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Two Eidos studios are shifting to a 4-day work week

The teams at the Montreal and Sherbrooke studios will have a 32-hour work week instead of the typical 40 hours.

Sam Chandler

October 7, 2021 6:00 PM

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Eidos-Montreal and Sherbrooke are the studios known for their work on the Deus Ex series, Tomb Raider, and Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy. But now they might become known for setting a new industry standard: a 4-day work week.

Eidos revealed in an update on its site on October 7, 2021 that both the Montreal and Sherbrooke studios will be shifting to a 4-day work week for all employees. Head of Studio David Anfossi took this opportunity to answer a few questions regarding this major workplace change.

We're continuing to adapt our studio to the new realities of work. After remote working and the hybrid model, we're shifting to the 4-day work week! A better work-life balance for even more innovative games. Details 👇https://t.co/1AaVJFwCLX

— Eidos-Montréal (@EidosMontreal) October 7, 2021

Some may be concerned that the employees will now need to condense five work days down to four, but Anfossi clarifies, “The idea is not to condense the working hours into 4 days, but rather to review our ways of doing things and our quality time invested, with the aim of working better!” This means, the teams won't be crunching 40 hours into four days, but will rather work a 32-hour 4-day week. To further this idea, internal meetings have been hit with a nerf, being reduced to 30 minutes instead of a full hour. All of this is a move to benefit employee productivity and the general well-being.

Anfossi goes on to talk about some of the other employee-focused changes the company has set up recently, “With remote working which has transformed the way we collaborate, we had already started an important cultural transition with the implementation of a rest period, access to a personal financial advisor, access to a telemedicine platform, reimbursement of mental health care and physical activity costs.”

This is an incredible step forward in an industry that is plagued by crunch culture. It will be interesting to see whether other studios, and even industries outside of the video game sphere, begin to shift to a different workweek setup. We’ll be sure to keep you posted on Eidos and what the team are working on next.

Sam Chandler

Head of Guides

Hailing from the land down under, Sam Chandler brings a bit of the southern hemisphere flair to his work. After bouncing round a few universities, securing a bachelor degree, and entering the video game industry, he's found his new family here at Shacknews as Head of Guides. There's nothing he loves more than crafting a guide that will help someone. If you need help with a guide, or notice something not quite right, you can message him on X: @SamuelChandler