EA To Pay Overtime Wages

Months after EA: The Human Story was released to the web, Gamasutra.com has word that EA will begin paying out overtime to some of its employees. Which is not to say they don't give it any spin. From the article: "The employment environment at EA was built to allow you flexibility as professionals, with the expectation that time on the job could be managed without watching the clock. Unfortunately, labor laws have not kept pace with this spirit of entrepreneurialism, innovation and creativity." Additionally, taking overtime makes you ineligible for bonuses and this largely has nothing to do with the coders and artists who have filed suit against the company.

Comments

Oh Cool!

[Neil Blender]

Company policy changes!!!!! Sounds like a script idea for the next Star Wars movie.

Can I work a 5 hour day?

[EnronHaliburton2004]

The employment environment at EA was built to allow you flexibility as professionals, with the expectation that time on the job could be managed without watching the clock.

Yeah right. I've heard this line before-- and it's almost always used as a justification for long work days.

Nobody in management will raise an eyebrow I work for 14 hours a day, lose my morale and leave the company, but if I come in at 11:00 & leave at 4:00, you bet they'll complain-- even if I am getting the work done.

Re:Can I work a 5 hour day?

[EnronHaliburton2004]

You're missing the point. This flexibility is supposed to go both ways.

However, since the employeers are usually in the position of power, they usually only allow the flexibility to go one way-- longer days. Companies have been taking advantage of the piss-poor job market over the last few years to force this

There aren't many options here: Demand less work/more help or quit.

Luckily I haven't been forced into this position for quite a while--- I'm up front during the interview process. I work smart and hard, go home and have a life, and then I come back next day happy. Happy workers means better quality.

It's pretty standard to work an 8 hour day,

It's pretty standard to work a 10 hour day at many companies. My friends at EA work longer-- no social life, hard work, lack of sleep-- it's burnout central. Personally, I couldn't take that sort of job. In my opinion, even 8 hours borders on being too much.

Re:Can I work a 5 hour day?

[Tsunayoshi]

Of course, in one of the eye-witness employee complaints I read on the internet, one employee was doing everything on his assigned task list each day and leaving when he completed them. His managers kept dropping hints like "you should be helping out your fellow employees" or "you should stick around in case someone else finds a problem with your code" and other types of BS. How can you "professionally manage" your own hours if you are blacklisted as a non-team player for getting your shit done in a reasonable amount of time and leaving when you are done?

No overtime for you!

[johnfink]

"The newly overtime-eligible employees will have very structured work days and structured work hours." Translation: Sure, we'll pay you overtime. But we won't let you work overtime. And you still better have that code on my desk by 9am.

Paying for the Overtime?

[jazman_777]

Now, who will be able to afford the games?

Re:Return of the the timeclock?

[papadiablo]

So are EA employees going to have to clock in and out every day, and during their lunch hours?

Assuming EA makes them Salaried Non-Exempt employees, sort of. They will be required to keep track of their time (not necessarily punching a clock but this really depends on how EA wants them to keep track of it). Any time over 8 hours a day is overtime. Any time over 40 hours a week is overtime. I am salaried non-exempt and I enter my time anytime during the week in SAP.

United Game Workers

[Torgo's Pizza]

EA sure is being a dick about this. Personally, I'd take overtime because that would pay you more than any bonus ever would. That is, *if* you get a bonus. Chances are that your game could tank and there wouldn't be anything.

If this is all EA is going to give their workers, the employees should seriously unionize and get some *real* concessions from management. EA could not and would not survive a strike. The employees have the power if they'd only take advantage of it.

Translation

[UES]

"entrepreneurialism"

usually means risking your own capital so you can keep the profits. If I work for salary on Madden 2005 or the Sims 2, how am I an entrepreneur? I don't own the license, copyright, title, or any other element. I didn't put up any money or find funding. It was all work for hire for EA, which keeps all the profits.

"innovation"

usually means creating a new way to solve a problem. If I am told by my manager what kind of content to create and what language to use to do it, how am I innovating? If I am working on a sequel game, what is being innovated? How many successful in-house created games has EA released that are NOT already created franchises from industry leaders (like Will Wright) or sports games?

"creativity"

usually means doing something novel or unexpected. American Football has been around for a long time, a football simulator is not that creative. If my manager tells me what kind of game to work on, what am I creating?

EA runs a shirt factory but likes to pretend that it runs a couture house. Nice try.

Progress...

[Anonymous Coward]

"The employment environment at EA was built to allow you flexibility as professionals, with the expectation that time on the job could be managed without watching the clock. Unfortunately, labor laws have not kept pace with this spirit of entrepreneurialism, innovation and creativity."

I noticed this line was in the leaked memo too. Really its barely a coherent statement. Theres no structure or meaning to be found directly only inferred. What perfect PR spin.

Now knowing what I know about the situation I guess their saying that by limiting what they can require of their employees they are stifling their ability to make money and be creative. That in its self is a paradox in the ways it makes a company that produces recreational products look like a souless money grubbing company that values its quarterly profit before its customers.

What I found even worse in that statement was saying that laws have not kept up with that way of thinking. How laughable because in fact it is EA that has not kept up with the laws governing labor. This is a perfect example of the way business was back in the days before unions flourished. Days when people like EA_spouse would have something bad (usually by company thugs) happen to them just for bringing attention to this situation. I dont really believe in unions but I know they brought better treatment when they were first started.

To accept these statements we would be going backwards not forwards. Does the technology sector really need to suffer to learn what manufacturer's, miners, and laborers already know? Whats the next step forward paying employee's in scrip?