Following a slew of abuse and harassment allegations, several high-level employee’s are leaving Ubisoft, including chief creative officer Serge Hascoët, global head of HR Cécile Cornet, and Yannis Mallat, managing director of Ubisoft’s Canadian studios. The company announced the personnel changes in a statement saying, “These departures come following the initiation of a rigorous review that the Company initiated in response to recent allegations and accusations of misconduct and inappropriate behavior… These changes are part of a comprehensive set of initiatives announced to employees on July 2, 2020…” It has now been revealed that an integral part to these initiatives is the promise of bonus to any employee who is able to facilitate an inclusive and positive work environment.
In a Q1 sales call, Ubisoft CEO, Yves Guillemot, communicated his commitment to improving the companies culture, saying “Each time we have been made aware of misconduct, we made tough decisions and we made sure that those decisions had a clear and positive impact… some individuals betrayed the trust I put in them. I have never compromised on my core values and ethics, and I never will.” Repeated reports against top executives were often felt unheard or unvalued, but Guillemot has vowed to take drastic measures to improve workplace conditions.
One of these measures included the replacement of Hascoët, who Jason Schreier, reporter for Bloomberg News, highlights as a former power player in the company. On a more macro level, Ubisoft is putting its money where its mouth is and paying out bonuses to those they feel are conducive to a better work environment for everyone. Hopefully, these initiatives have the desired effect and improve the experience of Ubisoft employees.