When it comes to layoffs, we would like to think that companies are firing someone who is not critical and doing so with respect. But this is not the case with Microsoft and ZeniMax.
Recently Microsoft laid off more than 9000 people from across the company, many of whom worked in the Xbox and Games division. The layoffs had a significant impact on such studios as The Initiative, ZeniMax, and others. In the interview Game Developer several ZeniMax Media developers criticized Microsoft and Xbox management for the poor organization of the massive layoffs, the chaos it caused, and its impact on people and teams.
ZeniMax employee Paige Branson described that day as «one of the worst days at work she has ever had in her life». She explained that Microsoft failed to clearly explain who was being laid off and says that those laid off were «absolutely essential» to the success of The Elder Scrolls Online and «an integral part» of the studio’s functioning.
«A lot of practical knowledge simply disappeared overnight. Now everyone who is left has to carefully pick up the pieces. The drop in morale and general confusion has spread to our overall workflow. We used to have very reliable people who worked on certain things — they are gone. They were indispensable. I feel like they’ve been removed as numbers on a piece of paper, but the real value of what they were doing was making things work right,» says Branson.
Autumn Mitchell, a senior quality tester at ZeniMax Media, said that Microsoft’s lack of communication left her and her colleagues in a fight-or-flight state on the day of the layoffs.
«This is not normal. It was not normal. I don’t care what they do to make it look normal — it’s not. They are doing it in an inhuman way. I don’t care when they say it was dignified or done with respect – it wasn’t. Some people worked here for 15 years and were fired. Forcing people to rush to type goodbye messages on Slack to their coworkers with whom they worked on various projects that made your corporation money for 15 years is disgusting. It’s disgusting. If I could send any message to any executive right now, I would say, «Reconsider this process because it’s not normal,» Mitchell added.
In a public statement released last week, the Communications Workers of America (CWA) and ZeniMax Online Studios United-CWA (ZOSU-CWA), another union created within ZeniMax, said no union members have been laid off yet, but that it is still possible. Representatives of both unions continue to negotiate with Microsoft over the layoffs.
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