Pulsar focuses on well-being at work
December 4, 2021
PIERRE THÉROUX | Journal Le Quotidien
Special collaboration
Well-being at work certainly contributes to keeping and recruiting employees, according to the young company Pulsar Informatique, which has implemented various measures to ensure a better quality of professional life for its twenty employees.
“A happy employee has a good chance of staying,” says Mélissa Lalancette, marketing and HR director of this agency specializing in information technology and computer engineering located in the Jonquière district of Saguenay.
Launched in 2015, Pulsar wanted to be among the companies that do not have to retain their employees, simply because they would not want to leave anyway. The firm aspired to break out of the pack of traditional IT companies, which have a more corporate profile, by becoming a “trippy” agency where everyone wants to work. In these times of labor shortage, this is certainly an inviting proposition.
No 9 to 5
“There are a lot of IT resources that want to work in video game companies, rather than in more traditional firms. So we have to offer them a work environment and conditions that interest them enough to come work for a company like ours,” explains Pulsar’s founder, Pierre-Alexandre Tremblay.
The agency, he adds, relies on pleasantly appointed premises and a work atmosphere similar to that of certain technology startups, which also allow for the combination of telecommuting and office life. Pulsar had already offered its employees, even before the pandemic, the choice of whether or not to come into the office except when necessary or for meetings. They are also free to manage their time according to their tasks and responsibilities.
“We don’t work a 9 to 5 schedule,” says Pierre-Alexandre Tremblay. Last June, Pulsar became one of some 40 Quebec companies to obtain the Sceau Concilivi, a program recommended by the Ministère de la Famille to demonstrate an organization’s commitment to family-work balance.
Winning conditions
At Pulsar, good working conditions also translate into a group RRSP to which the company also contributes. Employees are also entitled to a telemedicine service that gives them access to doctors or nurses to receive certain health care services in virtual mode.
The agency, which has grown from seven to 26 employees since the pandemic began, already implemented a group insurance program last year. These benefits are in addition to “very competitive salaries in the market,” says Pierre-Alexandre Tremblay, adding that the younger generation of workers, of which he is a part, are nonetheless more attracted by a better work-life balance than money. Pulsar probably has the advantage of offering them both.
But the company doesn’t intend to stop there. “We are still young and the advantages will improve with time,” says Mélissa Lalancette. In particular, Pulsar would like to improve its Employee Assistance Program (EAP) and hire a kinesiologist who would offer weekly physical activity sessions on its premises and provide personalized physical health follow-up.
She is also considering creating a loyalty program that would allow employees to redeem points for things like sports memberships, company-paid public transportation, beauty or relaxation treatments, or event tickets. And, who knows, “we could bring our team to a consolidation activity in the south. You have to dream,” says Mélissa Lalancette.
Three questions to Pierre-Alexandre
What do you want to remember about your entrepreneurial journey?
“A prosperous company that continues to grow while offering the maximum to its employees. I would like to show that it is possible to distribute a company’s profits more equitably without creating a significant gap between managers and employees. Then, on a more personal level, a guy who smiles, can get his hands dirty, is always accessible and won’t let anyone down.”
If you were in politics, what issue would get your priority attention – and how to solve it?
“Probably government red tape and the difficulty of optimizing its processes. I think it’s extremely difficult to have the courage to make some much-needed reforms in the current system, especially under pressure from certain influential groups or organizations. Fortunately, there is hope: it took a pandemic to correct some pressing deficiencies in the health care system, but there is still a lot of work to be done. I would address the cumbersome court system and the inexcusable delays that allow some criminals to get out without going ‘GO’, thanks to the Jordan decision for example.”
What would you do if you weren’t afraid of anything?
“A trip to Mars with Elon Musk, but only if there is a possibility of returning to see my family again! I see space exploration as the ultimate technological challenge for the human race and would love to be a part of it in my own way.”
In collaboration with the l’École d’Entrepreneurship de Beauce et le Groupement des chefs d’entreprise
Read the official article here: https://www.lequotidien.com/2021/12/04/
Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)
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