Assess and improve well-being at work
Every two years Virbac conducts an internal opinion survey for all Group employees. The 2011 par ticipation rate remained ver y high at 84%. The improvement in results for 2011 was weaker than in previous years: the score for headquar ters climbed two points (from 27 to 29), while that of the Group was unchanged at 47. Overall, the score is satisfactory and in line with the benchmark established by the company Inergie. Specifically, there were positive scores in the areas of employee commitment, their motivation, pride in belonging, as well as progress made in welcoming newcomers and local management. Progress must still be made in organisational operations as regards meetings and collaboration. In 2011, a section on the psychosocial risks was included in the France survey, which revealed a portion of employees who identify themselves as less "stressed" than the average in Inergie's data.

EMPLOYMENT

workforce by employment type, contract, and region
All functions are represented within the Group: 44% of employees work in marketing and sales, 36% in industrial tasks, 10% in R&D, and 10% in all other support and administrative areas.

New employee hires and employee turnover
Commitment to the company is strong and, thus, retaining loyalty is essential. Overall, employee turnover falls within the lower average of each country. These indicators are particularly favourable in strong-growth countries like India where the "war for talent" is raging, or in Australia where full employment makes the market very favourable for candidates. At the headquarters in France, one quarter of the turnover is generated by retirees, which lowers even fur ther the actual rate of departure from the company (dismissal or resignation) to 3.85%.

Newcomers
In 2011, Virbac remained highly active in the domestic and international employment markets in order to meet its recruitment needs and pursue growth. 573 people were recruited in 2011 in the 12 countries in the social scope, or the equivalent of 19% of the workforce. In terms of jobs created, the net growth was 277 people (3,002 people in 2011 vs. 2,725 in 2010). There was substantial growth in the workforce in India and the United States in 2011. Virbac, as an employer, is enticing to candidates seeking to join a global company whose size allows for personal contact with clients and that consistently posts strong growth. Virbac is a serious alternative career path for professionals in the animal health sector and offers a diverse profile with true prospects for development and real possibilities of having an impact.

TRAINING AND EDUCATION

Development of skills and employability: 29.76 hours per person per year
At Virbac, skills development is one of the key areas of investment with a view to enhance the efficiency, development and professional advancement of employees. At the heart of the system is the manager, who benefits from expert support and is involved both from an analysis perspective through the end-of-year interview and in terms of training recommendations.

Developing managerial organisational skills
Advanced managerial development policy: thanks to a course focused on the fundamentals of management and several more in-depth modules. This course covers a wide variety of managerial topics and allows managers to better assist their employees throughout their professional development. These management workshops accounted for 55% of training given in France in 2011. Training is designed above all to strengthen management understanding of employees, a guarantee for the wellbeing and personal development of staff. This managerial course has been translated into English and Spanish, and is available at all Group subsidiaries.

DIVERSITY AND EQUAL OPPORTUNITY
A diversity audit was performed in France in 2011 in order to strengthen our actions in this area. A seniors agreement has been in place since 2009 to guarantee that a minimum of 100 employees would fall in the +55 years old category. In 2011 that figure was 124. A gender equality agreement was negotiated with the elected members to monitor the wage gap, in addition to the automatic pay raise for women returning from maternity leave. This is scheduled to be signed in 2012. The situation regarding employment of disabled persons is not up to our expectations and will be a priority in the future.

More details about labour practices and decent work in the annual report 2011 (page 38)