Bethesda HR Orders Removal of Layoff Memorial After Xbox Cuts Thousands of Jobs

1 articles · Updated · Kotaku · Jul 8

Rockville staff were told Wednesday to take down a memorial honoring laid-off Bethesda colleagues almost immediately after it was set up, according to the official BGS Union.
HR said the display had to be removed because it was in a common area and called a “Celebration of Service” inappropriate, the union said, even though employees say similar spaces have hosted fan works and team displays.
The Maryland tribute followed a similar memorial created Tuesday by Bethesda’s Austin team after Microsoft and Xbox began another sweeping layoff round Monday across Bethesda, id Software, Obsidian and Activision.
Thousands of jobs have been cut across Xbox’s subsidiaries and studios, with more layoffs expected over the next 12 months, deepening labor tensions as unionized teams push for contract terms including layoff protections.