Ubisoft Faces Backlash After Employee Fired Over RTO Criticism
Game developer Ubisoft has dismissed an employee following public criticism of its mandatory office attendance, or Return to Office (RTO), policy. The company, however, maintains that no one is terminated merely for expressing an opinion. The report was first published by Engadget.
The dismissed employee, David Michot-Cromp, was a Level Design Team Lead at Ubisoft Montreal. Last week, he stated that he had been placed on an unpaid suspension for three days after opposing the RTO policy.
On Monday, in a post shared on LinkedIn, Michot-Cromp said his employment had been terminated with immediate effect, adding that the decision was not his own.
Responding to the issue, a Ubisoft spokesperson told Kotaku that respectfully expressing opinions is never grounds for dismissal. However, the spokesperson added that disciplinary action may be taken if the company’s code of conduct is violated, depending on the nature, severity, and repetition of the incident.
In recent months, Ubisoft has faced repeated criticism over its labour-related decisions. The company drew backlash for shutting down its Halifax studio after employees there formed a union, carrying out successive rounds of layoffs in the name of cost-cutting, and facing union calls for strikes over deteriorating working conditions. Together, these developments have raised growing questions about Ubisoft’s labour practices.
DBTech/BMT/OR
