Once again, we’ve had a year rich in emotions and new developments! The long-awaited “return to normal” everyone expected in 2021 has quickly given way to a new reality that has transformed the way we work.
Speaking of transformation, Uzinakod has also evolved a lot over the past months, all while remaining true to ourselves. Our communications have not lost any of their fluidity… quite the contrary!
To wrap up the year beautifully, here’s a quick look back at 2021.
Continued Growth and a Change in Structure
Since last January, 23 new people have joined us. To put this number in context, it amounts to 46% of our workforce excluding the co-founders!
Historical reminder (that all employees have probably heard dozens of times): Uzinakod had only three members in January 2018, just four years ago! With all of these fine folks now among us, various challenges have emerged, and we’ve been thrilled to meet them!
First, a restructuring became necessary to continue operations. This is how we came to appoint:
- Benoit Provost, Director of Software Development
- Joanna Couturier, Project Office Manager
- Audrey Bassien-Capsa, Analysis Manager
- Cédric Melançon, Director of Industry 4.0 and IoT
- Sébastien Richer, Architect
- Érika Laplante, Director of Human Resources and Marketing
To quote Sébastien Daupleix, one of the co-founders, “Like a hermit crab, we simply took on a bigger shell, better suited to our new needs without changing the essence of who we are.”
New committees and processes were implemented to ensure the smooth running of projects and the well-being of employees.
Another issue was (and continues to be) the strengthening of the company’s culture. In a context of strong growth and mostly remote work, not to mention the shortage of resources, this is a major challenge that Uzinakod faces each day.
A great ally during the telecommuting period was Microsoft Teams. Yes, it may seem trivial, but it is through this software that we have developed what we like to call our GIF culture! It’s quite surprising to see how quickly the master of the GIF can be dethroned.
The virtual cafes (introduced in March 2020) along with our town halls, the gradual reopening of the office (on a voluntary basis), the delivery of gift boxes and the creation of the very first social committee have also greatly contributed to the feeling of belonging at Uzinakod.
But that’s not all. A “positive development” turned out to be a game changer this summer…
A New Home in St-Donat
Sébastien Daupleix created one of the biggest teasers in Uzinakod’s history in a town hall where he mentioned this now-famous “positive news” to be revealed soon.
The wait was worth it! We learned that Uzinakod had just acquired a cottage (named La Kaban) in St-Donat-de-Montcalm. This cottage is available to employees and their families, whether for work or for a simple out-of-town getaway.
We’ve shared a few photos on our Instagram account. An article dedicated to this fabulous “office” will be published on our blog in the near future.
Finished, Ongoing and Upcoming Projects
Last March, we were thrilled to complete a project in collaboration with the Fonds d’Assurance Responsabilité Professionnelle de l’Ordre des pharmaciens du Québec. We proposed a Cloud application to improve the processing of their incident files.
Then, in May, Gardium Securité launched their brand-new Pre-Employment platform. This collaboration, which has been in development for more than two years and counting, has led to the creation of a web application for managing criminal background checks.
In November, we finished a large-scale project: the long-awaited web application for managing the members of the Fraternité des policiers et policières de Montréal (FPPM). This is a great source of pride for our two teams. Modernizing their platform will allow them to offer a quality service to union members and retirees for years to come. Plus, good news: the FPPM has renewed its confidence by mandating us for a second phase of the project! 🎉
Without a doubt, one of the biggest projects of the year was implementing the proof of vaccination and public client portal for the Government of Quebec, in association with Akinox. With large volumes of data and queries along with particularly tight deadlines, all in the context of an international health crisis, this project is one of Uzinakod’s greatest triumphs.
2021 was also the year we focused on Industry 4.0 projects, landing our first IoT deals in addition to continuing development of custom solutions for all types of organizations, including unions.
To learn more about our past and current projects, we invite you to visit our Case Studies page.
New Image and Social Media Presence
In the spring of 2021, we created a new graphic design with custom fonts and bright colors. We went a step further than shades of blue. 😉
You may have noticed it quietly and subtly settling into our various visuals throughout the year. However, it was in most noticeable in October, with the launch of our brand-new website (which you are currently visiting, if you’re reading this)!
We have a new blog and case studies sections, an overview of the industries we work with, lots of pictures of our employees in action… we gave ourselves a nice makeover, and we hope you like it!
One of our goals in 2021 was to increase our presence on social networks. With testimonials, benefits of joining Uzinakod, blog posts in which we share our expertise with you, and a lot more varied content published on our Facebook and LinkedIn accounts, we can say that it is a mission accomplished.
The launch of an Instagram account in October topped it all off, giving us a more suitable forum to show you what’s going on #BehindTheCode.
To Sum Up
2021 could very well be the year that takes Uzinakod to the next level in its young history.
We hope you will be a part of our lives in 2022. What can you do to get there? Contact us to tell us about your plans or join the team and work with us!
