Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick despatched a memo to all the firm’s staff early Thursday morning, apologizing for the way the corporate handled claims of sexual harassment and discrimination on the firm and outlining steps it intends to take to maneuver ahead.
“During the last decade, as we’ve introduced in new corporations, grown our workforce, and expanded our enterprise, we believed we had the methods, insurance policies and folks in place to make sure that our firm at all times lived as much as its status as an amazing place to work. Clearly, in some vitally vital points, we didn’t,” Kotick wrote in his memo. “The guardrails weren’t in place in all places to make sure that our values have been being upheld. In some instances, folks didn’t persistently really feel snug reporting issues, or their issues weren’t at all times addressed promptly or correctly. Individuals have been deeply let down and, for that, I’m really sorry.”
The online game studio confronted quite a few sexual harassment accusations earlier this 12 months, incidents that included male staff allegedly joking about rape, a feminine worker who died of suicide after colleagues shared a nude picture, and a so-called “Cosby Suite” as a result of the manager who labored there had earned a status for undesirable sexual advances.
The claims led to investigations by each California’s Division of Truthful Employment and Housing and the U.S. Equal Employment Alternative Fee (EEOC). The 2 regulators ended up at odds over which one ought to have the lead on investigating the corporate.
In his memo, Kotick outlined a few of the steps the corporate intends to take shifting ahead. For starters, it would have a zero-tolerance coverage for harassment or retaliation. It is going to abandon written warnings and as an alternative terminate staff discovered to have harassed or retaliated towards different staff.
The corporate will even improve the proportion of ladies and non-binary folks in its workforce by 50 p.c and plans to take a position $250 million in alternatives for various expertise.
Activision Blizzard will even waive arbitration for sexual harassment and discrimination claims, report pay fairness information on an annual foundation and supply common progress updates to employees.
Kotick additionally advised employees that he has requested his compensation to be lowered “to the bottom quantity California regulation will permit for folks incomes a wage, which this 12 months is $62,500.” He additionally requested to not be granted any bonuses or fairness compensation in the meanwhile.
“I really want not a single worker had had an expertise at work that resulted in damage, humiliation or worse — and to those that have been affected, I sincerely apologize,” Kotick added. “You’ve my dedication that we’ll do every part attainable to honor our values and create the office each member of this group deserves.”
