“Going beyond regulatory requirements by identifying areas that promote quality of life at work”
With its new program "Improving Quality of Life at Work and Preventing Psychosocial Risks" 2025-2026, the University of Montpellier takes stock of the action program implemented within the institution for the period 2023-2024 and presents the outlook for the next two years. Julie Boiché, Vice President for Social Responsibility, explains.
Why was this program designed to improve quality of life at work and prevent psychosocial risks (PSRs)?
The approach dates back to the establishment's creation, as initiatives in this direction were already in place in 2016. The philosophy behind these plans is to go beyond regulatory requirements by identifying areas for improvement in the quality of working life within the institution and preventing psychosocial risks as far as possible. This approach involves reflecting on the priorities and specific characteristics of the university's staff.
The current outlook is to continue with previous plans in order to maintain consistency in fundamental actions, while adapting them to the assessments we carry out, but also to identify new areas for improvement based on what we have identified as needs, concerns, or difficulties relating to staff.
The 2025-2026 program is structured around five areas, the first of which involves analyzing risks. How did you conduct this analysis, and what indicators did you look at or put in place?
Today, we are able to track common indicators over a period of five to six years, for example, employee absenteeism. These figures actually change very little, which is rather reassuring as it demonstrates stability within the institution. Discussions within the steering committee encourage us to go further by not only looking at these fundamental indicators, but also by trying to enrich them and cross-reference information sources.
For example, we use EVRP (Occupational Risk Assessment) software, which provides information on psychosocial risks. The increased skills of prevention officers who have received specific training mean that information on this type of risk is better documented.
All these quantitative data are interesting, but the expertise and daily activities of the support staff also played a significant role in developing the plan. They are all represented on the steering committee and provide insight into realities that indicators do not always capture.
The second focus area is entitled "Taking action to promote quality of life at work throughout the organization," with a challenge that concerns remote sites: how can actions related to quality of life at work be rolled out everywhere?
We want, as far as possible, to give remote sites the same level of information and services as in Montpellier. At present, and this was already included in the previous plan, we are systematically considering all actions relating to quality of life at work in terms of format (either face-to-face, in Montpellier or elsewhere, or remote) in order to reach a wider audience.
We will also implement a toolkit that will enable, for example, the retrieval of webinar videos and materials used during events that some staff members were unable to attend. This toolkit will be available to all staff members, and will also be designed specifically for researchers, lecturers, and Professors we sometimes find difficult to engage in certain types of activities.
Finally, after several experiences of this type, with very positive feedback, we would like to set up permanent offices staffed by certain support professionals at the various remote sites. This local contact is important for relaying information and directing staff to the appropriate services.
Another aspect of this program is devoted to training and communication. What measures have been put in place at the school to integrate these aspects?
With regard to training, teaching staff and Professors often Professors less Professors the existing resources; we will therefore step up communication so that they can become more familiar with what is on offer and seize the opportunities available.
Another action concerns communication about the listening center and the reporting system. This system is perceived as useful and satisfactory by many staff members, but it seems to be known primarily as a resource in situations of gender-based and sexual violence. There are therefore plans to roll out specific communication materials so that it can also be used in cases where staff consider themselves to be victims or witnesses of violence, harassment, or discrimination, whether racist, homophobic, etc.
Axis 4 is entitled "Prevent, detect, support." It is a dense axis in terms of actions. Can you give us details of what this program plans to do in this regard?
Several initiatives concern the induction of new staff, which we wanted to improve, in particular by creating a guide listing all the main services and resources available within the UM. In future, we will ensure that it is distributed to all staff, including those who arrive during the year, and that an English version is available. Another project involves preparing a memo for managers, summarizing what needs to be done to properly welcome someone who is joining a team.
We are also working on the return of staff who have been absent for a long period of time, particularly due to serious health issues, which requires our vigilance. What should managers or teams do in such cases? How should they go about it? Is it possible to maintain contact during the absence? How can we prepare for their return and give them the best possible welcome when they come back? The idea is to formalize possible answers to these questions to help teams deal with this type of situation.
For teachers, lecturers, and Professors may not be aware of certain measures that directly affect their careers, the HR department plans to provide "flash" information sheets.
Finally, with regard to prevention, we are continuing with the previous plan by pursuing actions on addiction and sedentary lifestyles. While continuing to raise awareness on these issues, we will go further to provide staff with the means to take concrete action in their working environment.
Finally, the program devotes a section to formalizing procedures. Why is this important, and how will it be implemented?
These procedures cover two very different situations. The first, which is very rare, concerns employees who are unaccounted for without justification for their absence. A flowchart has been drawn up to identify who should take action and in what order, and this has been distributed to the network of HR correspondents. The other procedure, which is more common, concerns the action to be taken in the event of an accident or illness, particularly in situations that do not require the involvement of the fire department. As this procedure is likely to be used more frequently, it will be distributed more widely.