Activision Blizzard is in the news again due to a new lawsuit for sexual harassment and discrimination (va VGC). In the middle of last year lawsuits began to emerge against the company of Call of Duty by female workers due to the toxic work environment, something that Bobby Kotick himself, CEO of the studio, was fully aware of and, in fact, was also accused of actively participating in the harassment. At the beginning of this month, the company received a new lawsuit for the suicide of an employee, while the news that we bring you today has been presented to the Los Angeles County Superior Court by the lawyer Lisa Bloom.
“For years, Activision Blizzard’s open environment fostered rampant sexism, harassment, and discrimination, with 700 reported incidents that happened under the watch of CEO Robert Kotick“, we can read in the lawsuit. According to the report, a current employee – referred to as Jane Doe – who joined the company in 2017 as a senior administrative assistant claims that she was regularly pressured to drinking alcohol and engaging in lewd games. In addition, Joe adds that female employees were constantly subjected to sexual comments and groping by their male co-workers, naturally creating a totally unacceptable work environment.
Doe tried to change departments, but was unsuccessful
Doe alleges that he complained to his supervisors about excessive drinking and sexual advances, to which they responded with comments such as “management just wanted to be nice.” To make matters worse, Doe adds that he was told that You shouldn’t voice your concerns because of the irreparable damage it might cause to the studio’s reputation.. Finally, in the report it can be read that the worker failed in her multiple attempts to escape to a different position in a new department and that she was offered another position with a lower status and a notable salary reduction.
Executives pressured Doe to keep quiet so as not to damage the company’s image.
The company itself admitted earlier this month that it was having difficulty attract and retain employees. On the other hand, Microsoft has expressed on previous occasions that it closely monitors top executives to ensure the well-being of workers.
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