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More than 1,500 workers left their jobs this week for video game maker Activision Blizzard. Thousands signed a letter rebuking their employers. And even if the CEO apologized, current and former employees said they wouldn’t stop causing an uproar.
Shay Stein, who works at Activision, said it was “heartbreaking”. Lisa Welch, a former vice president, said she felt “deeply disappointed”. Others took to Twitter on Wednesday to share their anger or waved signs outside one of the company’s offices.
Activision, known for its immense popularity Call of DutyThe World of Warcraft and StarCraft game franchises have been making a fuss over workplace behavior issues. The rebellion stems from an explosive case California’s Department of Fair Employment and Housing filed last Tuesday, Blaming the $65 billion company promoting a “frat boy workplace culture” where men joke about rape and women are routinely harassed and paid less than their male counterparts.
Activision publicly criticized the agency’s two-year investigation and allegations as “irresponsible behavior by irresponsible government bureaucrats.” But its condescending tone angered employees who urged the company to try to fix the nasty problems that had been ignored for too long.
The intense response was unusual. Of all industries that have faced accusations of sexism in recent years Hollywood, restaurants and media — the male-dominated video game industry has long been noted for its clearly toxic behavior and lack of change. Feminist critics of the industry in 2014 facing death threats In what is known as Gamergate. Managers at gaming companies riot games and Ubisoft He was also accused of abuse of power.
Actions at Activision now may mark a new phase in the industry where a critical mass of its workers are stating that they will no longer tolerate such behavior.
“This could mean real accountability for companies that don’t care for their employees and create unequal work environments where women and gender minorities are marginalized and exploited,” said Carly Kocurek, associate professor at the Illinois Institute. Technology that examines gender in-game.
He said California’s lawsuit and the downfall at Activision were “a big deal” for an industry that has traditionally ignored allegations of sexism and harassment. He added that other game companies are likely watching the situation and considering whether they should appeal to their own culture.
Activision’s CEO, Bobby Kotick, apologized to employees Tuesday and said responses to the lawsuit were “deafening” and that a law firm would investigate the company’s policies.
Headquartered in Santa Monica, California, Activision said in a statement for this article that it is “committed to long-term change, listening and continuing to work hard to create a safe and inclusive workplace that we can all be proud of.”
In interviews, seven current and former Activision employees said that terrible behavior has occurred at the company for years, up and down the hierarchy. Three current employees declined to be named for fear of retaliation. His accounts of what happened at work are largely in line with those laid out in the state lawsuit.
Ms. Stein, 28, who worked in a customer service role at Activision from 2014 to 2017, helping players with their problems and glitches, said she was consistently paid less than her ex-boyfriend, who joined the company at the same time as her. and it did the same job.
Ms. Stein said she once turned down drugs that her manager offered at a holiday party in 2014 or 2015, which worsened their relationship and hampered her career. In 2016, an executive messaged him on Facebook asking him to deal with “weird stuff” and what kind of pornography he watches. He also said that his male colleagues joked that some women took their jobs just because they did sexual favors to their male superiors.
“It was really painful,” Ms Stein said, adding that she felt “she had to endure”.
Ms. Welch, who joined Activision in 2011 as vice president of consumer strategy and insights, said she knew the company had a challenging culture, but she was interested in this important role.
Later that year, at a hotel on a business trip, Ms. Welch said that after her boyfriend died weeks ago, a manager pressured her to have sex with him because he “deserved some fun”. He said you turned him down.
Other co-workers suggested she “connect” with them, and she’s regularly commented on her looks over the years. Ms. Welch, 52, said she was repeatedly overlooked for promotions in favor of less qualified men.
She said she didn’t report the facts, partly because she didn’t want to admit to herself that her gender was a “professional responsibility” and she loved her job. But it wasn’t until 2016, however, that her doctor convinced her to quit because stress was detrimental to her health, she said.
Ms. Welch said she thought her experience at the company was unique until the lawsuit was filed. “It’s just deeply disappointing to hear it’s on this scale,” he said.
Addressing the accusations of former employees, Activision said that “such behavior is disgusting” and will investigate the allegations. The company said it has moved away from its past and developed its culture in recent years.
The California Department of Fair Employment and Housing, which protects people against illegal discrimination, said it did not comment on open investigations. However, the Activision lawsuit filed in the Los Angeles Superior Court has also spared from minor details. Most of the abuse accusations focused on a division called Blizzard, which the company merged with in a deal with Vivendi Games in 2008.
The lawsuit accused Activision of being “a breeding ground for harassment and discrimination against women”. The lawsuit said employees conducted “cube scans” of getting drunk and treating women inappropriately in their work booths.
The lawsuit said that in one case, a female employee committed suicide while on a business trip because of a sexual relationship she had with her male supervisor. According to the lawsuit, before her death, her male colleagues shared an obscene photo of the woman.
When the case was made public last week, Activision said it was working to improve its culture but was also taking action to defend itself. He bluntly said that the government agency was “in a hurry to file a false complaint” and was “tired of the shameful behavior” of bringing up suicide.
Frances Townsend, Activision’s chief compliance officer, called the lawsuit “truly worthless and irresponsible” in an internal memo last week. Miss Townsend’s note released from twitter.
Employees reacted angrily. An open letter to Activision leaders urging them to take the accusations more seriously and “show compassion” for the victims had gathered more than 3,000 signatures from current and former employees by Wednesday. The company has about 10,000 employees.
“We no longer trust our leaders to put employee safety ahead of their own interests,” the letter said, describing Ms Townsend’s remarks as “unacceptable”.
The organizers of the strike announced on Tuesday also submitted a list of demands to the executives. These included ending mandatory arbitration clauses in workers’ contracts, further hiring and promoting various candidates, publishing salary data, and allowing a third party to oversee Activision’s reporting and human resources procedures.
Shares of the company fell on Tuesday. On the same day, Activision told its employees that they would be paid for participating in the strike. Mr. Kotick later apologized.
“I’m sorry we weren’t able to provide the right empathy and understanding,” he said in a note to employees. “There is no room for discrimination, harassment or any form of unequal treatment anywhere in our company.”
Mr. Kotick, who has been under fire for a long time, $155 million payment package that makes it one country’s highest-paid executivesHe added that the company will remove the team investigating reported abuses, firefighters found to be obstructing investigations, and in-game content flagged as inappropriate.
Staff said it wasn’t enough.
“We will not return to silence; We will not settle for the same processes that brought us to this point.” They refused to be identified for fear of retaliation.
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