In an internal email that was observed by GamesIndustryBiz, it was revealed that Ubisoft’s Chief People Officer Anika Grant will be stepping down from her position and also departing the company at the end of this month. Grant held this position for more than two and half years and was initially brought into it to work on the workplace culture and apparent human resource issues, something that became very apparent in 2020. Ubisoft themselves confirmed this with GamesIndustryBiz and also reiterated that she will no longer be at the company once November is done.
“Anika has been instrumental in leading the transformation of Ubisoft’s human resources and talent management function since she joined the company,” the company said in their statement to the publication. Ubisoft also mentioned that they will appoint a new Chief of People Officer once she departs in what they refer to as a “smooth transition over the coming weeks to prepare the appointment of a new Chief People Officer, whose mission will be to continue driving HR excellence at Ubisoft.”
When Grant joined the company in April 2021, she described Ubisoft’s then situation as a “misconduct crisis” which had been made evident by the numerous allegations of assault and harassment made against senior developers.
According to Ubisoft, Grant has been steering the company “on the right path” to a much more friendly and safer workplace environment. She implemented a new internal reporting system and code of conduct, something that is more or less an integral part of human resources for any job.
Earlier this year, the Solidaires Informatique, which is a French Union Group, backed 40 employees to go on strike. Grant was part of this process and rejected them a four-day work week, something that was becoming more common in the post-COVID-19 Pandemic world.