L'Oréal

While the issue of sexism in the workplace has been widely addressed in recent years (and it was about time!), awareness-raising initiatives against moral harassment are fewer. A “touchy” subject, sometimes considered subjective, it is nonetheless regulated by law, and companies have an obligation to protect their employees from harmful practices at work. The numbers are shocking: nearly 3 out of 4 employees believe that harassment in the workplace is widespread (74%) and 62% believe it is becoming increasingly common. (source: Ipsos/Qualisocial barometer, 2022)

148 Agence Collective was approached by L’Oréal’s Legal/HR department to support them in designing and illustrating a guide against moral harassment within the company. The brief emphasized the importance of having a rigorous yet appealing and accessible document, and the desire for illustrations to make clear what constitutes moral harassment (and also what does not!).

148 Agence Collective scripted and created around fifteen illustrations based on content provided by L’Oréal: dialogue, characters, clothing, settings… Everything is carefully considered to be realistic, inclusive, and clear. For example, we took care not to conflate sexism and moral harassment, gender and position within the company…

The guide, produced in several languages, was launched worldwide through a motion-design campaign drawing on the guide’s content, and distributed across L’Oréal premises (reception screens, elevators, intranet…)

Although it is more widely recognized, sexual harassment is still an issue in the workplace. The figures are chilling: around 41% of women aged 18 to 74 who have been in employment have already been victims of sexual harassment at work, a figure higher than the European average (30.8%) (source: Eurostat). And nearly one in two workers has already been exposed to behaviour with sexist or sexual connotations (source: Qualisocial).

Following on from the first guide, L’Oréal commissioned the Agency to create a second guide dedicated to sexual harassment. With a similar structure and illustrated by the talented Manuela, this tool helps support victims and witnesses in situations that are often painful.

"Contributing to the development of the illustrations for this project was particularly rewarding, knowing that they will help advance the elimination of moral harassment in the workplace. This initiative fully reflects our company’s values and demonstrates our commitment to meaningful projects with strong social impact."

— Manuela, Senior Graphic Designer, 148 Agence Collective