An expert in occupational health and safety, Valérie Hervieux joined Université de Montréal’s School of Industrial Relations on June 1, bringing an impressive history of making discoveries and innovations that testify to her interest in improving people’s well-being in the workplace.
Hervieux began her studies at Université Laval, where she graduated in 2016 with a bachelor’s degree in physical education and health. Feeling the need to deepen her understanding of health promotion, she then completed a master’s in kinesiology, also at Laval.
It was during this period that Hervieux developed her original approach of applying kinesiology to the study of workplace health. She designed a research project to study the benefits of active meetings, a little-explored topic at the time.
Pedaling during meetings
Her idea was to have employees pedal on stationary bikes during meetings. Hervieux recruited 30 Université Laval employees and divided them into seven teams. Each team conducted two meetings: one seated and one on stationary bikes.The results were intriguing. While indicators of focus, attention and performance were similar between the two groups, active meetings were associated with a greater sense of well-being and reduced stress levels.
These benefits were felt immediately after the active meetings, and even four hours later participants showed a trend towards greater well-being and less fatigue, Hervieux found in her research
She published her findings in a scientific journal, which led to a series of spin-off articles and then a practical guide for the general public.
It wasn’t long before her research led to practical applications. Université Laval consulted her for its healthy lifestyle program, offered in collaboration with its kinesiology clinic; Hervieux helped devise ways to support work teams that wanted to incorporate active meetings and breaks into their schedules. Then Quebec’s Ministry of Education asked her to write a scientific report on how to modify and improve organizational cultures to promote physical activity at work.
A Ph.D. during COVID-19
In January 2019, Hervieux embarked on a new challenge at Université Laval: a Ph.D. in business administration, specializing in occupational health. Her research took an unexpected turn a year later when the COVID-19 pandemic hit: she was forced to work remotely. Then, in 2022, she took maternity leave.Despite the changes in her personal life, she managed to collaborate on an ambitious longitudinal study spanning the pandemic years, from 2020 to 2022. Her thesis examined the phenomenon of presenteeism, or working while sick, and its organizational and individual determinants.
Presenteeism has become a critical issue in the workplace. Hervieux’s research shed light on how the problem was exacerbated during the pandemic, due in part to an increase in mental health problems.
Her work has yielded a better understanding of how presenteeism is shaped by organizational factors, such as the psychosocial environment at work, and individual factors, such as physical exercise.
A new chapter begins
On June 1, Hervieux took up her new position at UdeM’s School of Industrial Relations at Université de Montréal. In January she’ll begin to share her knowledge and expertise with a new generation of professionals, teaching a course on managing health and safety in the workplace.She has also joined a research team at the Observatory on Health and Well-Being at Work (OSMET) directed by professor Alain Marchand. It’s a collaboration that promises to bring new perspectives to the field of industrial relations.
