Paradox Interactive Employees Report Mistreatment in Union Survey
As more companies are accused of mistreating employees, misconduct in the gaming industry becomes more visible. The most prominent example is Activision Blizzard, currently embroiled in a lawsuit from the State of California over a workplace environment of discrimination and misconduct.
While not the only industry giant facing scrutiny for its employee suffering, Activision Blizzard isn’t the only one. The next company to be indicted is paradox InteractiveThe grand strategy genre’s titan is currently experiencing upheaval in more ways than one. Although there isn’t much certainty yet, ParadoxYou could be in serious trouble very soon.
Paradox Interactive’s Swedish branch was surveyed by two unions of white-collar workers and graduate engineers. Out of the 400 employees who responded to the survey, only 133 reported being mistreated by Paradox Interactive, especially their superiors, who they believed were protected by it. This article does not provide any details about the mistreatment or abusive treatment. This survey was concluded just days before Paradox Interactive CEO Ebba Ljungerud stepped down, with employees hearing the results hours before learning of the CEO’s departure. Paradox’s communication team and Ljungerud themselves claim that the survey did not contribute to her departure.
Paradox was not satisfied with the results of the survey and has taken action. The company has stated that it will not follow up on the survey because of recent changes in the CEO position. The company is seeking a neutral third party (another organization) to conduct a second, formal survey. While Paradox developer morale has been lowered by toxicity before, primarily on the official forums, perhaps this second survey will open the door to positive change in the company.
The paradox is not the only one under fire for its mistreatment of employees. Riot Games is similarly under fire and has been several times before. This is Paradox’s chance to address the problem before it becomes a major problem.
However, the survey may show that mistreatment is less common than in other companies. Only around one-fourth of those who were surveyed by Paradox in Sweden answered the survey. A larger data set will allow for a more accurate assessment of the problem. This could be an isolated problem, or it could be a widespread problem. Ubisoft has problems. It will only be time, so it is worth watching.ParadoxFuture responses
