Report: Wargaming plans to relocate up to 30% of its Belarusian staff, with others facing layoffs
A few Wargaming employees have shared new details about the ongoing liquidation of the company’s office in Minsk. The answers varied from talks about mass layoffs to Minsk-based devs being offered to keep working under another legal entity.
dev.by, an Internet outlet about the IT industry in Belarus, recently spoke with several Wargaming employees who preferred to stay anonymous. Here are some key takeaways from the report.
- One employee said that all team members based in Minsk are laid off without a relocation offer.
- Wargaming is trying to keep only top developers and “unique” specialists, with others facing layoffs no matter what their experience is.
- Employees are now reportedly lining up for dismissal, because the sooner they quit the company the more compensation they can get.
- “If you agree to accept less money, let’s say three salaries instead of four, WG recruiters will help you with the CV and find a new job, and you will still have access to in-house training for another 2-3 months,” one employee claimed.
- Employees estimate that Wargaming will relocate up to 30% of its staff. However, some of the core devs have already left the country.
- Although the company previously stated that the liquidation would take four months, employees believe that everyone will be fired until May 31.
- Staff members also feel that the liquidation affected their value in the labor market, with some of them now trying to find new jobs abroad.
- It is unclear who will now be in charge of all the tasks that Minsk-based employees have been responsible for. Some believe that the company will basically cut down on production volume.
- Two employees noted that Wargaming’s leadership doesn’t communicate with staff, offering little to no information and options.
- According to another version, the company won’t fully liquidate its Belarusian entity and will put some of its staff under another legal entity associated with Saint Petersburg-based Lesta Studio.
Wargaming announced its decision to leave Russia and Belarus last month and transfer all its local business to Lesta Studio. This goes in line with other game companies suspending their operations in these countries after Russia sent troops to Ukraine on February 24.
