Earlier this month, Activision Blizzard was asked to institute some version of the Rooney Rule, a policy that requires employers to interview multiple candidates when hiring, according to a new Motherboard. Big publisher lawyers behind Call of Duty and World of Warcraft replied that such a policy would be “an impracticable usurpation of the company’s ability to manage its business”.
The country’s largest union federation, the AFL-CIO, which happens to be also a shareholder in Activision Blizzard, has submitted this 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 technical teams) would increase “the diversity of the workforce by requiring the initial group of candidates to leave of which new employees are hired by The company must include, but need not be limited to, qualified women and minority candidates. ”
Motherboard reports that the adoption of the proposal could be voted on at future shareholders’ meetings, but Activision Blizzard is trying to get the SEC to intervene to prevent this from happening.
“Although the company has implemented a Rooney rule policy as envisaged [for director and CEO nominees], implementing a policy that would extend such an approach to all hiring decisions is tantamount to an impracticable usurpation of the company’s ability to manage its business and compete for talent in a highly competitive and dynamic market, ”wrote the company’s lawyers in a letter to the SEC obtained by Motherboard.
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Activision Blizzard and AFL-CIO did not immediately respond to a request for Kotaku to comment. A gaming company spokesman said Motherboard invested in scholarship and mentoring programs to help “develop the best and brightest diverse talent in the future”.
“Our talent is the lifeblood of Activision Blizzard,” said the spokesman. “We value the diversity of the Activision Blizzard community and understand that our employees and players come from a wide variety of backgrounds. To deliver epic and engaging entertainment to a diverse and growing global audience, our workforce must reflect these communities. “
AFL-CIO submitted 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 shareholders’ proposal,” said an EA spokesman Kotaku in an email when asked if he would be willing to institute his own Rooney rule across the company.
“The Board is committed to maintaining hiring practices that promote inclusion and diversity in EA,” wrote the spokesman. “More broadly, EA believes that a diverse and inclusive workforce is the key to our success. This fuels our creative culture and allows us to create incredible 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’s journey. “
The video game industry has long been criticized for being dominated by white men, especially in administrative and board positions. Last June, at the height of the Black Lives Matter protests about George Floyd’s death by the police, many game companies launched statements in support of the movement’s calls for justice and racial equality, but few have supported these war cries with specific commitments to address issues within their own walls.
“Today, and always, we support all those who stand against racism and inequality”, Activision Blizzard tweeted at the time. “There is no place for that in our society – or in any society. Black lives are important. “
However, the company declined to comment when questioned by Kotaku in June on any specific measures it was taking to promote equity and diversity in its own ranks. A few weeks later, Activision Blizzard announced $ 3 million in donations United Negro College Fund, Equal Justice Initiative and Management Leadership for Tomorrow, but nothing more.
EA was a little more reflective.
“Racial justice is important,” wrote the company on your website during the protests. “We have long considered equality, inclusion and diversity at the heart of our beliefs at Electronic Arts.”
EA announced that it would contribute $ 1 million to the Equal Justice Initiative and the NAACP Legal Defense & Educational Fund collectively would give employees an additional vacation day each year to volunteer in their communities, make June a holiday company and would hold a “company conversation” to discuss how to “focus your efforts to make an impact in the fight against prejudice, discrimination and injustice in today’s world”.
Also published its first annual impact report last November which included a section on the company’s demographics. Of the 9,800 full-time employees, 54.6% were white, 22.3% were Asian, 8.2% were Hispanic or Latino and only 3.2% were black. Less than a quarter were women.
“Although we have made some progress, we have a lot more work ahead of us to continue bringing greater representation to our company”, CEO Andrew Wilson wrote in the report.
Update – 17:45 ET, 01/27/21: A spokesperson to Activision Blizzard responded to Kotaku with the following statement.
Activision Blizzard is committed to inclusive hiring practices and the creation of a diverse workforce; it is essential to our mission. Vice completely misrepresented the SEC’s protocol made by our outside lawyers. In fact, our hiring practices aim to ensure diversity for all functions. We engage in this aggressively and successfully. Our objection was rooted in the fact that the AFL-CIO’s proposal did not adequately consider how to apply these practices in all countries in which we operate.
Our games have uniquely influenced popular culture and helped to increase tolerance and inclusion through their connectivity, as well as the heroes we portray and our stories that celebrate diversity, equality and inclusion in many powerful ways.
To ensure that our games remain true to our mission – connecting and engaging the world through epic entertainment – we require that all candidates from all backgrounds, ethnicities, genders, races and sexual orientations be considered for each open position. We aggressively recruit multiple candidates so that the workforce provides the inspired creativity needed to meet the expectations of our diverse 400 million players in 190 countries. We remain committed to increasing diversity at all levels across Activision Blizzard worldwide.
Activision Blizzard did not immediately elaborate on what Motherboard “Uncharacterized” about its filing with the SEC, allegedly rejecting the AFL-CIO proposal.