Activision Blizzard employees reportedly have more than just a potential sale to worry about, as they are being told that working full-time from home will no longer be an option and they will have to return to the office, according to a report by VGC.
The move is, unsurprisingly, making employees angry. Two people that claim to be employees of the company have spoken out on social media about the move, and it seems that the majority of workers have no desire to go back to the office full or part-time.
In response to VGC, an Activision Blizzard spokesperson confirmed the move, saying that it has been bringing workers to the office over the past year.
“Activision Blizzard has been returning teams to the office over the past year, and on February 13, we updated our future-of-work plans,” the spokesperson told VGC. “In close partnership with each leadership team, we customized a plan based on what’s best for our business and our teams. We look forward to the increased real-time, in-person collaboration and opportunities this change will foster.”
Employees are being asked to return to the office beginning April 10, according to one Reddit post that shared communication from Activision Blizzard about returning to work for QA positions. Other positions are reportedly expected to return in June, depending on the studio.
“Our working model for Activision SA in El Segundo, Austin, and Minneapolis requires employees to be in the office three days a week and work remotely two days a week. The expectation is for employees to be within a reasonable commute to the office they were hired for. As a result, there are no permanent remote work opportunities within QA,” the post reads.
Those who are against the idea cite COVID-19, losing time by commuting, and struggling to pay for living expenses due to a cost of living increase that hasn’t been adjusted as reasons for not wanting to return to in-person work.
Cost of living increases have been shot down year after year, according to employees, which means those who have to return to the office will now have to fork over extra money for gas, wear and tear maintenance on their vehicles, or fare for public transportation in addition to their preexisting expenses.
It is unclear what Activision Blizzard’s motivation is for returning workers to the office. In terms of production and worker output, employees say that production has increased since working from home. Some employees also feel that three to four months’ notice is not enough time to adjust to being forced to return to the office, but it seems that employees who don’t want to return to the office will be stuck with the choice of commuting or losing their jobs.
