Quality of Life SIG/Grievance Committee
International Game Developers Association
Purpose: The IGDA Grievance Committee exists to receive complaints from IGDA members about employer policies that are in contravention to IGDA Standards.
IGDA Standards: The IGDA standards are fact based determinations passed by the IGDA Board of Directors. As an example, the Crediting Committee defined an evidence based rules for crediting. Once a standard has been passed by the IGDA Board, it will take effect for Grievance purposes two calendar quarters later. As an example, a standard passed by the Board in February would take effect on October 1st. Standards shall be listed (with dates at which they come into effect) on the IGDA web site. New Standards may be proposed by any IGDA SIG or individual member.
Example Standard: "Non-compete agreements which do not pay the employee their peak salary during the non-compete period are considered unfair restrictions of a developer's ability to earn a living, and are condemned by the IGDA".
Grievance Process: IGDA members submit their grievance via the IGDA Web Page. All submitted grievances must have the complaintants name attached; if it is not something that an IGDA member feels strongly enough to attach their name to, it is not something that the committee will consider.
The IGDA Grievance Committee shall appoint an investigator, who is to report back to the Committee within 30 days. The investigator may not work for the company being investigated or a company with close ties to it, and is expected to recuse him or herself if investigation shows that they have personal ties that would compromise even the appearance of impartiality.
The investigator's report will have four options.
- Confirmed, by corporate attestation. The company has confirmed its policy or actions.
- Confirmed, by evidence. The investigator found evidence (included with the report) to confirm the grievance.
- Unconfirmed. The investigator was unable to establish the factual basis of the grievance.
- Contradicted, by evidence. The investigator found the grievance to be unfounded, based on the evidence included.
The IGDA Grievance Committee, with the advice of counsel, then votes on whether or not to accept the investigator's report.
In the cases of accepted reports, the following reporting standards shall be used:
If a Grievance is found to be Confirmed, the IGDA shall notify the company that it will be reported in the next Quarterly report, should the policy continue.
If a Grievance is found to be Contradicted, and the Grievance becomes a matter of public knowledge, the IGDA shall issue a press release stating that it investigated the claim, and determined that it did not violate IGDA Standards.
On a quarterly basis, the IGDA will issue press releases listing, by company, the Confirmed Grievances.
