Activision hires Disney and Delta executives to improve culture disrupted by harassment allegations – Orange County Register

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By Olga Kharif and Josh Eidelson | Bloomberg

Activision Blizzard Inc., under fire over allegations of sexual harassment in the workplace, is hiring executives from Walt Disney Co. and Delta Air Lines to address the company’s corporate culture.

The video game maker has hired Julie Hodges, formerly head of human resources at Disney, as the new director of human resources. He also hired Sandeep Dube, a former executive at Delta, as commercial director.

A union has filed a federal complaint against the company, accusing Activision of violating labor rules. The California Department of Employment and Housing sued the company in July, alleging it fostered a culture of brotherhood in which female employees faced sexual harassment, wage inequalities and retaliation. Employees at the company’s Blizzard gaming division in Irvine quit their jobs in July to protest the company’s response to the lawsuit.

In an email sent to employees in July, the Activisions chief compliance officer, who was President George W. Bush’s homeland security adviser, called the California agencies incorrect, old and out of context factual claims. Activision also said that the image painted in the lawsuit is not today’s Blizzard workplace and that the company values ​​diversity and strives to foster a workplace that offers inclusiveness for everybody.

Shares of Activision are down 16% year-to-date.

Blizzard Entertainment employees and supporters demonstrate for better working conditions in Irvine, Calif., Wednesday, July 28, 2021. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register / SCNG)

Related: Blizzard Workers In Irvine Organize In Company Slack To Call For Pay Rises

The US National Labor Relations Board complaint, filed by the Communications Workers of America, accuses Activision of violating federal labor law through coercive rules, actions and statements.

The employer has threatened employees whom they cannot speak or communicate about wages, hours and working conditions, according to a copy of the complaint provided by CWA. The document also accuses Activision of illegally telling staff that they could not discuss the ongoing investigations; threaten or discipline employees for their activism; the deployment of surveillance and interrogations targeting legally protected activism; and maintain a social media policy that violates workers’ rights.

The agency’s file shows that the CWA’s complaint was filed on September 10. Activision did not respond to requests for comment on Tuesday.

Complaints lodged with the labor commission are investigated by the regional offices and, if found to be well-founded and unresolved, may be prosecuted by the agency’s attorney general and heard by judges. administrative law. Decisions can be appealed to NLRB members in Washington, DC, and from there to federal court. The agency may require remedies such as posting notices and rescinding policies or penalties, but does not have the authority to impose punitive damages.

CWA, which has increasingly focused in recent years on organizing unorganized video game and tech workers, said in an emailed statement that it was very inspired by the bravery of the employees. of Activision and that he had filed a complaint with the labor board to ensure that the violations by the company would not go unanswered.

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