to advance to senior roles.

Thales remains determined to foster an inclusive culture with zero tolerance for all forms of discrimination. In-house networks like WiTh and Together@Thales lead these efforts on a day-to-basis through workshops, mentoring programmes and personal spotlights.

Camille Canuet - Director, Social and Societal Responsibility

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

We believe that a workplace centred on safety, health and well-being is a key driver of sustained employee engagement and a major factor in the work-life balance of our staff.

© Julien Lutt / CAPA Pictures

Key 2024 Health and well-being achievements

1.47
Lost-time injury frequency rate (-32% vs 2018)
0.04
severity rate of accidents at work (-10% vs 2018)
75.7%
of employees worked at an ISO 45001-certified site

Find out more in our latest reports:

Explore the other pillars of our PROTECT programme