David Michaud-Cromp, a team lead and level designer at Ubisoft Montreal, has been fired only days after being initially suspended for speaking out about the company's new return-to-office mandate.
Last week Michaud-Cromp posted the following on Linkedin, while also adding a link to a video which (rightly) says that bosses forcing workers to return to the office is rarely about team cohesion and productivity, and is mostly about control and a need to make use of expensive office space:
So... Ubisoft wanna bring back 5 days in the office... because they "believe in collaboration"... but c'mon, we're not completely stupid... we very well know why you want to go back to 5 days in the office...
Shortly afterwards, he posted (again on Linkedin) that the company had decided to suspend him for what he says was "an alleged breach of the duty of loyalty".
Professional update: Ubisoft informed me today of a three-day unpaid disciplinary suspension, effective Tomorrow. The measure was presented to me as being related to public comments I expressed regarding the company’s return-to-office policy, and based on an alleged breach of the duty of loyalty. I am sharing this information for transparency purposes. I take note of the decision and will make no further comment at this time.
Earlier today that suspension was changed to a termination:
Today, I was terminated by Ubisoft, effective immediately.
This was not my decision. I won’t be discussing internal details or circumstances.
I’m taking time to regroup and will share next steps when appropriate.
Even suspending Michaud-Cromp was an extreme step for simply sharing his thoughts about a ridiculous mandate. To terminate his employment over it and have it go public, with everything else that's going on right now, is a clear sign that however much trouble you think Ubisoft is in because of its leadership, things are probably even worse.
Nathan Grayson
UPDATE 7:15pm ET: Ubisoft issued a statement to Kotaku which reads:
Sharing feedback or opinions respectfully does not lead to a dismissal. We have a clear Code of Conduct that outlines our shared expectations for working together safely and respectfully, which employees review and sign each year. When that is breached, our established procedures apply, including an escalation of measures depending on the nature, severity, and repetition of the breach.
