Rouages: “Working for meaningful causes”
She is the head of the Workplace Quality of Life Department and an in-house coach within the Campus Life Division. Her daily work involves raising awareness among staff and students about all forms of discrimination and listening to staff members to better support them. This month, as part of the “Rouages” video series produced by the University, Laure Parmentier tells us about her job.
Laure Parmentier’s office is located on the Triolet campus, at the very end of the long hallway that runs through Building 5. Working slightly apart from her colleagues in the Campus Life Department—due to confidentiality requirements—she coordinates the Workplace Well-being Service. It’s a small team of three staff members, including an occupational psychologist who works 20% of the time for the University.“Our work focuses on three main areas: combating all forms of discrimination and gender-based and sexual violence, providing individual support to staff—particularly through coaching—and promoting the well-being of students and staff.”
Combating sexual and gender-based violence is a key focus of the fight against all forms of discrimination at UM. Since December 2020, the university has implemented a gender equality plan, which is overseen by the Workplace Quality of Life Department. This plan includes the implementation of numerous indicators as well as the flagship event “Donner des elles à l’UM,” held every year in March to mark Women’s History Month.
Reporting sexual and gender-based violence
The University has established dedicated points of contact to make it easier to report sexual and gender-based violence, whether you are a victim or a witness.“Together with Agnès Fichard-Caroll, the Vice President for Social Responsibility, I am one of the primary points of contact for these reports. “The awareness-raising work we do helps demonstrate that UM has a zero-tolerance policy on these issues, and I make sure to remind students and staff of this every time I have the opportunity to speak with them, ” explains Laure Parmentier.
In recent years, female professors, research professors, and administrative staff in leadership roles have also been able to participate in the Oser! program. The goal: “to help these women build greater self-confidenceand empower them to break through the so-called glass ceiling that limits their access to leadership positions,”emphasizes Laure Parmentier. This awareness-raising work, which she applies to all forms of discrimination, is carried out in particular through the organization of a week dedicated to combating LGBT+phobia.
Support and coach
At the heart of the QVT department’s mission is also individual support, which includes the option to consult with an occupational psychologist as well as to participate in coaching sessions with Laure Parmentier.“Coaching is the process of supporting an individual or a team to achieve their professional goals,” she explains. Change management, interpersonal difficulties, exam preparation, time management… all issues can be addressed, provided they fall within the professional sphere.“My role is to help them step back by asking the right questions. I’m not there to give advice but to help them arrive at a solution,” the professional clarifies.
"This initiative aligns with the department’s overall mission to promote the well-being of students and staff through workshops on meditation, sophrology, breathing exercises, and public speaking;“but also during Workplace Well-Being Week, which addresses topics such as work-life balance and the development of collective intelligence,” notes Laure Parmentier.
“On equal terms”
With a background in psychology and coaching, the new department head has already worked with a wide range of clients throughout her career: at-risk youth, business leaders, and police officers. “What drives me is the desire to support people by building a relationship of trust, on an equal footing. I enjoy analyzing and understanding their challenges.” This position, which she has held at the University since last February, is a new challenge that the coach is taking on with undisguised satisfaction: “Working at the University means being able to advocate for important causes effectively and with a very diverse audience. Our efforts can reach 55,000 students and staff; if we can raise their awareness and each of them can in turn plant a small seed, things could move forward very quickly!”