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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.
Company policy changes!!!!! Sounds like a script idea for the next Star Wars movie.
I don't understand: are they saying that because there are no laws preventing them from subjecting their employees to such unethical working conditions that they haven't felt obligated to treat their employees ethically (until now)? Or are they instead saying that it is unfortunate that such laws are, in fact, in place because now they can no longer be successful "entrepeneurs"?
Or is there a third choice?
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.
94% of Repubs and 21% of Dems voted to renew the Patriot Act
The way I read this, their previous strategy was "dump sixty or seventy hours of work on an employee's desk, tell them to do it, and allow them to exhibit 'entrepreneurialism, innovation, and creativity' in getting it done."
Now that they're implementing overtime, they can't just assume that the employees will work those sixty or seventy hours "if necessary"*. So they'll start structuring their employees' days in such a way that they'll almost never have to pay out overtime, but will require solid work during the 40 hours the employee is on the clock.
I don't think most of their employees will miss the days of yore, when they got to bask in their company's "entrepreneurial culture" for most of their waking hours.
Sheesh. What a load of PHB-speak.
You want the truthiness? You can't handle the truthiness!
"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.
"Challenge Everything"
In order for a group to be eligible for overtime, they must challenge a group of administrators of equal size to a CounterStrike tournament and win.
The difficulty is in winning since the administrators spend all day playing CounterStrike.
If they win, they get paid overtime plus the time they spent grappling with the admins for overtime. Should they lose, the time spent grappling with the admins will be taken off vacation days.
Frink: Nice try floyd, but you were designed for scrubbing, and scrubbing is what you shall do.
Now, who will be able to afford the games?
Slashdot: Failed Car Analogies. Amateur Lawyering. Anecdote Battles.
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.
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.
"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.