Label Alliance: “It reinforces the direction of our policies toward greater equality and diversity”
In fact,UM has just earned dual certification, having been recognized byAFNOR for its policies promoting workplace equality and diversity. This recognition was achieved following a process that required “enormous effort” from the departments, services, and units involved, as highlighted by Julie Boiché, vice president for social responsibility and the institution’s liaison for racism and anti-Semitism, and Agnès Fichard-Carroll, vice president for academic affairs, gender equality coordinator, and disability liaison.
To begin with, what exactly does the Alliance certification entail?
Agnès Fichard-Carroll: Alliance is a certification for gender equality and diversity. This dual certification recognizes the work that has been done and helps us commit to a path of continuous improvement. It also demonstrates thatUM these values for students who wish to enroll at the University of Montpellier, as well as for staff members who wish to work there.
UM the first university to have embarked on this initiative and to have obtained the certification?
Julie Boiché: Yes, absolutely. There are other public entities—departmental councils, municipalities—that have undertaken this initiative, but we are currently the only university.
Where did this desire to apply for the Alliance label come from?
AFC: We renewed our HRS4R label in 2021. The IGESR (General Inspectorate of Education, Sports, and Research) published a comparative analysis of the HRS4R label and national labels, in which areas of overlap were identified. So we decided to go for it. This also aligned with the University’s strong standing in rankings related to social responsibility (such as THE Impact). So there was a logical fit, but I must admit that we may not have fully appreciated the enormous amount of work this certification process would require.
So, what exactly are the steps involved in obtaining this certification?
AFC: First, you need to contact AFNOR, which oversees the process. Discussions are held to establish the scope and timeline. Next, you must put together an application package, and based on that package, an initial on-site audit is conducted. The inspector—or, in our case, the female inspector—then submits a report.
It does seem like a lengthy process…
AFC: Yes, especially sincethere was a mix-up, if I may say so, regarding the scope.
J.B.:We began—together with the steering committee and the president’s office—by discussing the matter with AFNOR to define the appropriate scope. This was an initial request, so we wanted to start with the certification of central and shared services before considering, in a second request, an extension to the individual units.
However, the current certification process also applies to university departments (UFRs), schools, and institutes.
J.B.: That’s true. We had almost completed the process—the application had been filled out, and the audit had taken place. At the end of 2023, a bolt from the blue! AFNOR informed us that, after all, the scope of the certification must include at least 25% of the staff; however, the central and shared services alone are not enough to meet this threshold, so it didn’t go through!
Did you have to start the whole process over?
J.B.: More or less. We had to do the same thing again, but on a larger scale. So we expanded the scope to include the academic departments, schools, and institutes that work with students. With this new, expanded scope, we were well above the AFNOR criteria this time.
What criteria were used to evaluate the University of Montpellier?
J.B: We demonstrated our strong commitment to equality and diversity in our hiring practices, career management, communications, and the initiatives we undertake to raise awareness and combat discrimination. We also demonstrated our ability to respond to problems.
AFC: In particular, through the establishment of support groups to address gender-based and sexual violence and all forms of discrimination. But also through everything we’re doing to promote greater gender diversity in academic programs. We’ve collected a vast amount of data, and we’ve also generated new data through the focus groups we’ve organized on specific topics.
I imagine that the gender equality plan, the disability master plan, etc., were valuable assets…
AFC: Of course, we already had a thorough analysis and defined action plans; we can also mention the workplace quality of life plan, the week dedicated to combating racism and anti-Semitism, and the week dedicated to combating LGBT+phobia. Ultimately, this report was compiled by combining elements that are part of our regular activities with others that required further investigation—either because AFNOR’s specifications didn’t fully align with our organizational structure or because they are areas we need to consider moving forward.
Did this initiative ultimately lead to proposals or concrete action?
J.B: I would say instead thatit reinforced the direction of our policies in support of equality and diversity. In this area, for example, there are 26 grounds for discrimination defined by law. The initiatives we’ve undertaken have allowed us to “gauge the situation” and reaffirm that sexism, racism, disability, religious discrimination, and negative treatment based on sexual orientation or gender identity are truly the community’s main concerns—and these are issues we’re tackling head-on. The reporting form we’ve drafted lists all 26 grounds, and both staff and users should know that they can come to us to report any type of discrimination.
What are the main topics of the reports you receive?
J.B: The reports often concern VSS, or difficult workplace relationships that the people who contact us describe as harassment. We also sometimes receive reports of incidents involving negative treatment or discrimination based on origin, gender identity, or sexual orientation.
AFC: We are aware that we need to remain vigilant, as some people may not yet feel comfortable reporting other forms of discrimination to us. There has been a lot of discussion about fatphobia, for example, with the caller; however, we have not received any reports of such cases, which does not mean that it does not exist.
How long did this application process take in total?
AFC: A little over 3 years for a certification that must be renewed every 4 years, with a midterm review in 2 years. Fortunately, thanks to the departments of Strategic Planning, Human Resources, Campus Life, and others, work is ongoing. We didn’t have to completely overhaul our approach, but these accreditation processes also provide an opportunity to reflect on what we do and to engage in dialogue with students and staff—and to learn a little more about what’s happening at the University. All in all, this is a wonderful institutional initiative, and Julie and I would like to thank everyone—at the central administration, in the academic departments, schools, and institutes, and beyond—who has contributed to this success.