THE HOUSE OF PERNOD AND SONS
The heads of the House of Pernod and Sons did not wait
to display the benevolent feelings that animate them with regard
to their personnel, the explosion of sympathy which has
occurred these last few years for the working classes. Indeed,
Mr. Bernard Lavergne, senator from Tarn, in his book The
Social Evolution published in 1893, notes, in speaking of the
House of Pernod and Sons, that "sympathy for the workman is
traditional in that establishment."
This sympathy was illustrated in 1871 by an important fact
in the history of the House of Pernod and Sons. Without
knowledge of what the state of the matter was elsewhere in the
country, Mssrs. Louis and Fritz Pernod spontaneously
introduced their personnel to participation in a benefit plan and,
after careful consideration, they decided that the best form for
that plan to take was that of a retirement fund. They wanted to
create a savings plan so that when the workers could no longer
work due to age or infirmity, they would find themselves in
charge of a small nest egg by means of which they could either
face urgent needs, or start a small business; these savings were
also to constitute an invaluable resource for families deprived of
their breadwinner by death.
The proposed goal has been fully attained in the 23 years
the plan has functioned to the complete satisfaction of everyone
concerned. The retirement fund consists of a share determined by the operating profits, contributed each year by the House o Pernod and Sons to its workmen and employees.
