Summary
    As a major player in the French and European scientific communities, BRGM's vocation is to respond to the major current issues in geosciences. To achieve this, it relies on the skills of its 1,000 employees, whom it mobilises and supports in their professional careers.
    Field course in Morocco

    Field course (Morocco, 2013). 

    © BRGM 

    Occupational training, opportunities for development: We attach great importance to your career development.

    Occupational training is central to your career development, which is why we devote 6% of our payroll to the training budget. Each year, 90% of our employees complete at least one training course to enable them to maintain or develop their skills.

    We also have an employment policy that provides opportunities to develop your skills, take on responsibilities, work in different geographical regions and on international assignments so as to take your expertise beyond our national borders.

    In addition, we help train tomorrow's talent by recruiting students on work-study programmes, interns and PhD students.

    We are also committed to becoming a disability-friendly organisation and all of our vacancies are open to people with disabilities.

    Water samples for chemical and isotopic analyses

    Water samples for chemical and isotopic analyses (Ain, 2008).  

    © BRGM 

    Development opportunities throughout its employees’ careers 

    Forward planning for management of jobs and career paths (GEPP in French) is an important issue for BRGM. By ensuring that the institution's needs are matched with its resources, the Human Resources Department helps to maintain the highest level of skills among its employees while contributing to the balance between its activities (R&D, helping to shape public policy and commercial activities). This striving for efficiency is also designed to guarantee the work-life balance of its employees. 

    Following through on its commitment to a policy of forward-looking management of jobs and skills, BRGM signed a new GEPP agreement with its social partners in January 2019. This defines the framework for human resources management at BRGM. The main measures in the agreement are as follows:

    • The implementation of an observatory of professions which makes it possible to provide a diagnosis of the main skills and a strategic overview of human resources through a projection and analysis of BRGM's resources and needs over 5 years. 
    • The implementation and monitoring of an orientation and integration programme that allows each new recruit to discover BRGM, its organisation and its values in order to facilitate his or her integration into the establishment. 
    • Encouraging professional mobility (to broaden employees' technical skills, enable them to take on responsibilities as a project leader, expert or manager, change jobs, etc.). To this end, all job opportunities are first offered to BRGM employees. Career committees have also been set up to validate professional changes by validating the skills needed for a given position. 
    • Ongoing vocational training (6% of the payroll invested each year). 
    • The organisation of career interviews, which complement the annual professional interviews in order to provide more in-depth follow-up of employees throughout their careers and to guide them so they can achieve their professional objectives.
    • Conducting annual staff reviews.
    • The transmission of knowledge between generations, which includes tutoring, training through job-shadowing, sharing and capitalisation of knowledge.
    • HRS4R certification, with the implementation of an action plan to improve the working conditions of employees, particularly researchers.

    To summarise, BRGM is committed to helping you develop your skills, notably through vocational training and career development support. We give our staff the opportunity to advance their career in the same field and/or to change direction (move to a different field). We also provide geographical mobility opportunities in mainland France and the French overseas departments and territories.

    Continuing education to develop your skills

    • 88.00
      %
      of employees received training in 2022

    • 6.44
      %
      of the payroll was invested in vocational training in 2022

    Remuneration policy

    BRGM's remuneration policy is established by the general management, based on recommendations from the HR Department and in line with the company's strategic objectives. As an "industrial and commercial public establishment" (EPIC), BRGM sets its own rules in terms of salary policy and is not subject to the statutory salary grids applied in the French civil service. Our employees do not therefore have the status of "civil servants", since they are subject to private sector law as regards human resources and labour legislation.

    The HR Department proposes an overall remuneration policy to the general management and then implements it, taking into account the company's external and internal environment. The HR team is notably responsible for: 

    • drawing up recommendations concerning the annual salary policy;
    • preparing the annual salary negotiations, and assisting general management during the negotiations;
    • scheduling the implementation of the annual salary measures;
    • advising and assisting the management.

    Remuneration at BRGM is based on a reference base using the Hay method of job evaluation. Each position is weighted according to its contribution.

    The remuneration reference base is established according to the job's position in a job matrix determined by level of responsibility and sector of activity (scientific, support, management, etc.). The reference base is also adjusted according to:

    • cumulative experience
    • seniority
    • performance

    Each year, the salary reference values are updated on the basis of the previous year's remunerations. These are used as a benchmark when negotiating salaries during the recruitment process, thus ensuring fairness in terms of pay among our employees.

    Each year, the French Government also defines a framework for BRGM's salary calculations. After the mandatory annual negotiations, this framework is applied according to the following breakdown: 

    • General increase: depending on the negotiations, this may be a percentage of gross pay with a minimum amount or a lump sum that is the same for everyone.
    • Individual increases: the criteria for awarding these increases are defined during the mandatory annual negotiations. Over recent years, the following criteria have been used: promotion (change of job level), performance and mobility (change of assignment within the establishment). Particular attention has been paid to the principle of equal pay between women and men.

    The structure of the remuneration at BRGM is also based on the "status of staff". Each employee is positioned in a classification grid, either in the "OETAM" category (for workers, clerks, technicians and supervisors) or in the "IC" category (for engineers and managers).

    The remuneration for the position consists of:

    • a fixed basic monthly salary,
    • a seniority bonus for OETAMs (1% of the fixed basic monthly salary for each full year of seniority, up to a maximum of 15%),
    • a thirteenth month.

    In addition to the basic remuneration, other elements may enter into BRGM's overall remuneration package, such as:

    • a profit-sharing bonus, with the option of investment in a Company Savings Plan (PEE),
    • a one-off annual bonus,
    • a management bonus (for managers),
    • specific bonuses for employees who must travel for business, who are seconded overseas or who are on expatriation contracts.

    Various aids and benefits will enable you to add to your remuneration, such as

    • a Work Time Savings Account (Compte Epargne Temps [CET], scheme based on the French law concerning the 35-hour week),
    • a company restaurant in Orléans or meal vouchers in the regional offices,
    • provident fund,
    • health care (additional private insurance),
    • assistance with transport costs,
    • subsidies paid to the Works Council (CSE),
    • medal of merit (for work).

    Gender equality: BRGM pays careful attention to this issue when hiring and awarding individual pay increases. However, there is still room for improvement in this area (see below).

    Fair pay: BRGM's remuneration policy is considered fair (audit by an external firm in 2018). Indeed, according to accepted standards in this field, 94% of the remuneration packages received by employees on permanent contracts met the criteria for fair pay: +20%/-20% around the internal median (all ages and seniority combined).

    Logo of the European HRS4R “Human Resource Excellence in Research” label

    Logo of the European HRS4R “Human Resource Excellence in Research” label.

    © European Union

    HRS4R certification to make BRGM more attractive

    BRGM was the first Public Industrial and Commercial Institution (EPIC) to obtain HRS4R "HR Excellence in Research" certification from the European Commission. In relation to this, it implements a continuous improvement process with regard to the recruitment of researchers and their working conditions. The purpose is to make BRGM more attractive on the job market.