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Businesses Entertainment Games

EA To Pay Overtime Wages 59

Posted by Zonk from the cha-ching dept.
Months after EA: The Human Story was released to the web, Gamasutra.com has word that EA will begin paying out overtime to some of its employees. Which is not to say they don't give it any spin. From the article: "The employment environment at EA was built to allow you flexibility as professionals, with the expectation that time on the job could be managed without watching the clock. Unfortunately, labor laws have not kept pace with this spirit of entrepreneurialism, innovation and creativity." Additionally, taking overtime makes you ineligible for bonuses and this largely has nothing to do with the coders and artists who have filed suit against the company.
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EA To Pay Overtime Wages More

EA To Pay Overtime Wages

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  • Oh Cool! (Score:2, Insightful)

    by Neil Blender ( 555885 )
    Company policy changes!!!!! Sounds like a script idea for the next Star Wars movie.

  • What does that mean? (Score:5, Interesting)

    by kenthorvath ( 225950 ) on Thursday March 10, 2005 @05:49PM (#11904324)
    The employment environment at EA was built to allow you flexibility as professionals, with the expectation that time on the job could be managed without watching the clock. Unfortunately, labor laws have not kept pace with this spirit of entrepreneurialism, innovation and creativity.

    I don't understand: are they saying that because there are no laws preventing them from subjecting their employees to such unethical working conditions that they haven't felt obligated to treat their employees ethically (until now)? Or are they instead saying that it is unfortunate that such laws are, in fact, in place because now they can no longer be successful "entrepeneurs"?

    Or is there a third choice?

    • To be blunt, I think they're just saying... "We're complete dicks, but won't admit it"

      The answer is simple...
      Boycott all EA Games!

    • Re:What does that mean? (Score:5, Informative)

      by superpulpsicle ( 533373 ) on Thursday March 10, 2005 @06:04PM (#11904489)
      They figured 2005 is the year they need to start being alittle nicer at least to their own employees. They made an insane amount of enemies last year.

      - their own hardworking employees

      - people who like Take-Two Sega sports games

      - people who don't like monopolies

      - game reviewers

      - slashdot crowd

      - GT4 fans who are pissed ferraris and porshe signed with EA.

      • Ferrari is no loss. They previously made games which involved only ferraris. Don't expect this to change. Want to know why? Because what they know, and what I know, but what most people don't seem to know, is that you can take a car that costs literally a tenth as much as a Ferrari, spend about its worth to begin with so that it costs maybe a fifth as much as a Ferrari, and you can go make that ferrari drive like a Yugo by comparison.
        • Dude, you don't buy a ferrari for the performance.

          That super moded car you're talking about won't give you the status a ferrari will. While you may not care much about status (to which I could agree), a souped up STI (for example) won't give you the panache that a ferrari will, even though it might be on par for performance.

          As Jay Leno once put it, a car like a ferrari is a penis helper. :)

          Plus, ferraris are splendid.

          And who says you can't also mod your ferrari? :)
          • You have just unwittingly supported my point, however. A video game does not bring across the "experience" because you're sitting there holding your joystick, not actually driving the car. And, their cars will get whomped in the game. Besides, who mods their ferrari? Only old ones that are inferior in basic design when compared to modern japanese sports cars, in every way except for possibly stylistically. Compare a 308GT to a latest-model 350Z or Acura NSX sometime...

            As for me, I don't care about status,

            • John Carmack, for one, mods his ferraris. :) That includes an F50! Seriously though, there are some ferrari only races in europe where owners bring their ferraris and race. And they are all heavily race tuned! :)

              As for the 350Z, although it remains a question of choice, I think the engine sounds like crap. The 240SX however, I still love today! I hope you don't sell it! I still like it way more than the (ill-birthed, IMO) 350Z.

              Your point does not stand however. The only reason you are not aware of ferrari

              • I do agree that any vehicle can be modified. As you say though, few people mod Ferraris because they cost so much and besides, they aren't really buying them for performance, they're buying them for the style.

                As for my 240SX, I will miss it, but I need the money. You can pick them up any old time anyway. Personally I want to build up a 300ZX TT now. It's a lot heavier and less nimble than the 240SX but I think it would be a lot of fun. In the meantime, my Benz is no sports car but it, too, is surprising

      • "They made an insane amount of enemies last year.

        (...)

        - slashdot crowd"

        Yeah, I'm sure their webserver is quaking in its proverbial boots already!
    • I read it to mean that, until now, they've basically ignored the law, and _now_ they've been forced to recognize that there are laws, so they're going to bitch about how they can't possibly be expected to make money while treating their workers as professionals.

      In other words "this spirit of entrepreneurialism, innovation and creativity" == you do whatever else it takes to get it done, and we won't pay you more to do it, because you have your dream job, right??

    • No, no, NO! You're misunderestimating EA's position entirely. What they're saying is that EA did NOT force its employees to work 20-40 hours of overtime per week. The perception that they would be fired or passed over for bonuses and raises if they didn't work long hours is wholly incorrect. They voluntarily worked those hours! The only thing EA can be faulted for is having excellent employees who were willing to put their dedication before their own families and mental health.

    • no no no no..

      they're saying that labor laws are keeping them from using their programmers to the full potential! in other words.. wtf.. do they want them to work even more? how much more do you even achieve when doing a creative work like that? there certainly is no law that states that they can't pay them better wages nor is there laws that state that they can't hire more programmers.

      personally, I hope no future dick-to-be-employer reads this though(current arrangements are wonderful for me where I code)

  • Can I work a 5 hour day? (Score:5, Insightful)

    by EnronHaliburton2004 ( 815366 ) on Thursday March 10, 2005 @05:50PM (#11904337) Homepage Journal
    The employment environment at EA was built to allow you flexibility as professionals, with the expectation that time on the job could be managed without watching the clock.

    Yeah right. I've heard this line before-- and it's almost always used as a justification for long work days.

    Nobody in management will raise an eyebrow I work for 14 hours a day, lose my morale and leave the company, but if I come in at 11:00 & leave at 4:00, you bet they'll complain-- even if I am getting the work done.

    • Re:Can I work a 5 hour day? (Score:5, Insightful)

      by Tsunayoshi ( 789351 ) <tsunayoshi@g m a i l . com> on Thursday March 10, 2005 @06:53PM (#11904957) Journal
      Of course, in one of the eye-witness employee complaints I read on the internet, one employee was doing everything on his assigned task list each day and leaving when he completed them. His managers kept dropping hints like "you should be helping out your fellow employees" or "you should stick around in case someone else finds a problem with your code" and other types of BS. How can you "professionally manage" your own hours if you are blacklisted as a non-team player for getting your shit done in a reasonable amount of time and leaving when you are done?
  • It's good to see that something is happening at EA on the recently publicized employment issues there. And while their announcement has the flavor of unhappy grumbling, it nonetheless must create some ripples across the industry because of EA's size and influence. Maybe this means that the games industry is starting to grow up and take some responsibility for how their employees are treated. It's a bit ironic though that EA makes reference to the very entrepreneural spirit that their flurry of buyouts and

  • Fascinating (Score:5, Interesting)

    by An Onerous Coward ( 222037 ) on Thursday March 10, 2005 @06:02PM (#11904463) Homepage
    The way I read this, their previous strategy was "dump sixty or seventy hours of work on an employee's desk, tell them to do it, and allow them to exhibit 'entrepreneurialism, innovation, and creativity' in getting it done."

    Now that they're implementing overtime, they can't just assume that the employees will work those sixty or seventy hours "if necessary"*. So they'll start structuring their employees' days in such a way that they'll almost never have to pay out overtime, but will require solid work during the 40 hours the employee is on the clock.

    I don't think most of their employees will miss the days of yore, when they got to bask in their company's "entrepreneurial culture" for most of their waking hours.

    Sheesh. What a load of PHB-speak.

  • No overtime for you! (Score:3, Insightful)

    by johnfink ( 810028 ) on Thursday March 10, 2005 @06:04PM (#11904491)
    "The newly overtime-eligible employees will have very structured work days and structured work hours." Translation: Sure, we'll pay you overtime. But we won't let you work overtime. And you still better have that code on my desk by 9am.

  • As EA always says... (Score:3)

    by Jorkapp ( 684095 ) <jorkapp&hotmail,com> on Thursday March 10, 2005 @06:10PM (#11904551)
    "Challenge Everything"

    In order for a group to be eligible for overtime, they must challenge a group of administrators of equal size to a CounterStrike tournament and win.

    The difficulty is in winning since the administrators spend all day playing CounterStrike.

    If they win, they get paid overtime plus the time they spent grappling with the admins for overtime. Should they lose, the time spent grappling with the admins will be taken off vacation days.
  • Now, who will be able to afford the games?
  • The employment environment at EA was built to allow you flexibility as professionals Flexible, as long as sleeping, eating, and having friends are not factors in your life. Also, denying bonuses to those who dare oppose them... erm... Request overtime pay, is pretty low. If I was an EA employee, barr quitting, (after stealing tons of office supplies), I would take overtime pay over the so called bonuses because knowing the way EA treats their livestock, sorry.. employees, you won't see a bonus. ever.
    • Very few game developers ever see a bonus anyway. And when they do, it never matches anything close to the overtime they would have made.
  • So are EA employees going to have to clock in and out every day, and during their lunch hours?
    • So are EA employees going to have to clock in and out every day, and during their lunch hours?

      Assuming EA makes them Salaried Non-Exempt employees, sort of. They will be required to keep track of their time (not necessarily punching a clock but this really depends on how EA wants them to keep track of it). Any time over 8 hours a day is overtime. Any time over 40 hours a week is overtime. I am salaried non-exempt and I enter my time anytime during the week in SAP.
  • "The employment environment at EA was built to allow you flexibility as professionals, with the expectation that time on the job could be managed without watching the clock. Unfortunately, labor laws have not kept pace with this spirit of entrepreneurialism, innovation and creativity."

    So what does that make the military as a job? Salaried employees with no chance for overtime, or bonuses and your own death as a potential hazard. I'm proud to serve my country, but what the heck is EA saying about the

  • United Game Workers (Score:3, Insightful)

    by Torgo's Pizza ( 547926 ) on Thursday March 10, 2005 @07:56PM (#11905445) Homepage Journal
    EA sure is being a dick about this. Personally, I'd take overtime because that would pay you more than any bonus ever would. That is, *if* you get a bonus. Chances are that your game could tank and there wouldn't be anything.

    If this is all EA is going to give their workers, the employees should seriously unionize and get some *real* concessions from management. EA could not and would not survive a strike. The employees have the power if they'd only take advantage of it.
    • EA could survive a strike, they have all the licenses just send the projects to some external development houses, sure they'd get dinged by higher costs, but they'd definataly outlast the employees.
      • That's what management would think. Reality is that the time lost on the projects would push almost everything six months. That means no Christmas product. They would have to find a developer willing to "scab out" and complete the work, one that has the time to do it, and EA would have to pay extra to farm it out.

        All that accomplishes the following: 1) Absolutely kills their bottom line for the year with additional costs and no income, which causes: 2) stock price to plummet, and 3) opens the market spa
        • That's what management would think. Reality is that the time lost on the projects would push almost everything six months.
          They could easily rush poor quality product out the door, they do it all the time
          1) Absolutely kills their bottom line for the year with additional costs and no income
          They'll pay a little extra to get it out the door as a "good enough" product. Worst case their yearly products like Madden will just use last year's code with a new player database. Many of their other products they
  • The San Jose Mercury News had an article [mercurynews.com], and the memo [mercurynews.com] that was sent to the employees.

    If they want to lead the way, they should put cap on the number of hours worked and restructure their teams to allow everyone to get ample team off during the crunch times.
  • I recommend folks read up on what it takes to be an computer professional exempt from overtime pay in California [google.com].

    Basically, from what I've read, you need to make something like $45 an hour ( just being on salary doesn't make you exempt ) if you're programming a computer.

    Interestingly, it looks like graphics artists for computer games might not fit the definition. From that first google hit : "California law also provides a list of "disqualifiers" which will prevent an employee from achieving exempt status

  • Well "Howdy Fucking Do" for Electronic Arts. After months of horrible press, they're finally "paying" some of their employees for the slave-like labor they're engaged in.

    Now game designers have roughly the same expectations in the workplace as...hmmmm...McDonald's fry cooks. How enlightened of them.

  • Translation (Score:2, Insightful)

    by UES ( 655257 )
    "entrepreneurialism"

    usually means risking your own capital so you can keep the profits. If I work for salary on Madden 2005 or the Sims 2, how am I an entrepreneur? I don't own the license, copyright, title, or any other element. I didn't put up any money or find funding. It was all work for hire for EA, which keeps all the profits.

    "innovation"

    usually means creating a new way to solve a problem. If I am told by my manager what kind of content to create and what language to use to do it, how am I innovati

  • Progress... (Score:1, Insightful)

    by Anonymous Coward
    "The employment environment at EA was built to allow you flexibility as professionals, with the expectation that time on the job could be managed without watching the clock. Unfortunately, labor laws have not kept pace with this spirit of entrepreneurialism, innovation and creativity."

    I noticed this line was in the leaked memo too. Really its barely a coherent statement. Theres no structure or meaning to be found directly only inferred. What perfect PR spin.

    Now knowing what I know about the situation I gu

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