Dominique Laurent (Schneider Electric France): “The employment of older people is one of the most complex subjects to tackle”

As the French government embarks on a major campaign to promote the employment of older workers, Dominique Laurent, director of human resources for France at energy management equipment specialist Schneider Electric (15,000 employees), has spoken to mind RH about his company's vision on the subject. His challenge: to deconstruct stereotypes and support older workers in their career development.

By Nathalie Tran. Published on 20 May 2025 à 15h46 - Update on 20 May 2025 à 15h46

How is Schneider Electric tackling the issue of employing older people?

We started looking at the subject of older workers two years ago. In my view, this is one of the most complex subjects to tackle as part of a human resources management policy. Firstly, because it cannot be approached in the same way everywhere in the world. It’s a theme deeply marked by cultural and geographical differences. For example, in Japan, some people continue to work at the age of 80, whereas in China, people retire at 55; in the United States, it’s forbidden to talk about age in a professional setting, whereas in France we talk about it quite freely, although we can’t talk about ethnic statistics, because that’s forbidden in France, and so on. It’s a subject to be approached with a great deal of humility.

Secondly, the trend towards political correctness complicates matters still further.…

Nathalie Tran

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