Activision may go through another round of layoffs soon after announcing that QA staff will need to return to the office full-time.
QA staff located in Minneapolis, Austin, and El Segundo will reportedly be forced to work from the Activision office and can no longer be remote starting January 2024. The email was given out on November 30 but wasn’t revealed until the ABK Worker’s Alliance shared the announcement on December 18.
According to the ABK Workers Alliance, “the job security of many QA employees” was on “shaky ground” due to the announcement of hybrid work earlier this year. Since that previous change, “hundreds of employees” have reached out to Activision to get accommodations due to financial problems, disabilities, and other issues related to the office requirement.
“This has resulted in many employees being forced out of the company in a soft layoff,” ABK Workers Alliance explained. “It is our belief that the removal of hybrid work will result in many, many more employees being forced out of the company and into a desperate situation.”
According to the ABK Workers Alliance, the most vulnerable employees will be impacted by this change to no more remote work. A lot of disabled employees won’t be able to work from the office, and others can’t afford to move closer to the office to accommodate this new work style.
The alliance also noted that employees who choose to stay and work from the office will have their work-life balance impacted. The remaining employees may have to take on extra work to make up for the loss of employees. They also will have to spend more time commuting and being away from their family, ABK Workers Alliance wrote.
Activision will be offering severance to any employees who must leave due to the new office mandate. The company also sent a statement to IGN that said they “support employees with disabilities” and “changing medical needs.”
The statement read: “We are focused on finding appropriate, reasonable accommodations for team members who experience barriers to performing their essential job functions. We thoroughly manage all requests and work with the individual confidentially to understand their medical needs and offer a variety of individualized solutions.”
Why do Activision employees have to work from the office?
In the statement to IGN, Activision also explained why the change is being made. The spokesperson wrote that QA teams will have better hardware and team coordination if they all work from the office together.
Olivia Richman
About Olivia Richman
Olivia has worked in media ever since graduating from college, with her coverage ranging from traditional newspaper reporting to digital coverage of all things gaming, online betting, and nerd culture. She has traveled around the world pursuing that coverage, from the far coasts of the United States to the busy downtown core of Tokyo, Japan. Olivia’s favorite games include Overwatch and Super Smash Smash Bros, and she has been published at Esports Illustrated, Inven Global, EsportsInsider, Upcomer, and elsewhere.
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