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California Sues Activision Blizzard Over Culture of Sexual Harassment
The California Department of Fair Employment and Housing has filed suit against gaming giant Activision Blizzard, alleging that they fostered a hostile and sexist work environment for female employees, who comprise about 20% of their workforce. From Bloomberg Law [bloomberglaw.com]:
Video game giant Activision Blizzard Inc., maker of games including World of Warcraft and Diablo, fosters a “frat boy” culture in which female employees are subjected to constant sexual harassment, unequal pay, and retaliation, according to a lawsuit filed by the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing.
A two-year investigation by the state agency found that the company discriminated against female employees in terms and conditions of employment, including compensation, assignment, promotion, and termination. Company leadership consistently failed to take steps to prevent discrimination, harassment, and retaliation, the agency said.
[...]The agency seeks an injunction forcing compliance with workplace protections, as well as unpaid wages, pay adjustments, back pay, and lost wages and benefits for female employees.
“We value diversity and strive to foster a workplace that offers inclusivity for everyone. There is no place in our company or industry, or any industry, for sexual misconduct or harassment of any kind,” a spokesperson for Activision Blizzard said in a statement. “We take every allegation seriously and investigate all claims. In cases related to misconduct, action was taken to address the issue.”
[...]“The picture the DFEH paints is not the Blizzard workplace of today,” the company said.
Some examples of the allegations include "cube crawls", where male employees would get drunk and harass female employees, delegating heavy workloads to women while paying them less, and even an incident where a female employee committed suicide after nude photos of her were passed around during a company holiday party.
The case is Calif. Dep’t of Fair Emp. & Housing v. Activision Blizzard Inc. [aboutblaw.com], Cal. Super. Ct., No. 21stcv26571, 7/20/21. Further coverage of the story at The Verge [theverge.com], the BBC [bbc.co.uk], and CNN [cnn.com].
