Activision Blizzard workers are speaking out, claiming that they are being forced to return to the office with little warning. This comes as the company apparently ends its remote working scheme, despite some devs moving further away from the office on the assumption that they could continue working from home.
This also comes as the cost of living crisis leaves many concerned that they can't afford the commute, and will have to pay for more expensive housing closer to the office. Of course, some are also worried that this will put them at a greater risk of contracting Covid-19, particularly if they specifically sought a remote working position because they're clinically vulnerable.
A section of an email said to be sent by Activision Blizzard bosses was shared on Reddit (thanks, VGC). This shows workers being told that they will be required to work in the office from April 10, giving them less than two months of preparation after almost three years of remote working.
The Reddit user who initially shared this email, DrHilarious_PHD, says that bosses are "denying" requests from disabled workers to continue working from home, since they could be more vulnerable to Covid, or simply struggle to make it into the office and move on such short notice. They also say that workers have started protesting and walking out over this development, so we could see a renewed interest in unionisation at Activision Blizzard.
"Unfortunately, the executive branch of Activision-Blizzard-King doesn't understand how we function in QA, nor do I think it matters to them," says DrHilarious_PHD. They also say that this date of April 10 is "non-negotiable".
This was backed up on Twitter by user @LeastMyHairIsOk, who wrote a thread detailing the situation. They say that the "majority of employees at ABK have no interest in returning to office," yet they seemingly have no say in the matter.
Others are replying to this thread, agreeing that this will have disastrous consequences for employees. One even says that their commute could take 14 hours, having assumed their remote work would remain remote.
Activision Blizzard has not responded to these reports at the time of writing.
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