🚀 go-pugleaf

> IMPORTANT: This is not just an EA policy...  this is pretty much the norm
> for salaried employees throughout the US (Doesn't the US Dept of Labor
> actually have a list of regulations about what salaried employees are and
> are not entitled to?)

Note that I'm not a lawyer, nor do I play one on TV, but this comment
strikes me as a clear case of using the letter of the law to defeat
the spirit of the law.  Yes, salaried employees don't get overtime or
even legal comp time, but this does *not* mean that workers that agree
to be salaried are giving up their personal rights.  While what EA is
doing in this case is not illegal, it's clearly unethical and should
not be rewarded.

> In the interview he/she was told it was going to be long hours,
> especially at crunch time...

...and in the accompanying log entry from "EA Spouse" it was made
clear that during the interview EA *sidestepped* direct questions
about overtime and crunch time.  The employee, being a veteran of the
industry, was well aware of the requirements of crunch time prior to
roll-out, but when they asked for more detailed information those
points were avoided.  In his/her own words:

"I remember that they asked him in one of the interviews: "how do you
feel about working long hours?" It's just a part of the game industry
-- few studios can avoid a crunch as deadlines loom, so we thought
nothing of it. When asked for specifics about what "working long
hours" meant, the interviewers coughed and glossed on to the next
question; now we know why."

-- http://www.livejournal.com/users/ea_spouse/

So, though the employee in this case was informed of long hours and
crunch time, when they took the responsible approach of asking for
more information they were met with complete obsfucation.

> If short hours and OT and Comp Time were so important to them, they shouldn't
> have even taken the job in the first place

Note provided quote above.  This worker was well aware of what the
industry required, and was a veteran.  His/her expectations were
almost certainly realistic going into the front door.  It's EA's
actions following the hiring process that has led to this issue. EA
misled this worker during the hiring process.  Period.  IMHO this is
clearly an actionable offense, and I wish the employee luck.

And, of course, this just my two cents.

Tony Bruno

"'My Country Right or Wrong' is like saying 'My Mother, Drunk or
Sober'."
--Chesterton