Summary
Electronic Artsis moving away from its remote working policies and will push for a full return to offices, which will be gradually applied over the next 3 to 24 months, depending on where workers are located. Reportedly, the end of the remote work policies has upsetElectronic Artsemployees, as many had rearranged their lives in ways that will now be disrupted by the full return to offices.
During the tumultuous times of COVID-19, many changes and rearrangements had to be made in order to keep certain types of industries running. While many businesses had to completely cease their activities for a given period of time, thevideo game industry moved to a fully remote work model, allowing workers to operate from their homes. This change led many people to move to more affordable cities and restructure their lives around the new policies, embracing an approach that, after a while, seemed like it would become the norm going forward. However, once the world overcame the COVID-19 crisis, many industries began pushing for a full return to offices, and now EA has joined this industry-wide shift.
Asreported by IGN, CEO Andrew Wilson informed EA employees that the studio will gradually eliminate the option for employees to work remotely, with this change taking anywhere from 3 to 24 months to be fully implemented—a change that otherstudios like Activision Blizzard have already incorporated. According to the email sent by the CEO to employees, this shift aims to improve “creativity, innovation, and connection,” to enable the delivery of more “incredible experiences for our players.” Employees will start by switching to a hybrid role, having to attend at least 3 days per week, while off-site local roles will eventually be eliminated.
EA Plans Full Return to Offices Over 3–24 Months
EA Entertainment president Laura Miele sent another email later, providing further details on how this will be handled. According to her, the changes won’t be applied right away, meaning employees will continue working ondifferent EA video gamesunder the same remote model until further notice. She explained that “work model transitions will come with a minimum 12-week notice period before any changes are implemented.” Employees who live within 30 miles of an EA office will work in a hybrid environment, while those who are farther away will continue to work remotely—unless their role requires being on-site or hybrid.
This news has reportedly felt like a slap in the face for employees, especially coming amidEA’s recent layoffs announcement. Workers find this shift upsetting, especially those who need to travel long distances to get to the office, adding to other personal or family arrangements that will now be disrupted by the new policies; while others are afraid of losing their jobs if they cannot move closer to their place of work. It remains to be seen how employees and major companies will navigate this industry-wide return to office.
