EA Senior Director Fired Following Inappropriate Remarks

Electronic Arts (EA) has fired an employee following some alleged and questionable remarks to a fellow employee.

A Senior Director of EA Ireland has been fired for allegedly telling a female colleague that he was NOT "going to pull my dick out and put it on the table" next to another woman colleague "to see who has the bigger dick." You know, classic work banter....

The employee in question is Philippe Grenet (56), who is said to earn 160,000 euros per annum as director of global delivery service for EA Ireland. Grenet has come out and denied ever making the comment, which allegedly happened during a one-to-one video call with a female colleague in EA Austin back on November 9.

According to Grenet, what was actually said during the conversation by him was "I don't want to compare the length of my dick" with the aforementioned colleague. Grenet acknowledges the remark was clumsy, inelegant, and ill-advised, but also states that it simply meant he "did not want to challenge" that particular person in regards to a work matter.

Via an affidavit, Grenet also claims that said the woman who made the complaint, was motivated by malice because she had not been successful after expressing her interest in the role he was eventually appointed to.

Further, per Grenet, the employee would regularly undermine his authority as her manager, would express a negative attitude with him, and had difficulties with fellow EA employees. According to Grenet, these are more examples that she was actuated by her personal dislike of him.

Where the truth is in this whole debacle, who knows. It sounds like a mess. Nonetheless, following the complaint, Grenet has been let go by EA. But the story is not ending there.

Grenet's legal representatives claim EA did not conduct a proper investigation into the matter, as well as didn't follow fair and standard procedure before dismissing him. Grenet's counsel also points out that his client doesn't speak English as his first language, and thus his words have been "twisted out of context."

In response to the claims, EA's counsel has asserted there was no wrongdoing by the company with Grenet's dismissal, and that it had the right to terminate his employment.

Whatever the case may be, the court has granted an injunction that means EA won't be permitted to appoint a replacement until the matter is settled. The case is slated to continue next week.

Source: Irish Independent