The CEO of a Quebec technology company has dressed up as a dragon to make employees understand that taking the excellent working conditions they enjoy for granted is like believing in fairy tales.
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For Sébastien Vachon, founder of Korem, specialist in spatial intelligence, it is time to rebalance the relationship between employees and employers, especially since the conditions of the job market will eventually tighten.
“You have conditions that we consider optimal and, at some point, you have to stop asking for more,” Sébastien Vachon recently told his 100 employees during an annual meeting.
In order to enhance the commitment and respect of his teams towards the organization, the entrepreneur wanted to make it understood that the power to demand everything from an employer is illusory.
“I give you good conditions because I want to make sure that the seat you are sitting on, others want it too, and I want you to protect your seat,” he explained, aware to offer huge advantages over the competition.
Four day week
At the beginning of 2024, he will introduce the four-day week, for 32 hours, without a reduction in salary. In return, he expects his employees to find solutions to improve efficiency. And without asking for a full-time return to the office, he expects more presence.
“Those who have been with us for a long time, I asked them to remember why they stayed. It’s because there were colleagues, because it was fun and there were mentors. Now, how do we do that, everyone at home, camera off? People are so focused on their needs that they forget the good of the organization,” he laments.
All the excuses to stay at home, he has heard them: from dog-sitting to 5 to 7 with the lover, from four o’clock!
“In the end, it’s as if I were telling them that I can’t invest money in training because I promised my girlfriend a trip to Spain! “, he pictures.
Young people need presence
In the midst of the pandemic, the president of Korem has invested $700,000 in his workspaces because he believes in the value of this place.
“We always talk about those who don’t want to come back to the office, but very few of those who need a work environment,” says Mr. Vachon, who also observes that young people want face-to-face internships, with mentors. .
“I felt it was time to position myself in the organization. Those who don’t like it can go elsewhere. I won’t change my position, I want people who are committed,” says the man who also invites us to think about the example we give our children of what work is.