Activision Blizzard employees walked out of work for a second time this year on Tuesday, demanding the company replace its current CEO Bobby Kotick amid reports that he failed to report allegations of sexual misconduct to the board.
Employees created a Twitter account stating that they have instituted their own “Zero Tolerance Policy,” explaining that their walkout is part of continued calls for a third-party view of their choosing into sexual harassment allegations.
Activision Blizzard told NBC News in a statement that it supports its employees’ “right to express their opinions and concerns in a safe and respectful manner, without fear of retaliation.”
The Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday that Kotick allegedly knew about sexual assault allegations at one of the company’s studios as early as 2018 and failed to inform the board. The outlet cited anonymous sources with knowledge of the board as well as memos, emails and regulatory requests in its reporting.
According to the WSJ, Kotick was emailed in 2018 by an attorney for a female at Sledgehammer Games who was allegedly “raped in 2016 and 2017 by her male supervisor after she had been pressured to consume too much alcohol in the office and at work events.”
The employee had informed human resources but no action was taken, the WSJ report said, referring to the contents of the email. It is unclear if the email was obtained and reviewed by the WSJ or whether it was described by a source.
An out-of-court settlement was reached with the woman, who was not identified, months after Kotick was emailed but the board had not been aware, sources familiar with the situation told the WSJ.
NBC News has not independently verified the allegations made in the WSJ on Tuesday. The woman’s attorney, Harmeet Dhillon, who allegedly sent Kotick the email, told NBC News Tuesday she was not at liberty to discuss the matter.
The company said it was “disappointed” in the report and called it a “misleading view” of Activision Blizzard and Kotick.
“The WSJ ignores important changes underway to make this the industry’s most welcoming and inclusive workplace and it fails to account for the efforts of thousands of employees who work hard every day to live up to their — and our — values,” Activision Blizzard said in a statement posted to its website.
“The constant desire to be better has always set this company apart. Which is why, at Mr. Kotick’s direction, we have made significant improvements, including a zero-tolerance policy for inappropriate conduct.”
A public transcript of a video message from Kotick to employees was also posted by the company in response to the WSJ report. He told employees it was an “inaccurate” view of him and the company will move forward with a zero tolerance policy for inappropriate behavior.
“Over the last few years our industry has had an uncomfortable spotlight that’s been illuminating opportunities for us to change. And we must all, including me, embrace this need for change, so we can bring our very best selves to the very best place to work,” Kotick said.
Activision Blizzard’s board released a statement following the WSJ report on Tuesday stating that its board “remains confident that Bobby Kotick appropriately addressed workplace issues brought to his attention.”
“Under Bobby Kotick’s leadership the Company is already implementing industry leading changes including a zero tolerance harassment policy, a dedication to achieving significant increases to the percentages of women and non-binary people in our workforce and significant internal and external investments to accelerate opportunities for diverse talent,” the statement said.
Another walkout was staged in July after the video game company was sued by the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing.
The lawsuit alleged that Activision Blizzard has a “pervasive ‘frat boy’ culture where female employees are sexually harassed and paid and promoted less than male counterparts.” A two-year investigation by the state agency found female employees at Activision Blizzard were subjected to constant sexual harassment, according to the agency’s press release at the time.
Women make up about 20 percent of its 9,500-employee workforce, according to the lawsuit filing.
The lawsuit remains pending in the Los Angeles County Superior Court, with a case management conference scheduled for Dec. 9, according to court records.
Employees who walked out in July, following the state lawsuit, said they had four main demands of the company: to end mandatory arbitration clauses in employee contracts; adopt policies to improve diversity, equity and inclusion; publish compensation data, promotion rates and salary ranges for employees of all genders and ethnicities; and hire a third party to audit the company’s structure, human resources department and executives.
Kotick apologized to employees at the time and said that he had asked the law firm WilmerHale to conduct a review of the company’s policies and procedures to “ensure that we have and maintain best practices to promote a respectful and inclusive workplace” and encouraged employees to report any workplace policy violations they had experienced.
He also announced in October that the company made some changes in line with employee demands. Activision Blizzard ended forced arbitration for cases involving sexual harassment and discrimination and will raise the number of women and non-binary people it employs by 50 percent.
Source: | This article originally belongs to Nbcnews.com
