Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot released a company-wide survey in his company. In it, it says 25% of the company’s employees saw or experienced sexual harassment.
A few months ago, Ubisoft embroiled in an unbelievable case of executives fostering systemic sexual harassment and toxicity. It resulted in most of its upper management resigning or getting the ax.
Now, Guillemot is showing off the steps he’s taking to clean up his company. Among these is a survey to see the lay of the land.
Guillemot axed top execs involved in harassment scandal
A few months ago, Ubi involved itself in one of the industry’s biggest harassment scandals. Systemic sexual harassment, homophobia, and toxicity came from top to bottom. As many as 100 women complained about it too.
Company bigwigs resigned or received forced firings from Guillemot. These included CCO Serge Hascoet, VP Maxime Beland, and Managing Director Yannis Mallat. There was also Cecile Cornet of the Global HR team and resignation from Ashraf Malik.
One person unaffected by the entire debacle, however, was CEO Yves Guillemot. The CEO was angry at the “betrayal of trust” he gave to them. He also vowed to instill lasting changes within the company to make it safe and inclusive.
Among the promises he made include engaging a third-party research firm. The firm conducted a company-wide survey to get an anonymous pulse of the aftermath. They checked about the experiences they had, together with the misconducts they saw.
43% of LGBT+ employees received discrimination
The numbers for Ubisoft are shocking, with the numbers being bigger than they were. Out of the 14,000 anonymous respondents, 25% said they witnessed or experienced misconduct. 20% of all respondents said they didn’t feel “fully respected or safe in the work environment.”
Women in Ubi were 30% more likely to see or experience discrimination compared to men. LGBT+ employees received more discrimination than women at 43%.
Guillemot notes that he wants at least 24% of Ubi’s teams by 2023. The teams are at a 22% rate at the moment, and the company has 19,000 total employees. The numbers calculate to an additional 380 women to come in.
Ubi is also looking at more metrics that can help improve their internal diversity. He’s also looking for more accountability within his managing team.
“Only 66% of respondents who reported an incident felt they had received the support they needed,” said the letter. “The audit also highlights a lack of sensitivity and commitment from management on all matters of diversity, inclusion, and respect.
“As a major player in the industry, we must show the way by becoming exemplary in all of these subjects,” said the letter further. “My goal is for us to create an company that we are all proud of. Of course, not everything can be transformed overnight, but I want to assure you that we are mobilizing considerable energy on these subjects. I am personally following these changes and will keep you informed of the progress of these initiatives, in which you will continue to be involved.”
Guillemot’s full letter to Ubisoft employees is available online. The next moves for the company will be essential to a better future for its employees.
Featured image courtesy of Ubisoft North America/Youtube Screenshot