Activision Blizzard to be sued for ‘culture of sexual harassment’
The US state of California is suing game publisher Activision Blizzard for grossly discriminatory and sexually transgressive behavior. Women within the company would be less likely to get promotions and there would be a ‘frat-boy culture’.
The lawsuit against the company was filed by the state’s Department of Fair Employment and Housing, Bloomberg reported. The agency is said to have been investigating the company for two years. It found that Activision Blizzard discriminates against women in various ways when it comes to equal opportunities around pay, promotions and other aspects of work. In addition, there would be a culture in which women are sexually harassed.
According to the indictment, the female employees, who make up roughly 20 percent of the company, argue that they are less likely to receive promotions because of the possibility of becoming pregnant. They are also criticized when they have to pick up children from daycare and they can’t use pumping rooms because male colleagues claim them for meetings.
The company has a broad culture of sexual abuse and sexual harassment, the prosecutors say. Male executives would try to pick on the women and joke about rape. Male employees would drink large amounts of alcohol, then harass women, and play games themselves during working hours while handing out work to female employees.
The lawsuit specifically refers to a female employee who killed herself while on a business trip. The woman is said to have experienced ‘intense sexual harassment’, including sending nude photos among employees. Prosecutors are demanding that Activision Blizzard do more to create a safe work environment. They also want arrears to be paid and salaries to be adjusted.
Activision Blizzard says in a response to The New York Times that it does not recognize itself in the complaints outlined. “The picture the DFEH paints is not the Blizzard workplace of today,” the company says. Blizzard has been accused of a sick work culture for years, for example when it paid women in 2019 to track their pregnancy and fertility with an app. Activision Blizzard simultaneously lashes out at prosecutors. They would not have discussed the complaints with the company before going to court. “It’s this kind of irresponsible bureaucratic behavior that causes many companies to leave the state of California,” the company said.