Assassin's Creed Maker Ubisoft's Employees Are Asked to Strike Due to New RTO Policy – Why CEOs Are Redoubling Their Efforts

Tensions continue to rise in the tech sector as management and employees argue over return-to-office policies.

The video game giant Ubisoft, known for its Assassin's Creed Franchise company is embroiled in a labor dispute after the French company wanted to introduce a three-day office work week.

“After more than five years of working efficiently in the current remote work context, many of our colleagues have built or rebuilt their lives (family life, housing, parenting, etc.) and simply cannot return to the previous working conditions,” said the This shared the Video Game Workers' Union (STJV) said in a statement. “The consequence of this decision will be the loss of jobs for our colleagues, the disorganization of many gaming projects and a drastic increase in psychosocial risks for those who remain.”

According to the union, the decision to return to office coincided with the failure of profit-sharing negotiations.

Ubisoft employees are being called on a three-day strike, expected to take place from October 15th to 17th.

In a press release Wednesday, Ubisoft co-founder and CEO Yves Guillemot said the company's second-quarter performance “fell short of our expectations.” Guillemot continued: “Given recent challenges, we recognize the need for greater efficiency while keeping players happy.”

The heated debate

There is a corporate push towards traditional office work. According to KPMG's latest CEO Outlook survey, 83% of business leaders expect a full return to office work within the next three years – a significant increase from 64% last year.

Notably, 87% of CEOs said they are willing to reward employees who make the effort to come to the office by offering incentives such as preferred assignments, raises, or career advancement.

A prominent example of this trend is Amazon, which recently announced that its employees will be required to work on-site five days a week starting January 2, 2025.

“As we look back over the past five years, we continue to believe that the benefits of being together in the office are significant,” Amazon CEO Andy Jassy wrote in a company blog post this month.

“We have observed that it is easier for our teammates to learn, model, practice and reinforce our culture; Collaboration, brainstorming, and inventing are easier and more effective; Teaching and learning from each other is more seamless; and teams tend to be better connected. If anything, the last 15 months of being back in the office at least three days a week has strengthened our belief in the benefits,” Jassy added.

Amazon's decision is in line with actions taken by other tech leaders such as Elon Musk, who required Tesla employees to work in the office five days a week in 2022.

According to data from Flex Index, which tracks flexible work policies, 7% of large tech companies – those with a workforce of at least 1,000 employees – require full-time office attendance. Forbes reported.

Why the switch to RTO?

As companies return to face-to-face work, they face the challenge of balancing leadership goals with employees' growing expectations of flexibility.

The effectiveness of return-to-office strategies will depend largely on how adeptly companies can communicate the benefits of face-to-face collaboration while recognizing and addressing the concerns and preferences of their employees.

Factors driving many CEOs to push for a return to the office include:

Belief Personal Collaboration

Business leaders believe that face-to-face interactions promote better collaboration, creativity and problem solving. They view face-to-face communication as essential to innovation and team cohesion.

Some executives believe that the casual interactions and informal discussions that take place in an office environment cannot be replicated virtually. In a 2020 letter to shareholders, JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon wrote that remote work “virtually eliminates spontaneous learning and creativity because you don't meet people at the coffee machine, talk to customers in unplanned situations, or travel to to meet with customers and employees for feedback on your products and services.”

In a 2021 email to staff, Google Chief People Officer Fiona Cicconi told her employees, “There is simply no substitute for a face-to-face meeting.”

Strengthening the corporate culture

CEOs often view the office environment as critical to reinforcing company values ​​and culture. They believe that physical presence helps employees internalize the ethos of the organization and strengthens their connection to the company's mission.

Dimon said in his letter that virtual calls “undermine the character and culture you want to promote in your company.”

Productivity concerns

JPMorgan's chief executive also said: “Heavy reliance on Zoom meetings actually slows down decision-making because there is little immediate follow-up.”

In December 2022, Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff openly complained in a company-wide Slack message that newly hired remote workers were not being productive.

The memo, obtained by CNBC, asked, “How do we increase employee productivity at Salesforce?” In particular, new employees (hired during the pandemic in 2021 and 2022) are experiencing significantly lower productivity. Is this a reflection of our office politics? Aren't we building tribal knowledge with new employees without an office culture? Aren’t our managers directly concerned with the productivity of their teams?”

Control and monitoring

Some managers believe that working in the office allows for better control and supervision of employees. This arises from a traditional leadership style that emphasizes physical presence and direct supervision. Some CEOs believe that productivity can only be ensured through personal supervision and micromanagement.

Resistance to change

The drive to return to office may also reflect resistance to long-term change, particularly among older leaders. For CEOs who have spent their entire careers in traditional office environments, adapting to new work models can be difficult.

Real estate investments

Companies with significant investments in office real estate may be motivated to justify this expenditure by repatriating employees. This financial consideration could influence the decisions of some business leaders.