Ex-Ubisoft employee speaking out about the company.

[ericlee30]

Quote

 

We were struggling under normal load, AAA games are HARD to develop. where we worked 50-70 hour weeks, (anything above 37 is unpaid)

 

(anything above 37 is unpaid) - I call BS On this big time. They dont work in retail nor do they work in the fast food industry, so trying to keep under 40 hours a week on pay is not possible, as there is no way in hell any big name development company does not offer benefits to their employees .

[Nyxathid]

Excuse me sir but Ubisoft holes need to be at least 2 Sasha grey assholes wide to even be considered a "Ubi-hole"

You Win this Time sir .. 

[NICKT]

This forum loves to shit-post and rant about things that we aren't even sure are true or proven yet, jesus christ.

Cool your fucking jets and wait for a confirmation before you all jump the gun and declare everything you read as gospel.

[dalekphalm]

I'm pretty sure that is against Labor laws in the US, CAN, and EU

Not necessarily. It entirely depends on their job contract, and whether they are hourly or salary.

 

Quote

 

(anything above 37 is unpaid) - I call BS On this big time. They dont work in retail nor do they work in the fast food industry, so trying to keep under 40 hours a week on pay is not possible, as there is no way in hell any big name development company does not offer benefits to their employees .

Kind of. If they are "in the building" for 40 hours a week (5 8-hour work days), but are given a 30 minute unpaid lunch period, then they would be working exactly 37.5 hours.

 

Also, benefits does NOT equal overtime pay.

 

In Canada it is illegal to work more than 60 hours a week without written permission. However, all Ubisoft would need to do is include a clause as part of the job contract that must be signed that says "You get paid on Salary. You must work a minimum of X number of hours. There is no overtime pay. You give permission to work in excess of 60 hours per week, and forfeit overtime pay."

 

They may get excellent medical benefits (Really good health insurance, life insurance, etc). They may also get really good pension/retirement funding.

 

The point is, we have no idea what the conditions of their job contracts are.

 

Of course, that doesn't make it right, but it's not necessarily illegal.

[Sephiroth]

Since the reddit thread has been deleted, here's a screenshot of it which has been posted on imgur: http://imgur.com/gallery/pZblPQk    I am keeping neutral in this argument, but for people arguing one way or the other, I want you to be able to reference the post : )

[WelshDdraig]

Since the reddit thread has been deleted, here's a screenshot of it which has been posted on imgur: http://imgur.com/gallery/pZblPQk    I am keeping neutral in this argument, but for people arguing one way or the other, I want you to be able to reference the post : )

To be honest, I love the last line of the Reddit post,

 

[Trik'Stari]

Not necessarily. It entirely depends on their job contract, and whether they are hourly or salary.

 

Kind of. If they are "in the building" for 40 hours a week (5 8-hour work days), but are given a 30 minute unpaid lunch period, then they would be working exactly 37.5 hours.

 

Also, benefits does NOT equal overtime pay.

 

In Canada it is illegal to work more than 60 hours a week without written permission. However, all Ubisoft would need to do is include a clause as part of the job contract that must be signed that says "You get paid on Salary. You must work a minimum of X number of hours. There is no overtime pay. You give permission to work in excess of 60 hours per week, and forfeit overtime pay."

 

They may get excellent medical benefits (Really good health insurance, life insurance, etc). They may also get really good pension/retirement funding.

 

The point is, we have no idea what the conditions of their job contracts are.

 

Of course, that doesn't make it right, but it's not necessarily illegal.

^Spoken like a true lawyer.

[KamiKatze]

Wow that guy has some balls!

 

he put so much TNT into ubisoft's hole, i think we're almost hitting bedrock!

[IdortMasterRace]

LOL and we're supposed to believe some random guy on reddit???

 

If people are that gullible then I'm gonna go there now and state that I once worked for EA....

 

This.

 

Reddit is shit.

[IdortMasterRace]

This forum loves to shit-post and rant about things that we aren't even sure are true or proven yet, jesus christ.

Cool your fucking jets and wait for a confirmation before you all jump the gun and declare everything you read as gospel.

 

The forum is too busy running the joke into the ground (deeper than any hole Ubisoft may have made) to even read this.

 

It was funny a few weeks ago, now it's boring as fuck.

[BloodySinner]

 

Hahaha!

[ManWithBeard1990]

In the end a publicly owned company is forced to make decisions like these to keep its stock owners happy, who are often even more short-sighted than the CEO. No man is truly evil but some are truly ignorant.

[deathjester]

[ericlee30]

Not necessarily. It entirely depends on their job contract, and whether they are hourly or salary.

 

Kind of. If they are "in the building" for 40 hours a week (5 8-hour work days), but are given a 30 minute unpaid lunch period, then they would be working exactly 37.5 hours.

 

Also, benefits does NOT equal overtime pay.

 

In Canada it is illegal to work more than 60 hours a week without written permission. However, all Ubisoft would need to do is include a clause as part of the job contract that must be signed that says "You get paid on Salary. You must work a minimum of X number of hours. There is no overtime pay. You give permission to work in excess of 60 hours per week, and forfeit overtime pay."

 

They may get excellent medical benefits (Really good health insurance, life insurance, etc). They may also get really good pension/retirement funding.

 

The point is, we have no idea what the conditions of their job contracts are.

 

Of course, that doesn't make it right, but it's not necessarily illegal.

If you are on a salary base, that is a minimum of 40 hours, not 37. Anything after 40 hours is not extra pay.

 

"Also, benefits does NOT equal overtime pay."  You are correct but 40 hours equals Benefits period.

 

" Of course, that doesn't make it right, but it's not necessarily illegal."  I think you might have miss understood my BS statement. I was not saying that the company was BS, but the Ex-employee.

[Victorious Secret]

The forum is too busy running the joke into the ground (deeper than any hole Ubisoft may have made) to even read this.

 

It was funny a few weeks ago, now it's boring as fuck.

 

This forum is worse at the cirlejerk than even reddit.

 

 

If you are on a salary base, that is a minimum of 40 hours, not 37. Anything after 40 hours is not extra pay.

 

"Also, benefits does NOT equal overtime pay."  You are correct but 40 hours equals Benefits period.

 

" Of course, that doesn't make it right, but it's not necessarily illegal."  I think you might have miss understood my BS statement. I was not saying that the company was BS, but the Ex-employee.

 

No, its 37.5. How do I know? Cause my own contract states 37.5 hours. Half an hour each day for unpaid lunch. Thats how it is in Canada. I actually have an hour off for lunch, but its all moot cause I'm salaried. I get paid the same no matter what. Its in my own contract that I also won't exceed 50 hours a week, cause my employer likes me. Other people here are salaried and have 70 hour weeks or more. 

 

This so called "ex dev" sounds like someone who doesn't understand the very contract he agreed to. Which is why you kinda need to read over contracts before you sign them, and why any employer worth their salt lets you look over the contracts before you sign them. I'll assume Ubisoft isn't entirely stupid and makes people sign on the spot. These people are allowed to read over the terms and discuss them. This guy didn't read shit apparently otherwise his "only getting paid for x amount of hours" rant wouldn't have happened. 

 

@dalekphalm is 100% correct. Its not illegal. Its part of the binding employment contracts that are written in accordance with the rather strict labour laws, especially the ones we have up here. Hell, a contract that well written would hold water almost anywhere. When you consent to a salaried position you consent to nearly unlimited overtime and you have ZERO claim to further compensation. 

 

Tough shit. Learn to read contracts. Don't complain against the conditions you very well knew when you accepted the contract. Don't make anonymous shitposts on the internet with little to no objective proof and most important don't bring all that conjecture together and try and make a post on a site like this claiming its news. 

[LukeTim]

Look again. 

 

Stop harping on about something that only lasted for 13 hours. 

 

Assassin's Creed Unity, Far Cry 4 and The Crew were pulled from Steam in August here in the UK not longer after going up. They are still not there now.

[ericlee30]

This forum is worse at the cirlejerk than even reddit.

 

 

 

No, its 37.5. How do I know? Cause my own contract states 37.5 hours. Half an hour each day for unpaid lunch. Thats how it is in Canada. I actually have an hour off for lunch, but its all moot cause I'm salaried. I get paid the same no matter what. Its in my own contract that I also won't exceed 50 hours a week, cause my employer likes me. Other people here are salaried and have 70 hour weeks or more. 

 

This so called "ex dev" sounds like someone who doesn't understand the very contract he agreed to. Which is why you kinda need to read over contracts before you sign them, and why any employer worth their salt lets you look over the contracts before you sign them. I'll assume Ubisoft isn't entirely stupid and makes people sign on the spot. These people are allowed to read over the terms and discuss them. This guy didn't read shit apparently otherwise his "only getting paid for x amount of hours" rant wouldn't have happened. 

 

@dalekphalm is 100% correct. Its not illegal. Its part of the binding employment contracts that are written in accordance with the rather strict labour laws, especially the ones we have up here. Hell, a contract that well written would hold water almost anywhere. When you consent to a salaried position you consent to nearly unlimited overtime and you have ZERO claim to further compensation. 

 

Tough shit. Learn to read contracts. Don't complain against the conditions you very well knew when you accepted the contract. Don't make anonymous shitposts on the internet with little to no objective proof and most important don't bring all that conjecture together and try and make a post on a site like this claiming its news. 

You and @dalekphalm are both correct, here in the USA though if you exceed less then 38 hours a week ( including unpaid breaks ), you get no benefits what so ever. I know this because I am the head boss at the factory I run, it is my job to know and understand this If you work seasonal and you still work 38 hours or more, you still get no benefits.

 

P.S Also in tell a couple of seconds ago, I did not realize that Ubisoft was located in Canada lol, so Im not familiar with Canadian laws ( even though I should learn them, since I do want to eventually reside there )

[TrubblishONE]

I wonder if the'll reach china soon. Maybe the'll just make a black hole, so that it just digs it self. Wouldn't put it against Ubisoft, they've done worse. meeeh they'd probably release it and its be all buggy anyways.

[eshbop]

It must be shit working for a 2-3 years to not see the game fully realized for the sake of a deadline.

[rashdanml]

It must be shit working for a year to not see your game fully realized for the sake of a deadline.

Games are worked on for a lot longer than a year. The annual release cycle doesn't mean an annual development cycle, every AC game is developed for 3 full years before launch. By the time they announce it, it's already 2 years into the development cycle. 

[decer304]

ubisoft these days

[Fahrenheit]

I know we are all having fun shitting on Ubisoft here but the dude sounds like sour grapes. 

[dalekphalm]

^Spoken like a true lawyer.

Maybe so, but it just illustrates the issues with current laws. There's still a lot of legal loopholes for them to get away with these kinds of practices.

 

If you are on a salary base, that is a minimum of 40 hours, not 37. Anything after 40 hours is not extra pay.

 

"Also, benefits does NOT equal overtime pay."  You are correct but 40 hours equals Benefits period.

 

" Of course, that doesn't make it right, but it's not necessarily illegal."  I think you might have miss understood my BS statement. I was not saying that the company was BS, but the Ex-employee.

What? If you are on a salary base, it ENTIRELY DEPENDS ON YOUR JOB CONTRACT, AS WELL AS LOCAL/STATE/FEDERAL LAWS. For example, I'm on Salary, and I work 35 hours per week, plus lunches. I only get paid for 70 hours per pay, but that's what my salary is rated on.

 

As for your second point, no, 40 hours does not equal benefits. MAYBE where you live, that is a law, but it is not one here, and it is certainly not a universal one, or even an overly western one. Here in Ontario (And most of Canada), working 40 hours a week guarantees you absolutely nothing. No benefits, no insurance, etc. All of that is entirely up to the company. Now with that in mind, most bigger companies will give you all that stuff for full time, but it's not mandatory of them.

 

I agree that the employee probably is BS too, but they're both BS, the company and him.

 

This forum is worse at the cirlejerk than even reddit.

 

 

 

No, its 37.5. How do I know? Cause my own contract states 37.5 hours. Half an hour each day for unpaid lunch. Thats how it is in Canada. I actually have an hour off for lunch, but its all moot cause I'm salaried. I get paid the same no matter what. Its in my own contract that I also won't exceed 50 hours a week, cause my employer likes me. Other people here are salaried and have 70 hour weeks or more. 

 

This so called "ex dev" sounds like someone who doesn't understand the very contract he agreed to. Which is why you kinda need to read over contracts before you sign them, and why any employer worth their salt lets you look over the contracts before you sign them. I'll assume Ubisoft isn't entirely stupid and makes people sign on the spot. These people are allowed to read over the terms and discuss them. This guy didn't read shit apparently otherwise his "only getting paid for x amount of hours" rant wouldn't have happened. 

 

@dalekphalm is 100% correct. Its not illegal. Its part of the binding employment contracts that are written in accordance with the rather strict labour laws, especially the ones we have up here. Hell, a contract that well written would hold water almost anywhere. When you consent to a salaried position you consent to nearly unlimited overtime and you have ZERO claim to further compensation. 

 

Tough shit. Learn to read contracts. Don't complain against the conditions you very well knew when you accepted the contract. Don't make anonymous shitposts on the internet with little to no objective proof and most important don't bring all that conjecture together and try and make a post on a site like this claiming its news. 

Yep, however, fortunately for me, I have a payment clause for overtime. We also use a Lieu Day system, which is preferred and given first precedence, where if we work overtime, we can then just take that time off later (We can bank the days for the entire year).

 

You and @dalekphalm are both correct, here in the USA though if you exceed less then 38 hours a week ( including unpaid breaks ), you get no benefits what so ever. I know this because I am the head boss at the factory I run, it is my job to know and understand this If you work seasonal and you still work 38 hours or more, you still get no benefits.

 

P.S Also in tell a couple of seconds ago, I did not realize that Ubisoft was located in Canada lol, so Im not familiar with Canadian laws ( even though I should learn them, since I do want to eventually reside there )

Ubisoft has several studios, including at least one in Canada. I believe they have some European studios too.

[mr moose]

Incredible, some random unknown guy on the net says ubisoft is shit and nearly everyone agrees and goes on about how crap they are and shit to work for.

 

A few years ago a man came out through a reputable (as much as any could be) media outlet complaining about working conditions at apple and nearly  everyone is blaming him as being disgruntled.

 

Get some critical thinking skills going people.

[Shahnewaz]

Incredible, some random unknown guy on the net says ubisoft is shit and nearly everyone agrees and goes on about how crap they are and shit to work for.

 

A few years ago a man came out through a reputable (as much as any could be) media outlet complaining about working conditions at apple and nearly  everyone is blaming him as being disgruntled.

 

Get some critical thinking skills going people.

 

There isn't any proof yet that the post was actually made by an ex-Ubisoft employee.

 

 

So don't take his/her words fully yet.

 

I tried.