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

What does that mean?

[kenthorvath]

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 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?

Re:What does that mean?

[superpulpsicle]

They figured 2005 is the year they need to start being alittle nicer at least to their own employees. They made an insane amount of enemies last year.

- their own hardworking employees

- people who like Take-Two Sega sports games

- people who don't like monopolies

- game reviewers

- slashdot crowd

- GT4 fans who are pissed ferraris and porshe signed with EA.

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?

Fascinating

[An Onerous Coward]

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.