Activision Blizzard issues diversity report, aims to ‘do better’

By Michael Tobin | Bloomberg

Activision Blizzard said that astir fractional of firm departures successful the past twelvemonth person been women, a statistic the video crippled publishing institution is trying to alteration amid aggregate lawsuits and investigations into alleged harassment and discrimination.

In a 2021 diverseness study released Thursday, Activision said women marque up conscionable nether a 4th of full-time employees, which it says is connected par with the manufacture arsenic a whole. But the Santa Monica-based institution is down its competitors successful different areas, with underrepresented taste groups making up 36% of employees, compared with 40% for the manufacture arsenic a whole.

“While practice company-wide is akin to our adjacent gaming companies successful the United States, this is wholly inadequate successful my mind,” Activision Chief Operating Officer Daniel Alegre wrote successful a missive to employees. “We volition bash better.”

The study comes amid a months-long furor implicit Activision’s male-dominated culture. The company, known for deed video games specified arsenic Call of Duty and World of Warcraft, was sued by California’s Department of Fair Employment and Housing successful July implicit allegations of intersexual harassment, unequal wage and retaliation. The bureau described a “frat lad culture” astatine the institution and accused enactment of failing to instrumentality action.

Activision Blizzard employees person staged walkouts and signed petitions demanding Chief Executive Officer Bobby Kotick resign. The institution has pledged to marque it much inclusive and welcoming to its astir 10,000 employees.

Earlier this month, a four-year worker astatine Blizzard Entertainment successful Irvine stood extracurricular the company’s gates and shared her experiences, which echoed those alleged successful the authorities lawsuit.

Identified lone arsenic Christine, she said she was subjected to rude comments astir her body, suffered unwanted intersexual advances and had been touched inappropriately. She besides spoke of intoxicant maltreatment astatine squad events and said the workplace was “a frat lad a civilization that’s detrimental to women.”

The institution has since vowed to alteration its enactment environment.

“While we person made large strides connected a fig of fronts this year, and successful our games successful particular, we perceive you: determination is undeniable vexation wrong the enactment astir our advancement on, and responses to, workplace concerns,” COO Alegre wrote.

Alegre said immoderate of the efforts to bring astir alteration whitethorn instrumentality clip to beryllium felt crossed the institution but that determination would beryllium “additional important changes successful the caller year.” Releasing the diverseness study is portion of Activision’s effect to a request for much transparency.

Among different findings successful the study are that connected the firm level, women marque up 47% of the workforce. Though women and radical of colour correspond much than fractional of introduction level positions.

The institution said that it wants to summation the practice of women and non-binary workers by 50% to much than one-third of employees wide successful the adjacent 5 years and volition necktie diverseness to show metrics.

Activision besides faces a ineligible deadline from the authorities of California to adhd much women to its committee successful the adjacent month. Currently the institution has 2 women connected its 10-member board. Activision said past period it’s moving connected adding a new, divers committee subordinate arsenic portion of a program to destruct workplace harassment and discrimination.