And ActivisionBlizzard The spokesperson confirmed that the publisher would force employees back into the office, ending remote work within the next four months. Activision and Blizzard employees will soon be required to work in the office three days a week to “increase in-person collaboration and teamwork.” However, one outspoken employee called this RTO (return to office) policy an “ultimatum” that will cause many employees to quit.
Activision Blizzard Says RTO Policy Is “Best for Business”
In a statement to Game Developer, Activision Blizzard will ask Activision employees to return to the office on April 10 and Blizzard employees on July 10. The publisher’s King Digital Entertainment division has already returned to the five-day office week. The spokesperson adds that this policy was created “based on what is best for the company and for the team”.
However, a Blizzard employee called LeastMyHairIsOk the Blood who reported the news on February 13 believes that this policy will lead to “a great reduction in validity” if it occurs. They say “most ABK employees have no interest in returning to the office, either full-time or part-time.”
Besides COVID concerns, it’s because falling gas and travel insurance costs, along with rising inflation across the board, have made working remotely all the more attractive. . They claim that “for more than a decade, low-income departments have pleaded with leaders to include annual CoL (cost of living) adjustments” to prevent employees from leaving, but this has been denied.
Another Reddit user named DrHilarious_PHD, who claims to work at Activision in QA, apparently posted an internal HR email. The user also claims that the company has removed work from home options and denies this even for people with disabilities. This apparently caused “a strike by many employees today”.
A recent report indicates that Bobby Kotick will remain the CEO of Activision Blizzard even if the Microsoft merger is stalled. In early February, Activision Blizzard was fined $35 million for failing to follow workplace misconduct procedures.