PRINCIPLES OF EMPLOYEE SAVINGS
Employee savings plan aims to involve employees more in the performance of their business. It includes several schemes which, under certain conditions, are also open to managers.
The principles related to all employee savings schemes have the following characteristics:
• Collective nature: all employees benefit from the arrangements put in place in their company;
• Not a substitution for wages: payments granted to employees in the context of employee savings schemes cannot replace a wage component (monthly or premium);
• Negotiation: each employee savings scheme results (there are some exceptions) in a negotiated agreement within the company;
• Informing employees, especially about their assets.
We can identify three main categories of employee savings scheme; participation employee savings plans and profit-sharing.
Participation in the performance of the company entitles each employee to a share of the company’s performance. Participation has the following main characteristics:
• Mandatory for all companies with 50 or more employees. It can be set up in an optional way from an employee;
• Consists of a redistribution of the company’s profits, whether by compulsory or waiver calculation if more favorable;
• Benefits to all employees (with a minimum of 3 months ‘seniority), including corporate officers;
• If the participation in the company’s results is actually implemented, a wage savings plan will also have to be put in place.
The Employee Savings Plans (company saving plan, the collective pension savings plan) help employees to build up savings in shares invested in capital or company shares).
These employee savings plans showcase the following main characteristics:
• Optional from a single employee but, as mentioned above, mandatory in the event of an agreement to participate in the results of the company;
• Consists of an aid from the company (contribution) to the employees so that they constitute a portfolio of securities;
• Benefits to all employees (with a minimum of 3 months of service in the company), including corporate officers.
Employee profit-sharing allows employees to be financially associated with the development of the company.
The incentives include the following main characteristics:
• Optional starting from a single employee;
• Consists of a bonus payment based on the results and performance of the company, using a free computation formula;
• Benefits for all employees (with 3 months of service to the company), including officers.