Bethesda and ZeniMax employees are on strike over returning to the office

Employees of Bethesda and its parent company ZeniMax, which is now owned by Microsoft, have announced a strike. They are dissatisfied with the company's remote work policies.

The strike has been declared nationwide. Workers in Maryland and Texas are quitting, claiming that the company failed to address the remote work situation during negotiations and ultimately outsourced some quality control work without the union's consent.

Bethesda and ZeniMax boast the strongest union in the U.S. game development industry, with over 300 members. The union provides limited details: while it claims Microsoft has made progress in negotiations, the one-day strike was deemed a necessary step as the company's requests went unanswered. In October, the union filed a complaint against ZeniMax.

“We respect our employees' rights to express their views as they have today. We will continue to listen and address their concerns at the negotiating table,” stated a Microsoft representative.

One day before the strike, Rhianna Eichner, head of quality assurance, expressed her excitement and anticipation for a “fun event”:

“I know this sounds strange, but we are all looking forward to gathering and spending time together. Everyone understands that this is necessary. It’s what needs to be done to move forward. We're all ready for this.”

The union aims to limit the percentage of outsourced testers compared to permanent employees. It is not disclosed who the company is outsourcing work to. The union is also advocating for more flexible remote work policies. Currently, ZeniMax employees are required to come into the office twice a week, and many requests for remote work have been denied. Eichner notes that the company has repeatedly ignored the union's proposals regarding remote work.

“They have consistently given us the same offer, over and over again, and it has become clear that our other tactics have not worked.”

Several testers will be forced to relocate or find new jobs if they are required to come into the office five days a week. They were hired over the past few years under various circumstances with the understanding of remote work, and it is extremely difficult for them to adjust their schedules.

Source: Inverse