Creating a better work-life balance has been a topic of discussion in the games industry for a while. Dontnod and Fingersoft have become the latest studios to make steps in this direction by introducing new policies to make their employees’ work more comfortable.
Life Is Strange: True Colors
Dontnod introduced a permanent remote working policy, allowing its employees in Montreal and Paris to choose between working from home or in the office. According to Game Developer, the move was favored by 87% of the company’s workforce.
The Life of Strange developer will provide the necessary equipment to employees who choose the “Remote Mode.” “During the crisis, we had to quickly adapt our work processes and communication tools to ensure efficient organization and continued connection for all our employees,” Dontnod HR director Matthieu Hoffmann said.
On September 8, Finland-based mobile studio Fingersoft announced its own policy to improve work-life balance. As part of a six-month program, employees will be able to work 80% of their weekly hours while getting 90% of their salary.
The company might permanently adopt this model in the future. “For some, working eight hours every day is a good fit, but for some of us, balancing work and personal life is better achieved with reduced working hours,” Fingersoft CEO CEO Jaakko Kylmäoja said. “However, for many of us the decrease in salary that comes with it has felt like a dealbreaker.”
A good work-life balance is a huge problem in the games industry. Even a year after the beginning of the pandemic, AAA companies still don’t want to accept a full-time remote work model.
In March, many game developers shared their experience of how remote work has affected them.