The 2013 Employment Security Act mandated the appointment of employee representatives to the boards of directors of certain companies. This primarily concerns public limited companies with a board of directors or a management board and supervisory board. These companies must then employ at least 5,000 employees for two consecutive financial years if their registered office is in France. For companies headquartered abroad, this requirement applies as soon as they employ at least 10,000 employees.
When the board of directors has fewer than 12 members, it must include at least one employee representative. For boards with more than 12 members, at least two employee representatives must be elected or appointed.
On June 3, 2015, a decree (Decree No. 2015-606 of June 3, 2015, concerning the time required for directors or members of the supervisory board elected or appointed by employees to carry out their duties and the procedures for their training within the company) was issued to implement these provisions. It specifies the time these directors have to perform their duties and the training arrangements.
These directors are thus entitled to training time of at least twenty hours per year and preparation time of at least fifteen hours and no more than half the legal monthly working time per meeting of the board of directors or committee.
