France: insurer Maif renews agreement on employment of disabled workers

The French mutual insurance group Maif has struck an agreement, valid for three years and signed by all trade unions at the company, that will foster the employment of disabled people. At present, some 6.41% of Maif employees are disabled, and the insurer has committed to hiring at least 40 disabled workers for the period from 2022 to 2024, including 15 on permanent contracts. Meanwhile, under the agreement reached, disabled employees may opt for part-time work after five years of service at the company. Such staff members are also entitled to tailored equipment to improve the accessibility of their workstations as well as a variety of financial grants, for example to adapt their vehicles (maximum €12,000), to fund travel between home and work (€2,500 gross/month) and parking costs (€1,700/year). Finally, disabled employees at Maif will be able to take five days off work during the year because of their disability without being financially penalised. The agreement also includes a series of measures to support employees caring for a disabled spouse or child, including leave of absence (up to four days per year) to accompany their loved one to appointments related to their disability. Such staff members will also be able to request adjusted working hours, benefit from a system for donating days of leave and cease to work early between the ages of 57 and 62, provided they have 15 years of service at the company.