July Editorial by Aurore Mayer: Summer—Time for a Midyear Review Before a Well-Deserved Break!

With summer approaching, it’s time to look back on the progress we’ve made since the beginning of the year, before hitting the ground running when school starts again.

And what a journey!

Our goal is clear: to advance gender equality at all levels and in all roles within the Group.

The dedication of our ambassadors, as well as the diversity, quality, and richness of our initiatives throughout the year, are a testament to the energy we devote to this cause and the interest it generates. Our community continues to grow; today, we have more than 800 ambassadors working throughout France.

Our Group’s significant progress in the area of workplace equality encourages us to use our influence and continue to foster a culture of gender parity across all of La Poste’s operations.

The Parity Network is also a space for sharing ideas, where we can take a broader view of issues, embrace creativity, and be bold. Thinking globally to act locally, at the heart of our communities, in the daily lives of postal workers.

We need to preserve this ability to “take a step back.” And to do that, we need to make sure we also give ourselves time to rest and recharge.

In recent years, research has focused on the “rest gap,” the disparity in access to rest that results in 69% of women having less than one hour a day to themselves (OnePoll, 2024) and 70% of them returning from vacation feeling tired (Ifop, 2024). Yet it is undoubtedly more difficult to step back and gain perspective when you lack rest.

So let’s defend our (truly) free time, shed the excess mental load, and preserve our spaces for recharging and stepping back—both during the summer and throughout the year.

Your “Un Une” network offers podcasts, reading recommendations, and inspiring content to help us all step back and take a broader view. Feel free to take them with you on the weekend or to the beach so you can say without feeling guilty, “I can’t right now—I’m fully occupied with taking a step back!”

Wishing everyone a wonderful summer.

Aurore Mayer, Director of the Parity UN UNE Network