“Change Starts Today”
Following accounts of sexually hostile work environments in Ubisoft where a number of executives were accused of groping female employees, the company CEO Yves Guillemot has made a statement promising sweeping changes. The perpetrators have been put on leave with an investigation already underway.
In a letter addressed to the employees, Guillemot laid out his plans to make changes to root out toxicity in the company work environment. He says “Specifically, I have decided to revise the composition of the Editorial Department, transform our human resource processes, and improve the accountability of all managers on these subjects.”
The steps he lists include the appointment of a Head of Workplace Culture, employee listening sessions in all locations, the launch of a global employee survey, ongoing investigations into allegations, comprehensive review of policies & procedures, and creating the new position of Head of Diversity and Inclusion.
Guillemot makes a firm stand against these behaviours in his statement, “The situations that some of you have experienced or witnessed are absolutely not acceptable. No one should ever feel harassed or disrespected at work, and the types of inappropriate behavior we have recently learned about cannot and will not be tolerated. To those of you who have spoken up or have supported colleagues, I want to be clear: you are heard, and you are helping drive necessary change within the company.”
Many victims of sexual misconduct, racism, and sexism in large gaming communities have been speaking their experiences and calling out toxic members of the community. Although it is disheartening to see so much pain hidden within our own communities, we’re glad to see these much-needed changes being made.
Source: Ubisoft