Earlier this month, Activision Blizzard was asked to introduce a version of the Rooney Rule, a policy that requires employers to interview different candidates when hiring, according to a new report from Motherboard. Lawyers for the massive publisher behind it Duty and World of Warcraft replied that such a policy “would be an unworkable impairment of the company’s ability to run its business”.
The largest federation of unions in the country, the AFL-CIO, which also happens to be a shareholder in Activision Blizzard, has filed this proposal with the SEC. In the report, obtained by Motherboard, the organization wrote that enacting a policy similar to the Rooney Rule (a 2003 NFL policy set to address the lack of diversity among coaching staff) would increase the “ diversity of the workforce by requiring that The initial pool of candidates from which new employees are hired by the Company includes, but need not be limited to, qualified women and minority candidates. “
Motherboard reports that the proposal may be voted on at future shareholder meetings, but Activision Blizzard is trying to get the SEC to intervene to prevent that.
While the company has implemented a Rooney Rule policy as intended [for director and CEO nominees], implementing a policy that would extend such an approach to all hiring decisions amounts to an unworkable impairment of the company’s ability to run its business and compete for talent in a highly competitive, rapidly changing market, ” they wrote attorneys for the company in a letter obtained from the SEC by Motherboard.
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Activision Blizzard and the AFL-CIO did not immediately respond to a request from Kotaku for comment. A spokesman for the gaming company said Motherboard it has invested in scholarships and mentoring programs to help “develop the best and brightest future diverse 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 variety of backgrounds. In order to provide epic and engaging entertainment for a diverse, growing global audience, our workforce must reflect these communities. “
The AFL-CIO sent a similar proposal to Electronic Arts, of which it is also a shareholder, Motherboard reports.
“In accordance with our standard operating procedures, EA’s Board of Directors will consider the shareholder proposal,” said an EA spokesperson. Kotaku in an email when asked if it would be willing to introduce its own Rooney rule for the entire company.
“The board is committed to upholding recruiting practices that promote inclusion and diversity at EA,” the spokesperson wrote. “More broadly, EA believes that a diverse and inclusive workforce is key to our success. It fuels our creative culture and allows us to create great games and experiences for millions of players around the world. EA is committed to attracting diverse, dynamic talent – prioritizing inclusive values and practices at every step of the employee journey. “
The video game industry has long been criticized for being dominated by white men, especially in executive and c-suite roles. Last June, at the height of the Black Lives Matter protests over the murder of George Floyd by police, many gambling companies statements of support for the calls of the movement for justice and racial equality, but few supported this rallying cry with specific commitments to tackle problems 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 – or any other society. Black lives matter. “
However, the company declined to comment when asked Kotaku in June on any specific steps it took to promote equality and diversity within its own ranks. A few weeks later Activision Blizzard announced $ 3 million in donations to the United Negro College Fund, Equal Justice Initiative and Management Leadership for Tomorrow, but nothing else.
EA was a bit more reflective.
“Racial justice is important,” the company wrote on its website during the protests. “At Electronic Arts, we have long placed equality, inclusion and diversity at the heart of our beliefs.”
EA announced that it would contribute $ 1 million to the Equal Justice Initiative and the NAACP Legal Defense & Educational Fund jointly, give employees an extra day of vacation each year to volunteer in their community, make Juneteenth a corporate vacation, and become a ‘ Business talk ‘would hold’ to discuss how ‘its efforts could be concentrated to have an impact on fighting bias, discrimination and injustice in today’s world’.
It also published his 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% Asian, 8.2% Hispanic or Latinx, and only 3.2% Black. Less than a quarter were women.
“While we have made some progress, we have a lot more work to do to continue to bring greater representation to our business,” CEO Andrew Wilson wrote in the report.
Update – 5:45 p.m. ET, 1/27/21: A spokesperson for Activision Blizzard responded Kotaku with the following statement.
Activision Blizzard is committed to inclusive recruitment practices and the creation of a diverse workforce; it is essential to our mission. Vice completely misrepresented the SEC filings from our outside attorneys. In fact, our recruiting practices are rooted in ensuring diversity for all roles. We do this aggressively and successfully. Our objection was rooted in the fact that the AFL-CIO proposal did not sufficiently consider how to implement these practices in all countries in which we operate.
Our games have impacted popular culture in a unique way, helping 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 so many powerful ways.
To ensure our games stay true to our mission – connecting and engaging the world in epic entertainment – we require all candidates of all backgrounds, ethnicities, genders, races and sexual orientations to be considered for any open role. We aggressively recruit diverse 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 greater diversity at all levels in Activision Blizzard worldwide.
Activision Blizzard did not immediately go into what Motherboard “Mischaracterized” about his SEC filing reportedly rejecting the AFL-CIO’s proposal.