Q.
ARE REMOTE AND HYBRID WORKING HERE TO STAY?
Kathryn Spetch, Odgers Berndtson: For the foreseeable, absolutely. It has allowed many studios to benefit from a much broader talent pool and whilst this has had a seismic impact on the creativity and success of many projects, it also brings forth new challenges regarding international hiring, tax implications, mandating of anchor days, etc. We are all still on a journey of learning with this, navigating the benefits, the complexities and potential pitfalls.
Kim Parker Adcock, OPMjobs: One notable negative of the last two years is the number of jobs people now have on their CVs. We’ve seen as many as four jobs in one year, where people have been tempted away again and again. This is a dangerous habit and one which may be off-putting to employers as normality returns to the hiring process.
Silja Bernecker, InnoGames: All in all, for us, the trend towards remote/hybrid work has had more advantages than disadvantages so far, even though it has intensified the global competition for talents and brought us phenomena like the Great Reshuffle.
Ben Harrison, Sharkmob: Hybrid working is definitely here to stay and when properly designed we see huge benefits and also see the value of face to face interaction in making the best games. At Sharkmob we have been evaluating different models of hybrid working, listening carefully to staff and thinking about the best ways of getting the benefits of office and home based work.
Colin Macdonald, Games Jobs Live: I’ve certainly heard quite a few people say they’re choosing to go back to the office more to save heating at home, so it may depend on gas prices! But remote/hybrid is undoubtedly going to stay more common than pre-pandemic, although many companies are still evaluating their policies and what works for them. Many companies have found ways to make remote/
hybrid work well, but others are still seeing deadlines slipping even more compared to pre-pandemic levels, and the crux of the problem seems to be that many individuals feel they’re more productive at their own tasks when working remotely, but their remoteness has unmeasured impacts on other parts of the team. Given the often long development cycles of many games projects, it’s going to still take some time for many companies to figure out what works best for them.
Alan Dixon, Amiqus: Amiqus has conducted extensive research into this area and the results have revealed a genuine desire by candidates to have a flexible way of working, whether that’s fully remote or hybrid working. Certainly, it remains a key topic of conversation around working practices, with the four-day working week now also being pioneered by some.
Emma Smith, Creative Assembly: Flexible working is absolutely here to stay. It’s not a case of reverting back to previous working models, it’s a case of refining and improving how we work within this new landscape, ensuring we can find that balance to support high performing teams and quality working lives. We continue to see new solutions for team communication, creative collaboration and more and it will be interesting to see how innovations change how teams work effectively together irrespective of location.
Eduardo Goncalves, Keywords Studios: The covid-19 pandemic has changed the way we work forever. The main challenge for employers with flexible working arrangements - whether remote, hybrid, or distributed teams - is to maintain engagement and build relationships between colleagues. The need for a structured onboarding process is crucial, and to increase collaboration and create a sense of belonging, employers are setting up online team-building games and activities.
“Many individuals feel they’re more productive at their own tasks when working remotely, but their remoteness has unmeasured impacts on other parts of the team. It’s going to still take some time for many
companies to figure out what works best for them” Colin Macdonald, director of Games Jobs Live
December2022 MCV/DEVELOP | 39
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