Activision Blizzard calls policy to make more diverse hiring ‘unachievable’

Earlier this month, Activision Blizzard was asked to institute a version of the Rooney Rule, a policy requiring employers to interview various candidates upon hiring, according to a new report from Motherboard. Lawyers for the big publisher behind Call of Duty and World of warcraft replied that such a policy would constitute “an unachievable encroachment on the company’s ability to manage its business”.

The country’s largest federation of unions, the AFL-CIO, which also happens to be a shareholder in Activision Blizzard, has submitted the proposal to the SEC. In the report, obtained by Motherboard, the organization wrote that instituting a policy similar to the Rooney Rule (a 2003 NFL policy instituted to address the lack of diversity among coaches) would increase “the diversity of the workforce by requiring that the initial pool of candidates from which new employees are hired by the Company will include, but not be limited to, qualified women and minority applicants. “

Motherboard reports that the adoption of the proposal could be voted on at upcoming shareholder meetings, but Activision Blizzard is trying to bring in the SEC to prevent that from happening.

“While the company has implemented a Rooney rule policy as expected [for director and CEO nominees], implementing a policy that would extend such an approach to all hiring decisions amounts to an unachievable encroachment on the company’s ability to run its business and compete for talent in a highly competitive and changing market. fast, ”the company’s lawyers wrote in a letter to the SEC obtained by Motherboard.

Activision Blizzard and the AFL-CIO did not immediately respond to a request for Kotaku for comment. A spokesperson for the games company said Motherboard He has invested in scholarship and mentoring programs to help “develop the best and brightest diverse future talent.”

“Our talent is the lifeblood of Activision Blizzard,” said the spokesperson. “We value the diversity of the Activision Blizzard community and understand that our employees and players come from a wide range of backgrounds. In order to deliver epic and engaging entertainment to a diverse and growing global audience, our people must reflect those communities. “

The AFL-CIO made a similar proposal to Electronic Arts, of which it is also a shareholder, Motherboard reports.

“In accordance with our standard procedures, EA’s board of directors will consider the shareholder proposal,” said an EA spokesperson. Kotaku in an email when asked if he’d be prepared to institute his own company-wide Rooney rule.

“The board is committed to maintaining hiring practices that promote inclusion and diversity at EA,” the spokesperson wrote. “More generally, EA believes that a diverse and inclusive workforce is key to our success. It fuels our creative culture and allows us to create amazing games and experiences for millions of players around the world. EA is committed to attracting diverse and dynamic talent, prioritizing inclusive values ​​and practices at every stage of the employee journey. “

The video game industry has long been criticized for being dominated by white males, especially in managerial and executive positions. Last June, at the height of Black Lives Matter’s protests against the police murder of George Floyd, many game companies released statements of support for the movement’s calls for justice and racial equality, but few have backed these rallying calls with specific commitments to address issues within their own walls.

“Today and always, we support all those who oppose racism and inequality”, Activision Blizzard tweeted at the time. “There is no place for it in our society – nor in any society. Black lives matter.

However, the company declined to comment at the request of Kotaku in June on specific measures taken to promote equity and diversity within its own ranks. A few weeks later, Activision Blizzard announced $ 3 million in donations to the United Negro College Fund, to Equal Justice Initiative and to Management Leadership for Tomorrow, but nothing more.

EA was a bit more thoughtful.

“Racial justice is important,” the company wrote on its website during demonstrations. “We have long placed equality, inclusion and diversity at the center of our beliefs at Electronic Arts.”

EA announced that it will contribute $ 1 million to the Equal Justice Initiative and the NAACP Legal Defense & Educational Fund collectively, give employees an extra day of vacation each year to volunteer in their communities, do Juneteenth one day corporate holiday and organize a “Corporate Conversation” ‘to discuss how to “focus efforts to make an impact in the fight against prejudice, discrimination and injustice in today’s world” .

He also published its first annual impact report last November which included a section on company demographics. Of its 9,800 full-time employees, 54.6% were White, 22.3% were Asian, 8.2% were Hispanic or Latinox, and only 3.2% were black. Less than a quarter were women.

“While we have made progress, we still have a lot of work to do to continue to bring greater representation into our business,” CEO Andrew Wilson written in report.

Update – 5:45 p.m. ET, 01/27/21: An Activision Blizzard spokesperson responded to Kotaku with the following statement.

Activision Blizzard is committed to adopting inclusive hiring practices and creating a diverse workforce; it is essential to our mission. Vice completely misrepresented the SEC filing made by our outside lawyers. In fact, our hiring practices aim to ensure diversity for all roles. We are engaging in this aggressively and successfully. Our objection was rooted in the fact that the AFL-CIO’s proposal did not properly consider how to apply these practices in all of the countries in which we operate.

Our games have uniquely influenced popular culture and helped increase tolerance and inclusion through their connectivity, as well as the heroes we represent and our stories that celebrate diversity, equity and inclusion. in so many powerful ways.

In order to ensure that our games stay true to our mission – to connect and engage the world through epic entertainment – we demand that all contestants of all backgrounds, ethnicities, genders, races, and sexual orientations be considered for every open role. . We aggressively recruit diverse candidates so that the workforce provides the inspired creativity needed to meet the expectations of our 400 million diverse players in 190 countries. We remain committed to increasing diversity at all levels of Activision Blizzard around the world.

Activision Blizzard did not immediately explain this Motherboard “Misinterpreted” about its filing with the SEC would have rejected the AFL-CIO’s proposal.

Update – 8:30 p.m. ET, 01/27/21: AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Liz Shuler said her Rooney rule proposal is “clearly achievable,” as evidenced by other large companies that have adopted similar policies.

“Diversity and inclusion at all levels is important for businesses to be successful, especially in industries where there has been a historic under-representation of women and minorities in leadership positions,” said Shuler. Kotaku in an email. “We are pleased that many banks have adopted various candidate search policies and we are now turning to technology companies. Such policies are clearly applicable as many companies have adopted them for their boards of directors and are now adopting them for their workforce. ”

Some of these companies include Wells Fargo, Citigroup and JPMorgan.