New sexual harassment lawsuit rocks Activision Snow storm. The Microsoft-acquired company was sued by a current employee, for allowing gross misconduct that led to what was defined as “unbridled sexism.”
As published Bloomberg Law, the lawsuit was filed in Los Angeles Superior Court on behalf of a worker who still works at the company, who chose to remain anonymous. It not only exposes the toxic culture that had already put the video game studio under fire last year; It also mentions the reprisals suffered by the applicant for speaking out publicly on the subject.
The document, signed by attorney Lisa Bloom, accuses Activision Blizzard of forging a “brotherhood” fueled by sexism, harassment and discrimination. The employee even mentions that she was forced to drink alcohol at work, and participating with other women in office cubicle tours, where they were exposed to sexual comments and groping, among many other misconducts. And all this, apparently, under the knowledge of Bobby Kotick, CEO of the firm.
The complainant claims to have experienced situations of this type since she joined Activision Blizzard in 2017, as a senior administrative assistant for IT department executives. He also indicates that he applied for positions in other areas of the company in an effort to escape the toxic behavior of his superiors; However, their requests have always been refused. He was only able to change jobs after sending a letter to Allen Brack – at the time president of Blizzard – complaining about the situation; however, he had to settle for a lower-ranking job and, therefore, lower pay.
Activision Blizzard, again in the eye of the storm
This lawsuit against Activision Blizzard for sexual harassment is not too surprising in view of its claims. But it again warns of the harmful working environment that many of the women who have worked in the company have to endure.
Without going any further, the employee at the origin of this new complaint claims to have suffered various reprisals since he started talking about it. From an increasingly hostile work environment and “recommendations” for her to keep her complaints to herself, to the rejection of her application to apply for an executive assistant position. In the latter case, his request was denied after he made a public statement at a press conference last December outside Blizzard’s offices.
According to the legal document, the plaintiff seeks financial compensation for loss of income and medical expenses. It also calls for the implementation of various internal changes at Activision Blizzard, such as the departure of Bobby Kotick as CEO and the establishment of a rotating team in the field of human resources to avoid conflicts of interest.
More challenges for Microsoft
That sexual harassment and discrimination lawsuits continue to surface against Activision Blizzard is a growing challenge for Microsoft. Those of Redmond have not escaped the scandal, and have promised to deal with the growing controversy surrounding the video game studio.
Recently, Brad Smith, vice president of Microsoft, ensured to follow closely the way in which the current directors of Activision Blizzard respond to the complaints of the workers; and did not rule out the possibility of making changes to the directive. “We want to see that culture [de trabajo] evolve, and we will consider how people will behave until the day the transaction is concluded […]and then we will have the opportunity to make sure we have the right people in the right place,” he said.
However, after these statements, a complaint was filed against Activision Blizzard for the suicide of an employee who had suffered sexual harassment. And to this has also been added the growing difficulty of the company in retaining its employees and attracting new talent, due to the bad reputation it has forged.
