Meet Our College Researchers: Carol-Anne Gauthier
Carol-Anne Gauthier's Research Journey: Bridging Theory and Practice for Healthier, More Inclusive Work Environments
A former Social Science student at Champlain–St. Lawrence from 2002 to 2004, Carol-Anne Gauthier has been teaching psychology at the college since 2015. Beyond her teaching role, Carol-Anne is a prolific researcher whose work is deeply rooted in collaboration with professionals and organizations from the fields of work and employment. Join us as we delve into Carol-Anne’s journey, exploring her research contributions and deep commitment to connecting theory and practice, engaging with her community, and mobilizing knowledge to address contemporary workplace issues.
1. Can you first tell us about your field of study and your specialization?
Globally, my field of study is work and employment, always from a social science perspective. This includes organizational behaviour, human resource management, and occupational health and safety. Within that, my areas of expertise include diversity and inclusion, psychosocial work factors, mental health at work, remote work and meaningful work.
2. More specifically, what are your ongoing research projects and their key goals?
Broadly speaking, I'm always interested in answering questions related to the day-to-day preoccupations of workers and employers, working in partnership with them to develop tools they can use to make workplaces healthier and more inclusive. I like to think of these projects as being related to larger societal questions such as shifting attitudes towards work and the importance of work-related factors in our health and well-being.
For example, right now mental health at work is having a moment due to many factors such as employers’ concerns over the rising costs of mental-health related disability leaves, recent changes to the Quebec Occupational Health and Safety Act and shifting attitudes towards mental health in the workforce post-pandemic – particularly young workers. These are the types of topics we work on at the Chaire de recherche Relief en santé mentale, autogestion et travail- Propulsée par Beneva (CRRSMAT).
Employers have been addressing these concerns in many ways, including by implementing workplace well-being programs. One of the projects I am involved in consists of evaluating the implementation of a hybrid self-management at work program in four organizations. This program includes the use of a smartphone application that employees can use to evaluate their well-being and learn about different mental health self-management techniques they can use.
Another way employers are trying to address both worker shortages and mental health is by finding the “ideal” way to operationalize remote work. One of the projects I am leading at the moment with Simon Coulombe at the CRRSMAT aims to evaluate the remote work policy implemented in a large organization. Contrary to the many employers that have implemented very prescriptive policies that force workers to work from the office 2 or 3 days a week regardless of their preferences, productivity, or the nature of their work, our partner organization has decided to give managers and teams more flexibility in terms of applying the remote work policy. The hope is to find what works with these policies and have some research to back up future decisions in this and other organizations to balance, on the one hand, fairness, equity and productivity with, on the other hand, the well-being of employees, attraction, retention and quality of life at work.
My third project stems from a ministerial action plan to valorize education sector workers. As we know through extensive media coverage, there are important issues pertaining to attracting and retaining professionals in the education sector, and the Québec government wants to know what to do about this. My interdisciplinary team for this project includes professors and graduate students in ergonomics, industrial relations, and vocational guidance counseling (sciences de l’orientation) at Université Laval. Our aim is to understand the working conditions of school professionals specifically (e.g. psychologists, speech therapists) to see how these are related to the attractiveness of these jobs, and how we can promote the attraction and retention of education professionals as well as their mental health through better recognition of their expertise.
3. It’s interesting to see how current issues and concerns shape your research questions and interests. Reversely, how does research inform practices in the workplace? What are your observations about that?
When I was doing my master's degree, I took a course on human resource management; each week we had a different topic and we would look at research on the one hand and, on the other hand, practices and professional publications in the professional sphere. Repeatedly what we found was a relative disconnect between the two. I think one of the reasons for that is that human resource professionals or managers in the workplace are always so busy they're not necessarily going to go look at the research, and that researchers don't always make the effort of making their results palatable to professionals and managers.
This disconnect can have some very important consequences. To give you an example, a couple years ago I was at a conference where I was speaking to someone very high up in a large public organization. They had just invested millions of dollars in changing all the office furniture to adopt an open-space, activity-based setup, which a lot of organizations are doing in conjunction with remote work. This decision is in direct contradiction with the last 25 years of research on the topic, which has clearly and repeatedly established that this kind of arrangement is detrimental to mental health and productivity! Any organization that makes a relatively big change, whether it's changing how work is organized, changing platforms or changing physical spaces, should at the very least refer to literature reviews summarizing research on the subject rather than rely on consultants or interior designers, as this organization did, before they make such big and costly decisions.
"Any organization that makes a relatively big change [...] should at the very least refer to literature reviews summarizing research on the subject."
4. Have you had the opportunity to see the impact of your own research within the organizations you’ve worked with, or have you instead noticed the same 'disconnect' you just mentioned?
I have two answers to that. In one case, many years ago, when we met with the upper management team to present the results and recommendations from our study, they essentially said they didn't know what we were talking about and that our findings didn’t reflect the reality. There was denial and later we saw in the media that there were harassment cases in this organization - precisely one of the risks we had tried to warn them about. Unfortunately, researchers can only do so much when the people they interact with have set ideas of how things are and how they should be. On the other hand, another organization that we're working with now has shown a lot of openness. When we gave them a summary of what we had found in the first phase of the study and some recommendations, they said it confirmed an intuition that they had but didn’t have any solid rigorous information about to make decisions. I don't know how far that will go but at least there was a sense that our work was helpful!
5. You collaborate closely with organizations to share and apply your research findings, but knowledge mobilization doesn’t stop there. How do you ensure that your insights reach a wider audience and create impact beyond those immediate partnerships?
I would say that the main contribution I make to the community is through giving conferences and trainings, in private or public organizations or with union representatives, on topics related to mental health at work and Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI). In these trainings I present concrete tools that individuals and managers can use to identify psychosocial risk factors, support mental health self-management and prevent workplace harassment. In these trainings I make sure to stress the importance of workplace-related factors like job characteristics and psychosocial safety climate, because workplace mental health is a shared responsibility between the employers and employees. I also give trainings on EDI, geared at professionals in all kinds of fields that are interested in promoting inclusive workplaces.
6. You've been actively involved in including CEGEP students in your research projects. Could you share more about that experience and what it's been like to supervise and mentor students?
Nowadays most research granting bodies emphasise the importance of training future researchers. Right from the start, we focus on identifying students in our environment who could join the team. Once we secure funding, we either involve those students or seek out others if they are not already part of the group. I've had the chance to employ or supervise 3 students here at St. Lawrence. It's a great time to get initiated to research when you're a CEGEP student because there’s lower pressure and teachers are very mindful that studies come first. We're just happy that students are interested!
In one project where we were implementing a mental-health-at-work, self-management program, I had a student to help conduct qualitative interviews and help with recruitment. In another project, the student helped conduct focus groups with managers, to explore their perspective on their organization’s remote work policy. The student helped with the transcriptions, coding and analyzing of interviews. One particularly avid student even wrote research articles with us and did an excellent job! They also presented a report to a board of directors who were looking forward to implementing some recommendations based on the results of their literature review, which was very rewarding for the student!
Doing research is also a great opportunity for students to present one’s research results in scientific settings, start networking, and to realize that research is not something that's done in an ivory tower. You don't need to be the best student to do research: it's really about working together as a team and being curious! It’s at the very least something to put on their CV that's quite distinctive.
"You don't need to be the best student to do research: it's really about working together as a team and being curious!"
7. How about you? Were you interested in research as a student? How did your research journey begin? What was the pivotal moment or experience that led you into research?
When I decided to study social science, I wanted to be a psychologist but was discouraged because that required obtaining a doctorate, and I didn't want to do research. When I started CEGEP, I was not particularly interested in methodology courses nor was I interested in my research courses during my bachelor’s degree in psychology. I didn’t even want to try for a PhD and decided instead to do a professional master's degree so I could become a human resource manager. In doing so, I accidentally discovered what research was like in fields other than psychology, with a lot more qualitative, participatory research in very different kinds of environments. At some point, I realized that I didn’t want to be a human resource manager, and preferred exploring academia a bit more. At some point I decided I wanted to be a professor, but more to teach than to do research. I even started my PhD with that in mind.
Yet, while I was doing my PhD, I did enjoy being on the field talking to people, going to conferences and, later, being a research assistant and doing qualitative interviews, learning about realities at work, organizational culture, etc. When I started looking at the opportunities for work near the end of my PhD, I realized that teaching at a CEGEP might be a good fit for me, given how much I enjoyed teaching. I got hired quickly at St. Lawrence where I had studied, so that was fun!
I phased out my participation in research and focused on full-time teaching at the college, while also teaching a bit at university. I stayed on the radar of certain professors and a few years later, one of them said he was applying for a research grant and wanted me on the team as a co-researcher given my expertise. That was the first time that someone had said to me they wanted me on their team as a colleague and not as a student or assistant. He really treated me as an equal and I think that's when I started seeing myself as a “real” researcher and got hooked. I enjoyed collaborating with colleagues with different fields of expertise and having great students and professionals work with us. This experience gave me the sense that I could do this too!
I then got hired part-time to coordinate a new research chair and was later asked to be a co-researcher on some research grants, which helped me build confidence. I think that the informal mentorship through these experiences allowed me to see the ins and outs of writing a grant proposal and empowered me to start doing it on my own.
In a nutshell, I would say the pivotal moments were being involved in research as a graduate student, getting recruited twice as a colleague and an equal by university researchers, and just having a genuine interest in workplace dynamics and trying to provide solid research evidence to make better decisions.
8. What are some of the highlights of your career, such as a memorable research breakthrough or achievement?
Like many people, finishing my thesis changed my life seriously and took such a weight off my shoulders! That was wonderful! That and other moments like the first time that I got my very own research grant as principal investigator, that I was asked to sit on a research grant evaluation committee, or that I was asked to review a journal article. That helped me get over the impostor syndrome of women in research. I would say anytime something works out, like an article getting published, is also pretty exciting!
9. Looking ahead now, what emerging trends or developments do you identify in your field, and how they could shape the future of your research? Do you foresee any challenges in the future?
I hate to say it, but the pandemic, with shifting attitudes around work, mental health and remote work gave us a lot to work on. That being said, there is a lot of research being conducted on remote work since 2020, and at some point, perhaps that field will become saturated. Trends in research are a very real thing, so I want to keep contributing to the fields I'm an expert in while also staying abreast of what's new and upcoming.
Even before the pandemic, we were talking about the great resignation and about young workers and their relationship to work, a subject that comes up over and over from one generation to the next. These questions about the role that we want work to play in our lives has become central for a lot of people of different generations, not only young workers but also for parents, and especially fathers who are taking an increasingly active role in domestic and family life. These are things I'm interested in, but also meaningful work and decent work. It’s hard for people to flourish and for their work to be meaningful when the working conditions are difficult and workers have a hard time keeping a roof over their heads; sometimes employers want their workers to be engaged, satisfied, happy and healthy, but all kinds of structural conditions and economic imperatives make it challenging for employers to make this happen.
Broadly speaking, the political landscape has also changed since the pandemic, so some of the topics I'm interested in like EDI have seen some backlash. Some of it might be valid, but how do we not throw the baby out with the bathwater, and how do we navigate this sometimes-polarizing topic in this context? I’ve also noticed that organizations are more willing to invest in certain initiatives when the economy is going well or if there are labour shortages, whether it's investing in mental health at work, or in EDI initiatives. In a world where there are massive layoffs and less competition for talent, other concerns become more essential for organizations – and especially, for their shareholders.
Another challenge is that my research is mostly supported by public funds. Different political parties have different views of what should be funded or not, and this can influence the availability of resources for researchers. On the one hand, continuing to do research that actors on the field find pertinent is useful, but also having other sources of financing, whether it's the organizations themselves or nongovernmental forms of funding, is also essential.
10. In closing, do you have a piece of advice or a word of wisdom for someone who is interested in research?
Figure what you're interested in, what drives you, what you're curious about, but also look at what's already being done or teams that you can be a part of. I've learned so much from working in teams, with all kinds of people from all kinds of fields! Look at the funding opportunities: sometimes there's money on the table that can help you get started. For students in particular, don't hesitate to apply for contracts or internships: you might discover something that you end up being passionate about!
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Education
2016 – Ph.D. in Industrial Relations, Université Laval
2011 – M.A. in Industrial Relations, Université Laval
2007 – B.A. in Psychology (Major) and Philosophy (Minor), University of Alberta
Affiliations
Chaire de recherche Relief en santé mentale, autogestion et travail (CRRSMAT)
VITAM – Centre de recherche en santé durable
Centre d’études et d’interventions en santé mentale (CEISM)
Quebec English-Speaking Communities Research Network (QESCRN)
Research projects
Principal investigator
« Comprendre les conditions d’exercice du travail du personnel professionnel du réseau de l’éducation afin de mieux le valoriser, l’attirer et le fidéliser », Action concertée – Programme de recherche pour la valorisation du personnel scolaire – Fonds de recherche du Québec – Sociétés et cultures (FRQSC). 179 461 $ (2024/04 – 2027/03)
« Étude multiniveau explorant les associations entre les modalités du télétravail et le bien-être individuel et organisationnel en contexte post-pandémique », Subvention Engagement Partenarial – Conseil de Recherches en Sciences Humaines du Canada (CRSH). 24 873 $ (2023/12 – 2024/11)
Co-researcher or collaborator
« Comprendre et promouvoir le bien-être global des travailleur.se.s immigrant.e.s temporaires à travers le temps: Une étude longitudinale mixte », Subvention Savoir (CRSH). 307 907 $ (2024/4 – 2029/3) (S. Coulombe)
« Vers une approche intégrée pour promouvoir l'autogestion de la santé psychologique chez les travailleur.se.s: Première étude d'acceptation et d’efficacité perçue d’un programme d'intervention hybride [PHIISA] dans quatre organisations du secteur tertiaire », Action concertée – Programme de recherche sur la santé psychologique au travail – Fonds de recherche du Québec – Société et cultures (FRQSC). 218 764$ (+ 141 000$ pour dégagement et supplément statutaire pour chercheuse de collège) (2022/4 – 2025/3) (S. Coulombe).
« L’analyse du phénomène de sous-valorisation des emplois à prédominance féminine et la proposition de recommandations visant à assurer une meilleure reconnaissance de la valeur de ces emplois ». Contrat, Secrétariat à la Condition féminine (Québec), 88 030$ (2021/5 – 2022/6).
Key publications
Gauthier, C.-A. (2024) « Not quite a professor: professional identity, self-care and time management as an atypical academic », dans McDonough, S (dir.), Identity, Self-Care and Wellbeing in Higher Education Work: Exploration of Time as a Source for Wellness, Routledge.
Gauthier, C.-A. et Bernard-Pelletier, M.-P. (2024). « Mobilisation et démocratie syndicale à l’ère du numérique : être traditionnellement innovant », dans Conversations autour des relations industrielles : Regards rétrospectifs et prospectives sous la direction de Stephanie Blandine Emilien, Jason Foster, Robert Hickey, Patrice Jalette, Sari Madi, Wassila Merkouche, Jonathan Michaud, Tina Sharifi et Yao Yao.
Gauthier, C.-A., Daneau, E., Villeneuve, M. et Coulombe, S. (2024). « Innovations en développement et mise en oeuvre du télétravail: le cas du CIUSSS de la Capitale Nationale », dans Mohamed, Y. et Choinière, O. (dir.), Au-delà de la pandémie : vers un avenir du travail pluriel, Editions JFD.
Cox, E. A., Burchell, D., Bonnell, K., Gauthier, C.-A., Smilovsky, K., Meunier, S., Luc, S., & Coulombe, S. (2023). The impact of multiple marginalized social statuses: How being a sexual minority, a woman, or living with low income relates to workers' well-being. Canadian Journal of Administrative Sciences / Revue Canadienne des Sciences de l'Administration, 1–17. https://doi.org/10.1002/cjas.1704
Deschênes, C., Belletête, V., Langelier, E., Gauthier, C.-A., Tanguay, D. et Brière, S. (2019). « Les professeures en sciences et génie : râreté, sacrifies et compétition » dans Les femmes dans les professions traditionnellement masculines, sous la direction de Sophie Brière. Québec : Presses de l’Université Laval, 264 pages.
Deschênes, C., Belletête, V., Langelier, E., Gauthier, C.-A., Tanguay, D. et Brière, S. (2019). « Les ingénieures en sciences et en génie : enjeux et défis de l’université au marché du travail » dans Les femmes dans les professions traditionnellement masculines, sous la direction de Sophie Brière. Québec : Presses de l’Université Laval, 264 pages.
Gauthier, C.-A. (2016). Obstacles to socioeconomic integration of highly-skilled immigrant women: Lessons from Quebec interculturalism and implications for diversity management », Equality, Diversity and Inclusion: An International Journal, 35(1), 17-30. https://doi.org/10.1108/EDI-03-2014-0022
Gauthier, C.-A. (2013). Le rôle des réseaux sociaux dans le processus d’intégration professionnelle des femmes immigrantes qualifiées au Québec, Numéro Spécial: Femmes et développement local (dirigé par Jacques L. Boucher), Économie et Solidarités, 42(2), 98-110. https://doi.org/10.7202/1033278ar
Recent scientific communications
Gauthier, C.-A., Côté, F., Proteau, E., et Lessard-Mercier, É., « Recension des stratégies, actions et mesures visant la valorisation, l’attraction et la fidélisation du personnel professionnel scolaire – qu’en est-il des conditions d’exercice du travail? » Colloque CRIMT 2024, 24-26 octobre 2024, Montréal, Canada.
Gauthier, C.-A., Desjardin, M., Luc, S., Villeneuve, M., et Coulomne, S. « The well-being of self-employed people during the COVID-19 pandemic: what are the roles of job insecurity and decisional authority? 17e congrès CIFEPME, Québec, Canada, 22-25 octobre 2024
Gauthier, C.-A., Auger, E., Luc, S., Tammar, Y., Boutin, É., Adisso, L., Gagnon, J., et Coulombe, S. « Flourishing during the Covid-19 Pandemic: Does Meaningful Work Mediate the Associations Between Psychosocial Work Factors and Job Performance and Wellbeing?” 8th IPPA World Congress on Positive Psychology, 20-23 juillet 2023, Vancouver, Canada.
Gauthier, C-A., Villeneuve, M., Coulombe, S., Luc, S., & Desjardin, M. « Thriving, Yet Strained: the Paradox of Canadian Self-Employed People’s Well-Being During the Pandemic », European Academy of Management, Dublin, Irlande, 13 juin 2023.
Gauthier, C.-A. et Bernard Pelletier, M.-P., « Démocratie syndicale, mobilisation et virage numérique: expérimentations institutionnelles ». Congrès annuel de l’Association canadienne des relations industrielles, Université York, Toronto, Canada, 27-29 mai 2023.
Kharchi, Z., Liang, Y., Desaulniers, M.C., Gauthier, C.-A., Sauvé, C. et Coulombe, S. « Santé mentale des étudiant.e.s internationaux.ales : Comment soutenir la prise de pouvoir pour favoriser le bien-être et le succès à l’université ». XIXe Congrès International de l’ARIC et IIe congrès international de l’ÉDI, Québec, Canada. Juin 2023.
Proteau, E., Khau, M., Gagnon, J., Gauthier, C.-A., Coulombe, S. « Amélioration de l’offre de services en santé mentale et le bien-être au travail : création, implantation et évaluation d’un nouveau programme hybride intégré », Colloque interordre de la recherche étudiante en sciences sociales et humaines, UQAM, 25 mai 2023. [Communication affichée].
Conferences, webinars, and other public outreach
« L'analyse de l'activité de travail : un levier pour valoriser les professions en éducation? » Colloque Prévenir, soutenir, faire grandir, Fédération des professionnelles et professionnels de l’éducation – CSQ, St-Hyacinthe, 30 mai 2024,
« La santé mentale des étudiants au post-secondaire : enjeux et pistes de solution », Webinaire, Dialogues VITAM, 8 mai 2024.
« La contribution des capsules vidéo et des courts et moyens métrages au transfert et à la diffusion des connaissances », classe de maître organisée par le Comité étudiant du Centre de recherche interuniversitaire sur la mondialisation et le travail (CRIMT), 14 février 2024.
« Risques psychosociaux et détresse psychologique : savoir les reconnaître pour s’outiller et y faire face », Conférence, Syndicat des travailleuses et travailleurs étudiants et postdoctoraux de l’Université Laval, 19 janvier 2024.
« The Transition of English-Speaking Students from High School to Cegep », Intercollegiate Ped Days 2024, 9 Janvier 2024.
« Les risques psychosociaux au travail », Webinaire, UQAT, 5 décembre 2023.
« L’autogestion de la santé mentale : un incontournable pour le mieux-être au travail! » Congrès RH (Ordre des conseillers en ressources humaines agréés), 3 octobre 2023.
« Prendre connaissance de nos préjugés, nos biais cognitifs et des rapports de pouvoir » présenté dans le cadre d’une réunion d’équipe des personnes conseillères au soutien à la mobilisation et à la vie régionale (SAMVR) Rencontres interculturelles et immigration, Confédération des syndicats nationaux (CSN), Montréal, 22 mars 2023.
In the media
« Le télétravail est-il vraiment là pour rester? » (Entrevue à Radio Canada Québec), C’est encore mieux l’après-midi, 21 avril 2023
Citée dans « Dealing with the Challenges of Remote Teaching : Interview with 3 Teachers, par Susan MacNiel, sur Profweb: https://www.profweb.ca/en/publications/articles/dealing-with-the-challenges-of-remote-teaching-interview-with-3-teachers-part-1
Citée dans « Le télétravail entraîne une épidémie de maux de dos », par Isabelle Porter, dans Le Devoir, 11 janvier 2021 : https://www.ledevoir.com/societe/sante/593000/sante-teletravail-epidemie-de-maux-de-dos?fbclid=IwAR1gKwSbcHyV_oamJj3T-crwgTNlm-5rGXFHSX3_QTbjIQT3tcps_N5ilZY
Most recent awards and distinctions
Mention d’honneur, Association québécoise de pédagogie collégiale, 2024
Distinction Socrate pour l’excellence en enseignement, Département de management, Université Laval, 2024
Nomination, Best Reviewer Award, Entrepreneurship SIG, EURAM Annual Conference, 2023, 2023