Activision Blizzard employees will walk out today in protest of the company’s leadership response to the harassment and bullying lawsuit.
Over 2600 Activision Blizzard employees have signed an open letter to the company’s leadership about the recent lawsuit against the company and the leadership’s poor response to the lawsuit.
The letter mentioned the company’s “abhorrent and insulting” response to the harassment allegations and called for “official statements that recognize the seriousness of these allegations and demonstrate compassion for victims of harassment and assault.”
Employees are demanding equality, better HR standards, and a third-party audit of Activision Blizzard, which publishes popular games such as Call of Duty and World of Warcraft.
The employees are planning the walkout at 10 a.m. PT today the 28th of July outside the Blizzard campus in Irvine California. The employees participating in the walkout will reportedly be allowed to take this time as paid time off.
California’s Department of Fair Employment and Housing accused Activision Blizzard of workplace discrimination on the 20th of this month, alleging that women are underpaid and harassed. The workplace is a “breeding ground for harassment and discrimination, in which women are subject to regular sexual advances by men who go largely unpunished,” according to the agency.
J. Allen Brack, the current Blizzard president, is one of the defendants in California’s lawsuit against Activision Blizzard for failing to take “effective remedial measures” in response to charges made by female employees.
In a leaked email, Brack stated that discrimination or harassment in the workplace is “unacceptable” and that everyone should feel safe working for the company. He goes on to state that it requires “courage to come forward” and that any and all claims are looked into internally and externally as appropriate. “We take these claims very seriously,” he states. “Claims can be made without fear of retaliation, and many times I attend to them personally along with our other leaders.”
These “actions” were clearly not enough for the employees as they are now taking their own actions against the leadership and will stand together in protest against these allegations.
Activision Blizzard Executive Vice President Frances Townsend and former Homeland Security adviser to George W. Bush stated that the lawsuit is a “distorted and untrue picture of our company.”
Under the hashtag #ActiBlizzWalkout, streamers, gamers, game developers, and former employees expressed support for Wednesday’s protest, with some calling for a blackout of Activision Blizzard games as a show of solidarity.
What are your thoughts on the present issue, and would you join a “blackout” of Activision Blizzard games in support of this cause? If so many people are willing to stand up for this cause, there is definitely a problem in the organization, and something needs to be done to make employees feel “comfortable” in their workplace.