quality of working life

Message from the President on preventing harassment in the workplace

Dear all,

Following on from my New Year address on January 12, I would like to reiterate that I and the entire management team are committed to making sure that all staff at the Institut Pasteur are able to work in the best possible conditions on a daily basis, so that together we can hold high the humanist values that characterize our institute.

Each and every one of you should be willing and able to work with others in an environment of mutual respect, within the framework of a management structure equally characterized by respect. It is only by adopting this approach that we will be able to achieve the excellence required at the Institut Pasteur.

To this end, in consultation with the Board of Directors, I have asked the Human Resources Department to focus more closely on issues related to quality of working life and psychosocial risks. We will keep you informed about the progress of this work as soon as possible.

But we should like to emphasize here and now our absolute determination to combat all forms of harassment and violence in the workplace. I would therefore encourage you to familiarize yourselves with the legal provisions that determine our rights and obligations in this respect, as outlined below, and to consult the resources made available by the Institut Pasteur Human Resources Department.

Kind regards,

Stewart Cole,
President

 
 
♦ Preventing harassment in the workplace

As part of its ongoing efforts to prevent psychosocial risks, the Institut Pasteur is actively engaged in combating all forms of harassment in the workplace and would like to remind each of you of your rights and obligations in this area.

Moral harassment is defined by the French Labor Code (article L. 1152.1 of the Labor Code) and is punishable under the French Criminal Code (article 222-33-2 of the Criminal Code):
"No employee should suffer moral harassment by repeated conduct which is designed or which leads to a deterioration in his or her working conditions liable to harm his or her rights and dignity, to damage his or her physical or mental health or compromise his or her career prospects." Moral harassment does not necessarily imply a relationship of hierarchy or authority between the aggressor and the victim. Behavior may be qualified as harassment regardless of the intention of the initiator.

Sexual harassment is defined in article 222-33 of the Criminal Code:
"Sexual harassment is the act of repeatedly subjecting a person to unwelcome verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature when such conduct either compromises the victim's dignity through demeaning or humiliating words or actions, or creates an intimidating, hostile or offensive environment for the victim.
Any form of intense pressure, even if not repeated, with the actual or perceived goal of obtaining sexual favors, whether for the offender or for a third party, is also considered sexual harassment. [...]"

If you witness or are the victim of behavior that may be qualified as harassment, several people and departments are available for you to speak to in confidence:

  • your local HR contact;

  • the Occupational Health Department;

  • the Psycho-social Risk Prevention Unit;

  • the MAASCC team, especially if you are a PhD student, post-doctoral fellow or scientist.

Any incidents that are reported will be investigated confidentially and will be sanctioned if deemed to qualify as harassment.

If you would like further information about this subject, a number of resources are available online (in French).

Over the next few months, the Human Resources Department will be running campaigns to raise awareness and encourage dialog, and it will also be organizing a series of information sessions led by Carole Bereby, Head of the Local HR Department. These sessions will deal with sensitive subjects by looking at specific examples (what types of behavior, gestures or words may be considered as violence in the workplace and may qualify as harassment). At these sessions you will also be informed of developments in procedures to help prevent harassment and notified about proposals from the various stakeholders.

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