Gail d’Hondt is no longer director of human resources at Bungie, and this resignation follows allegations of venomous and sexist sentiment.
According to an IGN report, Gail d’Hondt stepped down as director of human resources at Bungie after 14 years. This decision was made shortly after the publication of the same media, with numerous testimonies from former and current studio employees describing a toxic and sexist work environment. In some cases, HR officials reportedly refused to even register complaints and actively defended the guilty employees.
Gail d’Hondt is no longer Chief Human Resources Officer at Bungie
In an email sent to employees, which IGN saw, Gail d’Hondt said she wants to do “everything in her power to ensure that everyone who works [at Bungie] has a safe environment that is welcoming and supportive.”She added that the company’s HR department needed to move forward with a payroll “mostly made up of people new to Bungie.”Gayle d’Hondt didn’t specify who was going to replace her, but in that email she told employees that HR should “be trustworthy and not be labeled as an ‘accomplice’ or treated as a resource for the bad guys.”away with.» It is also unknown if Gail d’Hondt is leaving the company entirely or if she is changing jobs.
Resignation after allegations of toxic and sexist atmosphere
A former HR director spoke about her own experience with one of these bad guys at the company: a male executive she considered her friend. Without naming him, she explains that Bungie has finally made the decision to fire him. She ends her email like this:
I am proud of the work done in this company. I believe I made recommendations that were in the best interests of our employees and the company we want to become. I also think we’ve made a few mistakes and that’s what allows us to be the best version of ourselves – the company that I know we can be – we have to acknowledge all of that, embrace it, and move forward together in good faith.”
If IGN’s report does show the company in a very unflattering light, we also understand that the studio is doing its best to get rid of this toxic atmosphere and build something much better. In response to all this, CEO Pete Parsons issued a letter of apology, acknowledging that “action or, in some cases, inaction has caused grief to these people.”He also mentioned various changes the company has made in recent years to offer its employees a better place to work, including getting rid of bad employees, regardless of their “function, seniority, or interpersonal relationships.”