Some job seekers may be dismayed after learning that some companies, such as Volition, are refusing to hire people for remote work in certain areas.
Since 2020, many companies around the world have had to adapt to hiring more remote positions to stay afloat. For example, video game companies such as Bungie advertised more remote positions for specific roles after seeing how beneficial it was for the company during the pandemic.
Several other game companies have taken a similar approach. Volitionwho created games such as Saints Row, has opened many remote positions on its website. These are huge roles, such as Lead Character Artist and Senior UI Artist.
However, an important note that has been made on all job postings states that Volition is currently unable to hire people in California and New York. The company doesn’t go into specific details as to why this happened, although it’s remote, but many people have been speculating about the potential reasons.
One of the main possible reasons is that New York and California are among the most expensive states to live in and would require a higher salary. Additionally, Volition would have to go through additional hassles such as registering with California and New York tax agencies, given that it is located in Champaign, Illinois. All of this adds up to potentially high legal fees. This would be even more annoying for Volition because he would then have to constantly pay taxes in California and New York and make sure he meets local regulations. Not only that, but he should give all employees higher pay and unemployment insurance if he is to be registered there.
Another possibility is that Volition must follow additional workplace regulations. For example, this would require rules such that employees must work a certain number of hours before taking a break, which could be compensated. Other potential reasons could be dealing with different time zones when setting up meetings, which would be a nightmare to schedule so everyone can get together at a reasonable time.
Overall, it seems Volition would rather avoid all of these regulations than find potential talent in California and New York. As unfortunate as it may seem, there are still plenty of opportunities for workers in these fields. Additionally, many major video game studios are located in California and New York, such as Riot Games and Rockstar Games, where people can find similar remote positions. Hopefully this doesn’t discourage anyone from getting their dream job.
