More than two years after Ubisoft was rocked by reports of its toxic work culture, employee advocacy group A Better Ubisoft says that reform progress has been "painfully slow" and many abusers remain in positions of management within the company.
In a blog post last week, Ubisoft chief people officer Anika Grant and vice president for global diversity, inclusion and accessibility Raashi Sikka provided an update on Ubisoft's efforts to reform itself following 2020's scandal. The two reported on several new initiatives, such as a global self-identification program where employees could confidentially and voluntarily share gender, identity, ethnicity, and disability information. They also noted that women now account for 25 percent of all Ubisoft employees (up from 22 percent in 2020) and the new Diversity and Inclusion department to help train HR and leadership in appropriate behavior as well as improve diversity and inclusion in Ubisoft's games.
However, A Better Ubisoft refuted many of the claims made in last week's blog update. In an interview with Assassin's Creed fansite AC Sisterhood, A Better Ubisoft said progress has been "minimal" and that "alleged abusers" remain in power.
"A reporting system for abuse was introduced. Some abusers were fired, some were allowed to quietly step down, and some took early retirement. But others were retained, moved to new roles and different studios," said one employee under a pseudonym to protect themself from retaliation. "Some were even promoted. A handful of HR leaders were replaced and a new D&I department was created, but some individuals directly responsible for dismissing complaints and protecting abusers over many years remain in post today."
The group said they know of at least 9 abusers still working at management levels within Ubisoft, and that reporting tools aren't helpful because they're not anonymous. Managers can see who reports on them, leaving employees open to retaliation.
As for the new Diversity and Inclusion department, A Better Ubisoft sid that it's "incredibly under-staffed and under-funded, and therefore [progress is] painfully slow." The group also said that there's a "clear backlash internally" against the department's initiatives, "with measures and language designed to prevent abusive behavior now being used to silence and shut down all dissent."
Grant responded to the interview (via GamesIndustry.biz) be reiterating Ubisoft's blog post. A Better Ubisoft states the best and only option for greater accountability is unionization.
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