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

rockpapershotgun.com:

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