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Activision Blizzard rejected a shareholder proposal that would increase the diversity of candidate pools because it would hinder their ability to hire talented people and be unnecessary.
Vice previously reported on January 27 that the video game holding company rejected by the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) in January 2021. This proposal was aimed at both Activision Blizzard and Electronic Arts (EA); the two companies of which the AFL-CIO are shareholders.
The reported policy proposal was sent to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), suggesting they adopt policies that appeal to qualified women and people of color in the initial pool of candidates for positions. This has been compared to the NFL’s Rooney Rule, added in 2003.
The AFL-CIO claimed that the policy would improve diversity in companies, which in turn would improve company performance in the long run.
“[The policy will improve] workforce diversity by requiring that the initial pool of candidates from which new employees are hired by the Company include, but are not limited to, qualified women and minority applicants.
“The aim of the diversified candidate search policy is to ensure that the company’s recruitment pools for external hires are sufficiently diverse. A diverse workforce at all levels of a business can improve long-term business performance. “
The proposal letters were obtained through Vice’s motherboard, along with a response from the lawyers for Activision Blizzard. They said they already had such a proposal in place for director and CEO positions, and implementing this company-wide business would hurt their ability to hire people. competitively talented.
In addition, they argued that the proposal would violate SEC guidelines, as it seeks to “Micromanagement” Activision Blizzard.
“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. quick.
[…] “The proposal leaves no discretion to the management or board of directors of the company to exercise discretion over how hiring decisions are structured.”
Speaking to Vice, a spokesperson for Activision Blizzard said that despite this response, they value the diversity within the company. In addition, they already had a series of initiatives and scholarship programs for this specific purpose.
“Our talent is the cornerstone of Activision Blizzard. 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. “
“We have implemented a series of new programs like our scholarship programs with the United Negro College Fund and the Equal Justice Initiative,” the spokesperson continued. “These high school scholarship funds help develop the best and brightest diverse future talent, setting them up with mentors and internships designed to ensure success earlier in their careers.
An EA spokesperson told Vice that they are “In regular conversations with our shareholders and we appreciate the feedback we receive. In accordance with our standard procedures, EA’s board of directors will consider the shareholder proposal. The board is committed to maintaining hiring practices that promote inclusion and diversity at EA. “
Brandon Rees, the chief investment officer at the AFL-CIO, told Vice that typically shareholders file a proposal and discuss the matter with the company. The proposal can be withdrawn if the company agrees to take action to resolve what the proposal wishes to implement. If rejected, shareholders would then vote to implement the proposal.
On January 28, Activision Blizzard Chairman Daniel Alegre released a public statement on the Activision Blizzard website titled “Building a Fair, Inclusive and Diverse Activison Blizzard Community.”
There, Alegre explained that he joined the company not only for “Help connect people around the world through epic games;” but was inspired by CEO Bobby Kotick “Commitment to diversity within our global teams and the opportunity to continue to build a culture of inclusiveness.”
Addressing the media coverage of the AFL-CIO proposal and wishing to provide clarity and context, Alegre explained how Activision Blizzard already aims to hire with diversity in mind.
“In our current hiring practices across the company and for each position, we focus on and create diverse candidate lists; our practices naturally allow hiring managers to ensure diversity within each country in which we operate. We don’t need the AFL-CIO’s proposal to reaffirm what we’re already doing – encouraging every hiring manager to consider a variety of candidates for each position. We believe in our existing hiring practices, which encourage every hiring manager to seek diverse candidates for every role. We also make sure that any candidate – regardless of background, ethnicity, gender, race and sexual orientation – is considered for each open position. We have focused and will continue to focus on clear goals and measurable criteria for diversity in our workforce and are proud of our success. We are unequivocally committed to increasing diversity at all levels of Activision Blizzard around the world.
I would like to reaffirm that diversity, equity and inclusion will continue to be at the heart of our business, our culture and the experience of our employees. Our commitment begins in the sourcing and recruiting process and is reiterated during onboarding and alumni status. Our Code of Conduct is recognized by all employees – at all levels – every year. New employees should take our Way2Play training and our Equality and Diversity training to ensure that employees understand their responsibility.
Today, in fact, we were recognized by the Human Rights Campaign with a perfect score on the Corporate Equality Index for LGBTQ Inclusive Workplace Policies and Practices for the third consecutive year, a achievement that deserves to be celebrated.
Our games change stereotypes and bring people together, regardless of race, religion or cultural values. But we can only achieve this if our own talent truly represents the diversity of our nearly 400 million players around the world. We know that all companies can do more to encourage diversity, inclusion and equity, but I am proud of our commitment to constant improvement and I am proud of the commitment we all have to it. company-wide to foster a diverse and equitable work environment. I am here because of this commitment, which is unwavering.
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