Behaviour Interactive: Creative Freedom and Unique Work-Life Balance

Introduction

Gregory Lee: My name is Greg and I am the manager of the Talent Acquisition team for the division here at Behaviour that focuses on the development of original games, including Dead by Daylight. I began my career recruiting in engineering disciplines across multiple industries. Having a passion for technology I began working in web development on the side and through that decided to orient my career toward talent acquisition in the tech industry. It only made sense to eventually combine my passion for video games into my day-to-day as well. I joined Behaviour close to a year ago after a conversation I had with Emilie and Julien our Talent Acquisition Director. We all share a vision of building a talent acquisition team that will be integrated and really act as an extension of our production teams.

Emilie Benabou: My name is Emilie, and I’m a Talent Acquisition Manager at Behaviour Interactive. My academic background is in HR/commerce. The moment I got out of college I always knew I wanted to join the creative/ entertainment industry. I am a real fan of innovative and artistic work produced by teams.  I decided to join Behaviour’s Talent Acquisition Team nearly 2 years ago when an ex-colleague of mine from the VFX industry told me how awesome it was to work in gaming, especially at Behaviour! 

Working Process at Behaviour Interactive

Greg: Behaviour is divided into 3 main business units: Digital, which creates, develops, and runs original IP owned by Behaviour such as Dead by Daylight and Meet your Maker; Studios, which develops games for blue-chip clients such as Microsoft, Sony, EA, Warner and 2K; and Business Solutions, which applies video games expertise to develop applications and immersive experiences for businesses outside the video game sector such as CAE.

Emilie: We work on several productions simultaneously, and teams are organized accordingly.  One person will usually be working on one project at a time, but depending on the scope of the production, they could be participating in two or three. We have multidisciplinary teams whose size can vary. 

Knowledge, expertise, and tools are shared between production teams across our business units. 

We have an Internal Mobility Program that lets employees apply for openings on projects other than the one they are currently working on.  

We also have a very effective internal referral program: 30% of our hired talent comes from peer recommendations, which means our employees are also our recruiters and best ambassadors. 

Hiring a New Specialist

Greg: First and foremost, it's certainly a big challenge here in Quebec – it’s the 5th largest video game hub in the world and the talent competition is incredibly strong. Behaviour has nearly 1,200 employees, a head office in Montreal, and a new studio in Toronto and we acquired Midwinter in Seattle in June 2022. We are growing rapidly, and talent attraction and retention are essential. Also, the fact that we are independent gives us a lot of latitude on the policies we can put in place.

Outside of specific technical requirements, we are primarily focused on hiring smart people, getting things done, and having a winning attitude. In our environment, that means someone passionate, values self-development, and always prioritizes effective collaboration. We have a hybrid work environment, with some people working from the office, and others full-time from home, and everyone has the freedom to work in the way that best suits them. Because of this, the ability to collaborate asynchronously, communicate effectively and value high accountability is even more important in our day to day!

Emilie: For artists, we will look at their portfolio along with their versatility, styles, and techniques. Just as important as their artistic skills are how they perform as team players.  For juniors, we will look more specifically at their ability to ask questions, to be curious, and to communicate what they need to do their work.  For seniors, we like seeing artists who share their knowledge with their peers and juniors.

Welcoming New Teammates

Greg: We focus on attraction as much as retention and Behaviour is very progressive in this regard. We are always looking for new ways to increase the happiness coefficient of our employees, from the development of personalized career plans to the work-life balance and the generous time off/holiday policy.

We focus on creating a structured onboarding experience that gives every new team member the chance to meet people from multiple teams and help set up points of contact to help them as they acclimate to their new environment.  

Our hybrid infrastructure was put in place to make sure that all employees feel included, whether they are fully remote, fully in the office, or hybrid. Whether it's joining a club on Yammer to discuss with people who have similar interests/hobbies, joining one of our sports teams, or even meeting informally at one of our monthly happy hours, we try to create as many opportunities as possible for employees to connect across all teams at Behaviour, whether they are in Montreal, Toronto, Seattle or wherever Behaviour sets up shop.

Emilie: As we have a very flexible remote work policy, we needed to make sure that our onboarding program allows new hires who onboard remotely to feel as welcomed as others who start in person at the studio.  We have a buddy system so the new employee has a dedicated go-to person to provide context and help them to understand their role.  Managers also book a 1:1 with their new hire during their first week, and their Talent & Culture Partner will meet with them to ensure they know who to go to for HR-related questions. The monthly happy hours at the studios also allow new employees to meet their colleagues in a more informal context and get to know them personally.  Finally, each production team has its own original and innovative ways of greeting new team members, all equally fun and exciting! 

Thoughts on Burnout and Crunches

Greg: Behaviour is exceptionally proud of its no-crunch time policy, which has been in place since the early 2000s. We really do everything we can to avoid overtime and give our teams the tools they need to succeed in their 37.5-hour work week.  As we continue to grow, we are investing in expanding our teams through active recruitment and acquisitions. Our goal is for everyone to continue to feel like a pivotal part of Behaviour without feeling the stress of new projects or an increased workload. Only last year, we added over 450 new members to our team, and we will continue to grow our teams across the business this year to achieve our goals, all while making sure the workload of our current employees is manageable and engaging!

At Behaviour, we really focus on “alignment,” meaning that our number one priority is to find people who share our values. In this way, we increase our chances of having diverse teams working in harmony.

Emilie: Mental health is an important aspect of Behaviour’s focus on employee well-being and providing a work environment where everyone feels comfortable and safe discussing stress, anxiety, depression and other mental health concerns is crucial. As an employer, Behaviour is particularly known for offering real work-life balance, and practices to maintain that reality are embedded in our culture. 

Among other tools offered to employees, we have an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) that provides access to confidential support services 24/7, as well as a virtual health care service that is available free of charge to all employees. We also have flexible hours and remote work policies.

Talent & Culture and Production teams work closely together to keep an eye on the happiness and stress level of the different teams. If we detect an issue, we work with the employees to adapt to their needs and limits.

Creative Freedom at the Studio

Greg: Our culture is built on transparency. We encourage our employees to speak their minds, so we’re constantly evolving the tools we use to cater to different personalities and comfort levels. We have tools like Officevibe to collect anonymous feedback from all members of our teams, driving alignment and helping managers make better decisions. We host quarterly All-Hands meetings to give business-wide updates and promote visibility on corporate and business unit strategies. These meetings have built-in opportunities so employees can ask questions freely and speak their minds. 

On a day-to-day basis, employees have regular 1:1s with their managers that address factors such as strategy and workflow. A lot of the processes and tools in place across the company have come from the recommendations of people in our team.

Emilie: This is true for artists but also everyone at Behaviour. That said, as Gregory Fromenteau, our Principal Art Director, says, artists are always welcome to suggest anything that could positively impact their work or project. They don’t have to all use the same tools; most of the time, they can even work on their chosen tools or software to produce assets. We’re always learning, and we have people with different backgrounds and cultures. It’s one of our strengths – nothing is set in stone and we’re always looking to improve our workflows.

Approach to Education

Emilie: This year we’ve particularly focused on people’s development and evolution.  Our new Learning & Development Team is pushing forward many initiatives to make sure Behaviour provides opportunities to grow and feel fulfilled at work. We are in the process of organizing structured and relevant training programs for each team and discipline. We are also equipping our managers with the tools they need to have meaningful career paths and development conversations with their teams. 

We strongly encourage employees to set mid to long-term development objectives with their manager, who will then follow up regularly and support them in achieving their professional goals. The efforts and commitments given to these objectives will figure prominently in both the mid- and end-of-year discussions.

Aside from these initiatives, we have our Internal Mobility Program which is open to all, and an amazing campus program that welcomed 120 interns in 2022. 

Greg: We offer a range of options such as training, conferences/communities of practice, and talent development. These aim to help employees do their job with greater ease and confidence. We want to have a wide range of training opportunities to support their development and favour group training to reach the greatest number of people.  A big emphasis recently has been to prepare the next generation for tomorrow's challenges such as new technologies and the management and collaboration of hybrid teams. 

An example of developing the technical expertise of our teams is a university-level online course we offer our new programmers in order to ramp up on Unreal engine. 

In a more informal context, every junior member works directly with a senior buddy who serves as a mentor to give them actionable feedback and help them improve their craft.

Tips for the Artists Willing to Join Behaviour Interactive

Greg: As a talent acquisition team, we are working on more than just filling open roles; we are aiming to build a network of passionate artists and professionals in the video game industry. Open roles change all the time but the relationships you build by being true to yourself and what you want to do will continue to work for you long into your career!

Here are my top 2 tips:

1. Try to have a long-term vision and don’t settle. 
2. Focus on what you are passionate about and what keeps you motivated on a day-to-day basis. 

Emilie: You’ve heard it before, but it’s still true: work on your portfolio! Make sure it showcases your best and recent work. If you’re not proud of a piece you’ve done, don’t include it in your selection.  Also, make sure that you can explain your artistic and thought process for each piece, as well as your contribution to it (if it was produced by multiple people).  Yes, your skills will be assessed, but also your approach to the challenge. We are looking for problem-solvers and curious, collaborative creatives to join our team.  During the interview, be yourself and honest about your ambitions, interests, and skills – if you like what you do, we’ll feel it!  We want to hire artists in roles that will inspire and challenge them, but also ones that will position them for success. 

Gregory Lee and Emilie Benabou, Talent Acquisition Managers at Behaviour Interactive