The Center

Wellbeing at work

The University of Geneva and the Swiss Center for Affective Sciences (CISA) are committed to providing a welcoming and respectful environment for everyone to study and work in. The resources listed below respond to CISA’s desire to support our researchers’ well-being during their time at CISA.

general well-being

The Campus Life information point offers UNIGE students information about academic resources and the extra-academic services and activities available to them during their studies. The webpage "Vie de Campus" includes information about leisure activities, sport, social life, student finances, housing, student jobs, as well as learning support and health services, all of them conducive to support the general well-being of students at the UNIGE.

MENTAL HEALTH

Mental health is as important as physical well-being. Academic jobs can take a toll on one's mental well-being, as they require managing external pressures and exercising personal and interpersonal management at multiple levels (the management of time, resources, motivation, hierarchical relations, peers, personal life, stress, etc.).

Activities to support mental well-being among the research community at CISA will be organized in the framework of the CISA E&T program. In addition, the UNIGE makes available to its community a psychological support phone line (Psyline) and a rich website dedicated to student health comprising resources for mental health such as consultations, workshops, or the phone application Actidote for health promotion and the prevention of depression.

Other resources outside the UNIGE include:

  • How are you campaign (campaign by Promotion Santé Suisse to advance mental health, with very informative brochures)
  • MeWell group (non-profit organization with students and staff from UNI Zurich to promote mental health in academia with talks and other activities)
  • Ensa program (courses for mental health first-aid)

CONFLICT, DISCRIMINATION AND HARASSMENT

Work conflicts (among peers or with one’s hierarchy) should not be ignored, and no form of harassment, violence or discrimination is allowed at UNIGE. It is important to know how to respond if we experience or witness any of these problems.

To this end, the UNIGE has made available the website Help UNIGE with all information and resources concerning conflict, harassment, discrimination, and violence, including:

  • Where to get help
  • Workshops and courses
  • Documentation and regulations
  • Figures at UNIGE

In case of harassment or discrimination, UNIGE members can address themselves to the cellule de confiance, composed of external consultants (independent from UNIGE) specialized in harassment (sexual and psychological) and sexism, who can also consult on other forms of discrimination. All consultations are confidential and free.

 

In cases of interpersonal or professional conflict, the UNIGE mediation service offers independent mediators for consultation and potential intervention (mediation, coaching, individual or group meetings). Their services are also confidential and free.

 

For concerns related to violence, the UNIGE service STEPS (resources for health and safety at work) offers the Respect unit (for violence prevention) and an email to report threats.

 

Other resources include:

  • UNIGE Equality and Diversity service. Including permanent programs and temporay campaigns (with multiple activities and resources), training (workshops, courses, summer schools), podcasts,  thematic resources (parenting, diversity, sexuality, career…), and UNIGE statistics.
  • Slack group on Equality – Diversity – Inclusion (DEI) to share information on these topics. Contact us if you’d like to join.
  • The UNIGE whistleblowers, to denounce irregularities at the UNIGE, confidentially or anonymously, addressing a number of possible institutional bodies within or outside the UNIGE.
  • Brochure: Don’t turn a blind eye. Sexual harassment: learn, prevent, protect
  • Website: non c’est non (Swiss-wide)

 

Varied training on harassment and discrimination is available from UNIGE at https://www.unige.ch/help/formations. For example

  • E-learning module: sensibilisation sur le harcèlement sexuel. A 30-minute harassment awareness module aimed at all employees. It provides an understanding of what does and does not constitute sexual harassment, and shows what action can be taken whether you are a victim, a witness, or a line manager.

 

An introduction to these topics will be provided each year at the CISA Welcome Day for SDS, PP and AR newcomers. Questions can be addressed at any time to the head of E&T.