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Ubisoft Lays Out Anti-Harassment Plan (bloomberg.com) 36

Ubisoft Chief Executive Officer Yves Guillemot said in a statement moments ago that the company faces "a very serious challenge following the recent allegations and accusations of misconduct and inappropriate behavior within our Group. I am determined to make profound changes in order to improve and strengthen our corporate culture." From a report: The company said that a confidential third-party "listening and alert" platform has been put in place for employees to anonymously report inappropriate behavior and that some of team leaders' bonuses will be linked to "their ability to create a positive and inclusive workplace environment." Ubisoft will appoint a head of workplace culture and head of diversity and inclusion who will report to the CEO and the company will start a harassment awareness campaign. Guillemot said he plans to "personally oversee a complete overhaul" of Ubisoft's creative editorial team, in an internal message to employees that was reviewed by Bloomberg News.
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Ubisoft Lays Out Anti-Harassment Plan

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  • Still a lot of offenders that kept their jobs. Are they going to change? NOPE.
    • by jellomizer ( 103300 ) on Wednesday July 22, 2020 @01:13PM (#60319719)

      A proper HR response isn't to fire the offenders straight off. But first to see if they can change their behavior.

      Oddly enough a lot of the Harassers are not actually mean people. But are reflective of the work culture which they are in. Their Boss yells at them, so they yell at their employees. Often when things go down the food chain, each person amplifies the rage. Sometimes letting them know that they are going too far is a freeing experience for them. Because they know they are not expected to be so direct.

      Secondly a single claim may not be a good enough case for a dismissal. A pattern of claims would. But sometimes someone would be having a bad day, or just worded something wrong.

      Justice isn't about revenging the victim, but to find a just measured response to the problem at hand.

  • A culture of censorship and fear sounds wonderful!
    • Re: (Score:2, Insightful)

      by Anonymous Coward

      That's what it already is for the people being harassed and abused.

    • So you think a culture where the person who has a title slightly higher than you has the rights to make your daily job miserable. Because you want to reserve the "freedom" to do this to the person below you?

      Here is the thing. If you don't harass other people they are probably not going to report you for harassment. So you shouldn't be so fearful of a management plan to report harassment.

      Harassing and yelling at adult professionals doesn't help anything. The person you are yelling at is only going to reali

      • > So you think a culture where the person who has a title slightly higher than you has the rights to make your daily job miserable.

        Nice straw-man (straw-person?).

        > If you don't harass other people they are probably not going to report you for harassment.

        Yeah, this system isn't open to gaming at all. Someone who gets a promotion instead of someone else won't ever get reported for some made up excuse.

        > Harassing and yelling at adult professionals doesn't help anything.

        Harassment is subjective and rep
        • by zabbey ( 985424 )

          I'd just leave for a new job rather than deal with HR.

          But, like, it's my right to work wherever I want!

  • by Anonymous Coward
    I manage other people. If my bonus is tied to "to create a positive and inclusive workplace environment" then I will be forced to create a negative environment where people are afraid of being seen as not positive and inclusive. Basically, good-faith effort in this area is impossible - people create drama and bullshit all the time, actually doing my job goes against "positive and inclusive" I have to criticize work and hold people accountable and simple suggestions would not do that - project deadlines and
    • by Cederic ( 9623 )

      If my bonus is tied to "to create a positive and inclusive workplace environment" then I will be forced to create a negative environment where people are afraid of being seen as not positive and inclusive.

      Maybe you shouldn't be managing people then.

      I have to criticize work and hold people accountable and simple suggestions would not do that - project deadlines and sales targets need to have teeth or nobody would respect them. Anyone with any kind diversity/minority claim would have a very easy time manufacturing this normal and expected oversight into claims of discrimination.

      Why wouldn't you use defined HR processes to assure that you're safe from false accusations of that matter? Why haven't you negotiated the measurement of 'positive and inclusive' to allow for setting and tracking ambitious targets.

      In practical terms this means I will have to bring a diversity consultant and then publicly fire some white dude on pretext of doing something about racism.

      In practical terms it means nothing of the sort. I recant my suggestion that maybe you shouldn't be managing people. There's no room for that 'maybe' at all.

      Then I will keep writing bullshit mass-mailers without meaning any of it to remind everyone that what happened to Bob or Sam can easily happen to them.

      That doesn't sound positive at all. Perhaps you should seek some management trai

  • " Ubisoft will appoint a head of workplace culture and head of diversity and inclusion..."

    Uh-huh, sounds like a pretty easy job. Where do I apply?

  • by Murdoch5 ( 1563847 ) on Wednesday July 22, 2020 @01:09PM (#60319699) Homepage

    Ubisoft will appoint a head of workplace culture and head of diversity and inclusion.

    The company I work has someone in this role, although I'm sure of her exact title, who holds weekly and monthly classes that boil down to: "If you have a white a penis, you're the worst scum of humanity.". Two years ago I was forced to take this woman's class and the first 10 minutes was just a needless attack on anyone who didn't agree with her feminist views, she felt the need to tell everyone in the room that she was a proud feminist, seemingly for no reason. The next 10 minutes was a forced attack at me, for being a male engineer, and the only male in the room. This resulted from her finding out I made more then a female coworker, who did a different job, which resulted in that coworker politely correcting the host. That lead into a 20 minute rant about how sexist men were and how brainwashed women who weren't proud feminists were, and why men were basically the worst aspect of humanity, especially when our penis was white. She ended the class by trying to force me to apologize to every woman in the room, and to every culture in the room, including some that weren't, for being racist, sexist and being the cause of all problems the world had ever experienced.

    I reported this woman to HR, who found had she had not violated any policies or acted inappropriately. HR said my lack of understanding which resulted in the reporting of her was just a lack of education, and I was take her class every week for the next year. I reported the next Friday at 10am to the class, and it was just a rehash of the same baseless / empty / misandrany bullshit. The week after I brought my notebook and worked through the entire class, refusing to pay attention of contribute until she was fired, I was relieved from going or both. I attended the next month of classes, which weren't any different, before HR tried to fire me, and my boss stepped in and blocked the firing, resulting in him splintering the company, and I now work for a small division doing the same job!

    Welcome to what's about to happen (likely) at Ubisoft.

    • > She ended the class by trying to force me to apologize to every woman in the room,

      WOW. The first sign of a Stupid Juvenile Whiner is one who blames everyone else.

      It seems like HR has become Human Retards -- completely unable to comprehend that wasting your time with bullshit classes, playing the victim card, blaming everyone else, and spouting useless ideology isn't actually fixing or changing the underlying problems.

      The fact that they the HR department isn't called Human Assets is a sign that they vi

    • Welcome to what's about to happen (likely) at Ubisoft.

      You think we could get that friend of yours a job at EA? By all accounts its a miserable place to work for, but I believe that this particular sort of class and the lecturing ability of your friend here would lead everyone at EA to a considerably better position in life if everything you say is true.

      • She's not my friend, but that's hilarious and I'll gladly try to get her sent somewhere else :). - It's been a while since I've had to deal with her.
    • by AmiMoJo ( 196126 )

      If you had been fired you could have made a packet in a constructive dismissal suit.

    • by Cederic ( 9623 )

      Meeting two: Record what she says. File a grievance quoting her exact words, and referencing the corporate policies she's breaching, and citing the actual laws she's breaking.

      (Me, I'd be doing that in meeting one).

      • I left a lot out of my post, I had recorded most of the second meeting and transcribed it.

        HR didn't care, they claimed the fault was on me for not understanding and not being educated enough in her points, which was f'ing ridiculous. HR also claimed that because I'm a caucassian male, I don't qualify for special workplace protections, such as discrimination against race or gender, due to the fact I had special privilege, seriously!. It got the point where my female worker followed up on my behalf to HR,
        • by Cederic ( 9623 )

          The annoying reality is that if I had lost my job the chances of being able to fight under human rights was void and null, because no court is going to accept that discrimination happened against a caucassian male

          Not sure on your jurisdiction but you may be pleasantly surprised.
          e.g. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-... [bbc.co.uk]

          Of course, it shouldn't need to be a surprise, but I understand why you wouldn't expect support.

          • Ontario Canada, and the well I could have a legal case, the implications of making it would be media suicide. Luckily I didn't get fired, and I like my job so I'm not going quit anytime soon.
  • and that some of team leaders' bonuses will be linked to "their ability to create a positive and inclusive workplace environment."

    This immediately turns into "Don't report issues you suffer or I will make your life a living hell". Never tie bonuses to things like this, it just immediately results in under-reporting due to threats from someone who can pull out a ton of reasons to sack you.

  • What about those people's feelings?
  • The Fine Print: The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. We are not responsible for them in any way.

    Yet you're culling posts from the thread.
    Posts that didn't violate your TOS.

    Guess what. YOU OWN THEM.

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