Current and former Activision Blizzard staffers issue demands to management
"Anti-discrimination committee" consisting of 12 people calls for greater support of trans employees, 12 weeks of paid parental leave, more
Today a group of current and ex-Activision Blizzard staffers formed an anti-discrimination committee to fight sex and gender discrimination at the publisher.
As reported by The Washington Post, the 12-person team also presented a series of demands to CEO Bobby Kotick, diversity officer Kristen Hines and chief human resources officer Julie Hodges.
Among the demands, the group requested the creation of an employee trans network for support of its transgender staffers.
Other requests included 12 weeks of paid parental leave, private lactation, and the institution of independent investigations around discrimination allegations.
The group also called for Activision Blizzard to waive mandatory arbitration in instances of alleged discrimination, something the publisher said it would do last year.
"At the end of the day, I would like to go into work and not have to think about anything but my work," Emily Knief, a senior motion graphic designer at Blizzard and committee member told The Post.
"But based on everything that has been happening, even well before it broke through the headlines, it has been taking up a sizable portion of my day, having to think about the inaction of leadership."
In response to the letter of demands, Activision Blizzard provided a statement to The Washington Post.
"We appreciate that these employees want to join with us to further build a better Activision Blizzard and continue the progress we have already made,” Activision Blizzard spokesperson Jessica Taylor told the publication.
"We have, for example, already upgraded our lactation facilities, waived arbitration, hired new DEI and EEO leaders, and collaborated with employees to make our policies and processes more Trans inclusive, just to name a few issues the letter raises."
The anti-discrimination committee demands follow after Activision Blizzard recently released it's ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) report for 2021.
The report detailed the company's efforts in a number of fields, including the company's efforts on diversity and inclusion.