EA employee survey shows positive change

17 Comments by Alexander Sliwinski Apr 8th 2008 4:00AM
Filed under: Culture, Business

Only a few years after "EA Spouse" exposed Electronic Arts as a white-collar sweat shop, the company released to GameDaily results of an internal employee survey showing it's changed since then. The survey, completed by 77% of EA's global workforce, showed that 63% felt motivated and excited about their job and are committed to making EA better.

Gabrielle Toledano, Exec. VP of Human Resources, says that compared to three years ago when the survey was last done, the results showed a "significant improvement" at the company. This newest survey shows that there has been an improvement in overall satisfaction and morale, with much of the change credited to EA's restructuring into a "city-state" model. Toledano believes the survey shows a good start and that things at the company really have changed. "There's simply no tolerance at EA today for what was going on during EA Spouse."

Tags: ea, ea-spouse, easpouse, electronic-arts, electronicarts, employee, employees, working-conditions

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(Page 1) Reader Comments

Grendel Pr1me: Apr 8th 2008; 4:28AM

"There's simply no tolerance at EA today for what was going on during EA Spouse."

That's EA-speak for "We will crush all rebellions. From now on, programmers and their significant others aren't allowed to have access to the internet for the duration of their employment with us. Nor to any means of communicating the absolute duress that we put them in while working here."

A big corporation conducting an internal survey of their employees about work conditions, is like having the wife walk out in a pair of jeans she hasn't tried on for 10 years, and then ask "Do I look fat in these?"

Sure, you want to tell the truth, but you know that's where the expression "The truth hurts" got started.

Bleu: Apr 8th 2008; 9:59AM

OMG I hope people dont actually believe this crap. When would you see an internal study by any company go against the results that they want. I bet that %63 was a pre-chosen number just to make it look believable. EA go to HELL!

Purple Haze: Apr 8th 2008; 4:29AM

EA are definitely making strides, Activision are becoming what I used to think of EA as.

Chase: Apr 8th 2008; 5:21AM

The other 34-percent? In that orange chicken you're eating.

Kye - NDF Sniper: Apr 8th 2008; 5:47AM

Ve haff asked ze employeez if zey like verking for us and ze general concensus iz - YAH!

Charlie_Six: Apr 8th 2008; 6:02AM

Aw, QA at EA last summer was fun! 8 hours a day, 5 days a week. No fuss, no muss. Dunno how it was working for the programmers or higher ups though. But it was a big advancement over the weird 60-70 hour work weeks we were doing the previous summer.

Brucie B: Apr 8th 2008; 7:55AM

EA Blows Point Blank!

FOXHOUND: Apr 8th 2008; 8:05AM

"Let us not forget the EA Employee Motto: 'Only an illegal immigrant works harder and cheaper'."

This is going to sound horrible, but IMO, some of EA's best games did come out prior to the EA SPOUSE article/whistle blower. Hmm...

Syn: Apr 8th 2008; 10:40AM

The moment EA messes with Spore, is when I no longer support EA with game purchases... Oh wait, I don't buy EA games. lol

Jerk Face: Apr 8th 2008; 11:05AM

TAKE THIS SURVEY AND SAY THAT YOU LOVE US OR WE WILL NEVER LET YOU OUT OF 'THE HOLE.' - MGMT

Martez: Apr 8th 2008; 11:24AM

lol?

Phylicus: Apr 8th 2008; 11:29AM

In Electronic Arts, the internal employee survey takes you.

matt: Apr 8th 2008; 3:16PM

63% is still a failure. 63% probably accounts for the management and business sections that are working normal hours and getting paid a lot more than the programmers. My company did this same "survey" in which the entire company took yet they only took the results of high-level management.

bondoghini: Apr 8th 2008; 3:19PM

Makes you wonder if EA bought all the rights to the employee survey allowing them to make them say whatever they want. Really, EA publishing their own survey that they created themselves? Of course it is going to all be a lie. EA, be a true white knight and have all your management staff and of course your wonderful CEO jump of a cliff saving us gamers from having to deal with your despicable business standards.

Gurei: Apr 8th 2008; 3:39PM

I still dont like EA,methods style or anything.

The only thing i kinda like are a few games,that strange enough are mostly made by other devs EA bought.

ThornedVenom (Harley Quinn Defense Force): Apr 8th 2008; 10:56PM

Does better mean decent?

BigMegaComapny employee: Apr 8th 2008; 11:20PM

You've obviously never worked for a big company before. These surveys come out and we simply fill it out, and get it out of our inboxes. They only apply to buzzwords like 'diversity', CMMI, and the like. They don't ask obvious questions such as "I work in a culture where long hours equate with team play" or "How do you like your environment?" or " how do you feel you're being treated?" or "what is the state of morale at your outpost?" or "Do you feel shackled into the inevitability of your career path?"
Funny, they say it's anonymous yet, they know if you completed it or not...
I'd play the UNION card, but THEY'LL JUST GO NAFTA AND SHIP THE JOBS OVERSEAS....

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