Dontnod adopts permanent work from home policy

Dontnod Entertainment is one of the latest developers to bring into force a permanent work from home policy for employees. The developer of Tell Me Why and Twin Mirror has announced today that staff will now permanently work remotely in this fashion.

Dontnod has said that it’s giving staff in the Paris and Montreal offices the option to decide whether to work from home or to work from an office with an allocation of remote days. This would mean that a set amount of time must be worked outside of the office.

The company is providing equipment and furniture for all those who choose to work from home permanently. Offices will also be equipped with shared flex desks, designed for employees who usually work remotely that need to work in the office for one reason or another.

Dontnod claims that it was considering the working from home model, known as Fully Remote Organization model, before the pandemic. In October, an employee referendum found that 87 percent of the staff at the studio were in favor of making this move.

Matthieu Hoffman, Dontnod’s HR Director, explained that the company realized that the working from home model gives employees a better work-life balance. While some thought had been given to it prior to the pandemic, lockdowns forced the company to see the results for itself, and they found them to be beneficial both for productivity and for employee satisfaction.

The Fully Remote Organization model has been designed to give employees the flexibility they want and create a much more enjoyable environment for everyone to work in, in whatever capacity they choose.

A side effect of this new initiative is that Dontnod can expand its applicant pool for jobs. The Montreal office will now be able to hire anyone from anywhere in Quebec, and the Paris office anyone from anywhere in France. This means that the company has the opportunity to hire a richer collection of staff who will almost certainly be better than the small pool that was available before.

As more companies adopt a working from home model, employees are choosing what they want to do. For some, the office is the only way to go, but for others who need that flexibility, being able to work remotely is a dream come true.