We repeat: the pandemic has profoundly changed office life in almost all Quebec companies. Even if it hits a wall these days, the return to the office scheduled for the coming months suggests a change in mentalities in terms of human resources management: more flexibility for the employee, better work-family balance. , greater concern for mental health, etc. Nothing new for GSoft, a software publisher who has been trying for years to shatter the traditional nine-to-five …
GSoft, which develops software for companies aimed at workers and human resources, had a year 2021 on the hats of wheels. This year, the Montreal SME reached the threshold of $ 100 million in annual recurring revenue, fifteen years after its founding. And yet, what the public knows most about GSoft is probably its very informal management of the schedules of its workers. This is a good opportunity to question Simon De Baene, co-founder and CEO of GSoft, on his vision of what the postpandemic workplace will be like.
“Hybrid” work
Ten days before Christmas, most Quebec employers were preparing for a gradual return to the office starting in January. The Omicron variant of COVID-19 has shaken up plans, but the goal of one day returning to a “hybrid” way of working combining remote working days and working days at the office remains firmly in the minds of employers. GSoft adopted this approach well before the pandemic, in 2013. What lessons does the company draw from it?
“We have what you might call a policy of extreme flexibility,” says Simon De Baene. “We’re very proud of the way our offices are designed and plan to keep them, but people are free to work from wherever they want. Companies that want to give their employees more flexibility, but not too much, I find that a bit intriguing. It is not true that a worker is more competent when he is in the same room as his colleagues. There are tasks that are better done elsewhere, such as at home. There are plenty of examples other than us in Canada to illustrate this. The important thing is to have clear rules that allow us to work well together. “
The four-day week
Pilot projects testing the effectiveness of the four-day workweek carried out by some employers around the world suggest that it is possible to give everyone a three-day weekend – provided that equal pay – without losing productivity. The case most often cited is that of the Microsoft company, which adopted this formula in its offices in Japan. The formula makes almost everyone dream, but it may be just that: a dream, fears the CEO of GSoft.
“People who dream of working only four days a week are often the ones with a job that prevents them from doing so. In Japan, working conditions are very different from ours: office workers overwork themselves a lot. And Microsoft is a software company, which suggests working conditions more suited to this kind of formula. Companies can offer good working conditions without it being the four-day week. “
“Unlimited” vacations
Rather than the four-day week, GSoft has instead opted for an “unlimited” vacation package. Employees do not have a formally agreed number of days off that they absolutely must take each year. This does not mean, however, that its employees find themselves more often than their counterparts in other companies on the beaches of equatorial countries, assures Simon De Baene.
“In fact, we don’t have a formal policy on the length of the vacation. We let our employees decide. Typically, people take four to six weeks off a year. Obviously, in the technological sector, working conditions are good. It is moreover by wanting to imitate what Google is doing that we had this idea. But we trust our employees, and it works well for us. “
Quebec aid for techno
Technologies occupy an increasingly large place in the Quebec economy. The Legault government is banking on this sector to increase the value of the average salary and thus catch up with the Ontario average, which he believes would be a sign that Quebec is getting richer over the long term. However, the province is starting to be a victim of its own success, claims more than one entrepreneur, who sees foreign multinationals coming here to hire people he would have liked to have had as employees. According to these entrepreneurs, this is not job creation, since these giants come to poach people who already have work. It may be time to review government assistance to rebalance the industry, notes the Montreal entrepreneur.
“Quebec is not what it was in 2006. Foreign companies come to hire here, but the jobs they create already exist within Quebec companies which do not have the same means to recruit. At the stage where GSoft is, we are doing pretty well, but I would have a lot more difficulty recruiting if I started a business today, rather than fifteen years ago. I think it would be a good time to revisit the way the government is helping the sector. Quebec is today capable of creating the technological giants of tomorrow. It must be possible to help these companies while continuing to encourage foreign investment. “