Epic Games Inc. has come under fire from employees for rolling back a measure made to improve employee quality of life. Employees of the company are protesting the frustrating move through internal communication channels.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, many game development studios, publishers and other corporate entities involved in the game industry have made changes to accommodate the increased struggle of living. Among these changes,Epic Gamesimplemented alternating Fridays off of work to allow for better balance in employees' personal lives.
RELATED:No Evidence of Piracy Affecting Video Game Sales, Says Report
Epic Games has announced to employees that they will no longer have the alternating Fridays off workweek adjustment implemented at the beginning ofthe COVID-19 pandemic. Reporter Jason Schreier’s summary of the situation mentions internal company communication being flooded with employees asking for the decision to be reconsidered, as well as detailing how the days off improved employee morale and productivity. Surveys of employees find decreased stress from the company-mandated Fridays off as opposed to having to schedule their own vacation days. The message is clear that employees at the company would much rather turn the temporary measure into a permanent change.
Epic made clear the policy was intended to be temporary from the start, but after so long with the extra vacation days implemented the backlash is unsurprising. Given the large number of employees reporting increased productivity and improved quality of life, Epic’s cancellation of the policy is guaranteed to turn heads. The situation at Epic is made even worse when contrasted withother studios successfully implementing four-day workweeks, giving even more time off than Epic’s alternating Fridays off.
Game industry news has heavily focused on the rise ofcrunch culture in recent years, for good reason. However, there is room to be made in the discussion for additional vacation days even during non-crunch periods. Employee health is crucial to developing worthwhile games and products, and the contrast between large companies like Epic Games and other, smaller companies in the industry shows a notable disparity between studio focuses. Smaller studios less reliant on massive, unsustainable financial growth tend to have a more empathetic focus on workers.
With iOS players still unable to accessFortnitedue toEpic Games' recent legal troubles with Applecombined with the decision to increase the workweek back to its previous state, the bad publicity could be assumed to have negative consequences for the company. However, Epic Games has a major foothold in the industry, operating its own digital distribution service and owning several development studios. Even with the unusual amount of negative activity surrounding the company, its control will most likely persist.
