Activision’s ending of hybrid working for QA staff “leaves our most vulnerable employees behind”, says union

Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 publisher Activision Blizzard plan to end hybrid remote/in-office work for QA staff based in Minneapolis, Austin and El Segundo next year, with employees who are unwilling to fully return to the office offered severance, in what the ABK Workers Alliance are calling the basis for a round of "soft layoffs".

According to an ABK Workers Alliance statement shared on TwiX and with Eurogamer, QA staff in Minneapolis, Austin, and El Segundo were sent notice on 30th November this year that hybrid working would end in January 2024.

The union state that "hundreds of employees" have already approached the publisher's Accommodations team this year seeking permanent work-from-home arrangements "due to disability, financial issues, or other factors". They add that "many of these requests have been outright denied and many more have been offered in-office accommodations that do not adequately meet the needs of employees".

The ABK Workers Alliance statement notes that many union members joined in the middle of the Covid-19 pandemic, "during the height of WFH", and live "a significant distance" from the offices. Following Activision's introduction of hybrid working earlier this year, they've had to shoulder the additional time and cost of a commute.

The union assert that Activision's lack of flexibility about working from home "has resulted in many employees being forced out of the company in a soft layoff", and that mandating a full return to the office will lead to many more such departures, creating more labour for those who remain. They argue that the ending of hybrid work "leaves our most vulnerable employees behind, especially disabled and immunocompromised employees, many [of] who have had their work from home accommodations requests denied with inadequate reasoning, even when they provided medical paperwork."

All in all, the union insist that a "one-size-fits-all mandate harms us all" and "stand firm in our resolve that the decision to WFH or RTO should be made on an individual basis".

Responding to these objections, Activision Blizzard have argued that they've found QA teams function better when they're all under one roof, and that they are trying to accommodate individuals with disabilities and other medical needs.

"After returning to the office in April, we've learned a lot about how our teams can work best," an Activision Blizzard spokesperson told Eurogamer. "In particular, we saw our QA team in Minneapolis, Austin and El Segundo work more effectively and efficiently in person, thanks to improved broadband speeds, seamless team coordination, and better hardware access. As a result, we've made the decision to move from a hybrid work schedule to a full-time, in-office working model for Activision QA in Minneapolis, Austin and El Segundo to foster a best-in-class QA function and best deliver for our players.

"We take our support for employees with disabilities, differing abilities, mental health requirements, and changing medical needs seriously," the Activision statement continues. "We are focused on finding appropriate, reasonable accommodations for team members who experience barriers to performing their essential job functions. We thoroughly manage all requests and work with the individual confidentially to understand their medical needs and offer a variety of individualised solutions."

Some personal comment: while I can see the argument that people often find it easier to do their jobs when they share a physical workplace, depending on the nature of the work, it should never be a blanket requirement for any task that can be done remotely. As the ABK Workers Alliance statement points out, forcing people to return to the office also puts medically vulnerable family members and housemates at risk of indirect infection. I have several disabled relatives, and would likely become a "soft layoff" myself if I weren't able to work from home.

Update 20th December 2023: IGN has seen a copy of the November email mentioned above, which has additional details about Activision Blizzard's offer of severance to QA staff based in Minneapolis, Austin and El Segundo who are not able to shift to fully in-office work. The severance package includes a minimum of 12 weeks pay, the staffer's 2023 bonus, 12 months of healthcare and compensation for unused holiday time. The email adds that there are "no current plans" for similar changes elsewhere at the company.