A $115,000 employee meeting with alcohol and DJ at Investissement Québec

A vice-president of Investissement Québec (IQ) created a stir within the state corporation last fall by organizing an employee meeting with alcohol and a DJ that cost more than $115,000.

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Held at the Hilton DoubleTree hotel at Complexe Desjardins in November, the event “aimed to present the priorities and the action plan of the first vice-presidency of the regional network and to share information on transversal and structuring internal initiatives of the company,” explained IQ in a response to a request for access to information from the Newspaper.

Some 335 employees from the organization’s twenty regional offices took part in the event.

It was more precisely the cocktail preceding the dinner, during which alcohol was served, which raised many eyebrows at IQ.

“As the event took place in November, it was decided to make this meeting coincide with an activity to mark the holiday period, in the evening. For the latter, two coupons were offered to each employee at the end of the day, which could be exchanged for alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks,” indicated an IQ spokesperson, Isabelle Fontaine.

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The drink bill came to over $8,700 (before taxes), or $26 per person. Added to this were costs of more than $4,700 for hiring a DJ, said M.^me Fountain.

IQ also paid an undetermined sum to accommodate in Montreal, for “one or two nights”, “employees located in the region, too far away to be able to travel safely in the morning and/or evening”.

“Our systems are not set up to allow us to know how many hotel rooms have been paid for,” the spokesperson admitted.

Fired a few days later

Was there a link between this extraordinary event and the dismissal of the first vice-president of the regional network, Jocelyn Beauchesne, which occurred a few days later?

“We have no comment,” responded Isabelle Fontaine laconically to the Newspaper.

IQ never wanted to give the precise reasons which justified its decision to dismiss the manager, who had worked for the organization since 2017.

“Mr. Beauchesne violated a governance rule of Investissement Québec and, in our capacity as a state-owned company, management considered that he could no longer hold his position. However, he did not derive any benefit for himself, engaged in any inappropriate behavior or harassment towards any individual and there were no consequences for customers. No severance pay was paid,” commented Mr.^me Fountain in November.

Tricky question

Did IQ go too far by offering free alcohol to some of its employees to conclude a meeting on its goals and strategy? Michel Séguin, professor at UQAM and specialist in governance, was cautious.

“Of course, the issue of alcohol is always a delicate issue that must be taken seriously. Why delicate? Simply because we do not expect people to consume, with public budgets, something that is considered a form of leisure,” argued Mr. Séguin.

“If I have to manage the integrity of my organization and I decide to offer a cocktail, I have to ask myself certain questions”, particularly with regard to the potential consequences of such an event on the reputational, he stressed.

Consumption of alcohol during dinner would have been completely unacceptable, the expert ruled.

“Discussions during a happy hour are part of the habits and customs,” he recalled. As long as it is controlled… We must never forget that the employer spends public funds. It must therefore demonstrate that this expense will encourage greater employee engagement. [et] maintaining a good working climate.”

Fewer and fewer alcoholic parties

For several years, a large number of public organizations, including state corporations and municipalities, have stopped offering alcohol to their employees at holiday receptions.

IQ clarified that the vice-presidency of the regional network had only organized one other “similar” event since January 2019.

On the other hand, IQ has organized every year, since 2021, a virtual meeting, called Perspectives, during which senior managers present to the approximately 1,220 employees of the state-owned company “the vision, strategy and action plan” of the latter. The last edition, held in June 2023, cost no less than $157,000.

Remember that during its 2022-2023 fiscal year, IQ recorded a return of -4.8% and a net loss of $224 million – the largest in its history.

Earlier this week, Bicha Ngo took over as head of the organization, succeeding Guy LeBlanc, who had been in the role since 2019.