So it’s basically workers complaining that they have to actually work in a building a couple days a week. The poor things.
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Sadly ATVI is up 8.19% since last month.
Until that goes rock bottom, and the hopes of the MS buyout goes away, nothing will change.
No. That is very very dismissive of the actual concerns. They don’t want to spend their (regionally) low salaries living in one of the most expensive areas in the US and/or commuting hours a day. The love for the job no longer takes priority over their own quality of life and family.
If the office was not in Irvine area (or other high cost of living) and it was a 20 min drive in, they would be (nearly 100%) happy to be in the office.
Working hard is not the issue at all. They are happy to work hard. Sacrificing the rest of their quality of life is the issue. WFH during COVID gave a lot of people time to evaluate their own lives and what was important. Time with family, a few free hours at the start and end of the day, less stress, more money saved, all matter too. Even if the dreams are still orcs and elves.
Some positions are certainly going to require hands on, but a lot no longer do with modern internet and communications.
The ones upset about the WFH policies are the people who own the commercial real estate, who get rent from it, the car makers, the restaurants, coffee shops. The whole sector of the economy that revolves around the commute/office culture. They will have to adjust to less of a tide of workers in and out. Just like horse wagon builders had to adjust to cars.
Workplaces are going to either adjust to attract and keep staff, or fade away as their staff goes somewhere else. It has happened for centuries, and will keep happening forever.
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Im still confused where people think the devs are making 275k per year for salary.
I think that is the top end senior folks and likely comes from a salary comparison site. They are not wrong that some do get that much. It is not what most folks get though, esp at Blizzard who comparatively is on the lower end vs other game companies in the area.
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Bobby Kotick’s crotch must taste delicious.
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Is it though? A majority of people have to commute to work AND work in publicly accessible buildings. People take busses, trains, and car pools. There are programs for people to take public transportation at a discount.
They still have that even if they have to get to a building. This isn’t even a Blizzard specific issue anymore. The melodrama is real.
So they have to suffer so the poor, slave-working developers can sit at home? Yea, let the people who make less ‘adjust’.
WFH is not going to be as ground breaking as you think. People still need to work in buildings and interact with the public.
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Good luck with what? Knowing that employees that quit get replaced? A lot of times they get replaced by younger people with lower salaries too.
What percentage of devs do you think are working for Blizz now that were working there ten years ago? You think they have a lot of employees that are planning to work there their whole career and retire?
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I apologize, I didn’t see that.
Yeah I thought the “disagreement” was about game stuff.
Specifically with software developers? I don’t agree.
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Blizzard is not publicly accessible and never has been. I saw your earlier comments in the thread about customer service at stores and physical locations. Sure, that applies if that is the type of job they do.
Blizzard has security gates and is employee only without being on the visitor list. Even then you are escorted everywhere you go, and have to sign an NDA if you are anywhere outside the basic cafe and courtyard.
So I agree with you that in personal customer interactions are important. But nobody at Blizzard does that, or would have any expectation of it. They work at computers, on white boards, in discussion groups. Exceptions exist of course for infrastructure/servers/NOC and access to high end rendering equipment, sound studios, etc.
Blizzard has ZERO public interface in person. Neither do a ton of other companies. They are cubicle farms only accessible to the staff who do their work with the public online.
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Devils advocate. Also not a boomer.
Also I see terms like gaslighting and boomer on blizzard forums at least twice as much as any other.
Anyway, I didn’t come here to weigh in on blizz employee issues frankly unless we are talk the sexual harassment stuff or physical abuse I just don’t care.
In general, work is work. It’s a means to an end. This doesn’t mean don’t work hard this doesn’t mean don’t try to do the best you can. What it means is life is to short. Anyone under at least 40 probably won’t grasp that yet…you will.
If you aren’t happy with your work situation, if you see no way to improve it. Seek other opportunities. But I’d advise go about it maturely and professionally. Even if you think your company is a bunch of jerks, I never advise to “flame out” when leaving a job. I guess if you are retiring you could but you never know how the universe works if you bad mouth someone at one job down the line maybe they’ll have influence at your next gig.
As far as WFH personally since I never stopped going into work all through Covid I think most people are cry babies for being told to report to work now. This includes people I love in my own family btw, of course they have no idea I wrote this here but still.
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I wasn’t specifically talking about software developers. WFH is the exception and not the rule. People returning to a main building for a couple days out of the week is not ‘slave conditions’ or ‘hampering their lives’.
Blizzcon?
Yeah, I don’t know if it’s related to age or experience, but judging on this thread alone, it’s apparent there’s a lot of folks that don’t grasp the corporation doesn’t care about them. They mandate something, it’s followed or you’re gone. From the lowest rung to the CEO, everyone is replaceable. It’s how these places operate coast to coast. Only thing blasting your employer on Twitter (for anything other than reporting crimes, harassment, etc) is going to do to change your situation is make it harder to find your next job, when HR checks your social media.
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“Surely this is the time get woke, go broke will happen! Surely! SEE! People are leaving! I TOLD YOU! …wait, what do you mean people are leaving because of poor, out of touch managers? They’re finding better jobs at other organizations that better meet their needs and align with their values? RABBLE RABBLE THE LEFT!”
/yawn
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‘Report to work.’ - Some out of touch manager.
Add to that, that there is always a ton of people eager to get a job, and in many cases may not even have the same salary, and seeing that position open with a “better” salary than what they got is a great opportunity. Even if it is less than the person before had
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I mean yea? I work from home and it’s amazing. No commute, so I was able to get rid of my car (which was roughly $700 or so a month between the loan, insurance, and gas). No needing to be around anyone else, so I don’t need to waste time in the morning getting dressed, doing my hair, or putting on makeup. Speaking of hair and makeup- haven’t had to spend any money on makeup in months now, and my hair is way healthier due to no longer straightening/blow drying/etc. Haven’t paid for a haircut in a long time either, I just trim the ends occasionally.
No endless office drama/gossip, no annoying coworkers. I get to be around my cats all day which is far superior. I can do stuff around the house during my breaks/lunch. I can sleep til 10 min before my shift if I want (though said cats never allow this unfortunately). I can watch stuff while i work. I can work in complete silence or listen to music or whatever. I am home for every package delivery. I don’t have to pack my lunch every day, I can just wander into the kitchen and make something. I can make my own coffee the way I like.
Honestly if I can help it I will never ever work an in office job again. Very grateful to have a boss who is young and understands this is the way of the future
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“Report to work! Huh? Well, you have to be office despite being just as productive, if not more productive, at home because…well…uh…um…yeah!” - some out of touch manager.
Edited for accuracy. 
People aren’t more productive working from home.
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Well yes, of course 
That is a huge event that they fly in staff from around the world for. They also pay for hotel rooms at the event for staff who live in CA, but have long commutes. They pay for travel for staff who are from farther away. They even run employee transport from the office parking lot to Anaheim for very local staff. That is a once a year (if that) event, not their day to day workplace. They don’t have a Blizzardworld that the public comes visit every day to watch the artists, writers, coders, designers, etc. That would feel a lot like a zoo!
They do have insight panels at Blizzcon though talking about how those folks do their jobs.
I am pretty sure we agree here that the day to day job is not a public interface for the devs. They are behind security gates, security desks, keyed team spaces, etc. Even someone on the Hearthstone team can’t just walk into the WoW area. You don’t have badge access to the door scanner, you don’t get in.
That is a blanket statement easily proven false. Any time you use something that implies “all” then it is going to be false.
There are several categories of workers:
- Motivated high achievers who are going to do fantastic things. They have different conditions they excel in depending on the person and their preferences/personality.
- Some prefer in person team mate collaboration, they enjoy the routine of a commute, they thrive in an office.
- Others want to be left alone to concentrate and work. They find the commute to be draining, the office space a distraction, and overall
- Lazy people who will slack no matter what environment they are in.
The goal of a company, you would think, is to work with the motivated staff to ensure they have access to the work environment they do best in.
Education is much the same. One size does not fit all. Some thrive hands on, some thrive lost in their books. Some prefer auditory, some visual.
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