Electronic Arts Canada: Severance Packages
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Electronic Arts (EA) Canada is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Electronic Arts Inc., which is an American multinational video game developer that is celebrated for a number of titles, including The Sims™, Need for Speed™, and Apex Legends™.
Founded in 1982, the video game giant employs a global workforce of more than 29,000 people, according to LinkedIn.
Headquartered in Redwood City, California, EA has offices in a number of major Canadian cities, including Toronto, Kitchener, Montreal, Edmonton, Victoria, and Vancouver.
According to the company’s website, it has nearly 600 million active players and fans worldwide.
Recent layoffs at EA
- February 2024: EA is eliminating approximately five per cent of its workforce and reducing office space as it restructures its business.
- March 2023: EA is cutting approximately 800 jobs, or six per cent of its workforce, as part of a company-wide restructuring.
- May 2022: EA is reportedly laying off approximately 100 customer service employees at its office in Austin, Texas.
- March 2019: EA confirmed that it’s eliminating 350 jobs globally. The company says the move is focused on addressing redundancies in its marketing and publishing departments.
- February 2015: EA is laying off staff at its office in Montreal, Quebec. The company didn’t disclose how many Canadian employees would be affected.
- May 2013: EA announced that it’s cutting around 900 jobs as part of a companywide restructuring aimed at reducing costs.
Severance for EA Canada employees
Non-unionized employees at EA Canada may get up to 24 months of severance pay when they are fired or laid off from their job. This applies to individuals working in any capacity—full-time, part-time, or hourly—in Ontario, Alberta, and British Columbia. Contractors may also be entitled to severance pay due to employee misclassification.
Severance is the compensation provided to non-unionized workers in Canada by their employer when they are terminated without cause.
Even if an employee is fired for cause, they may still be eligible for full severance pay. This is due to the high standards required to legally justify for-cause dismissal.
LEARN MORE
• Severance for provincially regulated employees
• Severance packages in mass layoffs
• How severance pay works by company
• Severance for federally regulated employees
The right to severance pay is consistent regardless of economic conditions, company downsizing, business closures, or significant public health events, such as the COVID-19 pandemic.
WATCH: Employment lawyer Lior Samfiru explains everything you need to know about severance pay on an episode of the Employment Law Show.
The employment lawyers at Samfiru Tumarkin LLP have represented tens of thousands of employees over the years in severance package negotiations.
We have successfully secured much larger amounts for individuals employed across a variety of positions, from entry level jobs to executives.
How to properly calculate severance pay
There is a general belief that severance is one week’s pay, two weeks’ pay, or a week for every year of service an employee has with a company.
The reality is that severance for non-unionized employees in Canada is calculated using a variety of factors, including age, length of service, position, bonuses, benefits, your employment contract, and your ability to find new work.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
• Severance Pay in Ontario
• Alberta severance packages
• Understanding severance in B.C.
• Layoffs in Canada
Before accepting a severance offer, double-check the amount using our firm’s free Severance Pay Calculator. It has helped millions of Canadians determine their entitlements.
If your employer’s offer falls short of what our Severance Pay Calculator says you are owed, it’s very likely that you have been wrongfully dismissed and should contact an experienced employment lawyer at Samfiru Tumarkin LLP.
Don’t sign on the dotted line!
Do not accept any severance offer, termination papers, or exit agreement that you receive. Once you sign back these documents, you eliminate your ability to negotiate additional severance pay.
Non-unionized employees in Canada have up to two years from the date of their dismissal to pursue proper severance pay. An employer’s deadline to sign back a severance offer is not legally enforceable or binding.
Generally speaking, if an employee does not receive the proper amount of severance pay when they lose their job, they may be considered to have been wrongfully dismissed. An employment lawyer at Samfiru Tumarkin LLP can analyze your situation and explain how much compensation you may be owed.
Talk to an employment lawyer
The experienced employment law team at Samfiru Tumarkin LLP has helped tens of thousands of non-unionized individuals across the country. In addition to severance package negotiations, our team has experience securing solutions for the following employment matters:
Our lawyers in Ontario, Alberta, and B.C. stand ready to help you solve your workplace issues.
If you are a non-unionized employee who needs help with an employment issue, contact us or call 1-855-821-5900 to get the advice you need, and the compensation you deserve.
Disclaimer: The materials above are provided as general information about the rights of non-unionized employees in Canada. It is not specific to any one company and should not be read as suggesting any improper conduct on the part of any specific employer, or a relationship between Samfiru Tumarkin LLP and a specific employer.