This Summer marked a distinct turning point regarding internal practices at Ubisoft and the community’s perception of the company all together. After numerous reports surfaced regarding abuse, misconduct, and power corruption leading to several high-profile execs being fired, the investigations into the underbelly of this studio’s culture continue. Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot is leading the charge for the investigations and has published publicly the results of a recent employee survey. The results? Over 25 percent of employees witnessed or experienced firsthand workplace misconduct.
The referenced survey was conducted by a third-party research company and revealed more about the work culture seen over the past several years. The survey was anonymous and encapsulated over 14,000 working employees. At 25%, one in four workers reported that they have either experienced workplace misconduct or witnessed it happening over the past two years alone. Taking those results even further, one in five reported that they did not feel “fully respected or safe in the work environment.”
The survey also notes that many of the people that were vocal about their experience, a disproportionate amount reporting misconduct were either non-binary workers or women. While the numbers were disproportionate, men were also very vocal about what they too experienced and witnessed while with the company.
The survey in question was put forth not long after the burst of reports went public earlier this year, resulting in executives and key members of HR being removed from Ubisoft. Most notable among the fires were Ashraf Ismail, Tommy Francois, and Maxime Beland. The full results, which were given to The Verge, state that the manners of misconduct included in the findings encompass sexual harassment, racism, sexism, abuse of power, and generalized misconduct.
The latest high level employee to exit the company was Beyond Good and Evil’s Michel Ancel and reports have circulated that his departure was in direct correlation with the investigation’s results, a report that he has vehemently denied.
The investigation is ongoing and more steps are being taken to correct the massive failings of Ubisoft through the years. There are many incredible people working under the Ubisoft name, people that deserve to feel respected and safe; but also proud of the team they are a part of.
[Source: The Verge]
