2021 has been a banner year for labor issues. From big snack company strikes to enormous blowouts in the videogames industry, there’s been a lot. Today, a much more positive piece of news has happened, with AAA developer Eidos Montreal publicly announcing a major shift to its work structure.
Eidos Montreal Moving to Four-Day Work Week
The company announced it is moving from a 40-hour work week to a 32-hour work week, meaning the offices (Montreal and Sherbrooke) will be closed on Fridays. The statements released by Eidos claim that this is one part of a continuing goal to improve the quality of work-life balance in games development.
Eidos also points to other changes made at the company since remote working became a necessity during the COVID-19 pandemic. Those changes include “the implementation of a rest period, access to a personal financial advisor, access to a telemedicine platform, reimbursement of mental health care and physical activity costs.”
Videogames development is one of the most infamously “crunchy” industries, with stories of burnout, health issues, ruined marriages and more. The conversation to change that has been accelerated in recent years, and this seems to be one of the biggest moves yet in specifically AAA companies.
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