Activision Blizzard is under sexual harassment investigation… again!
Wallstreet Journal earlier reported that the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) of US is currently investigating Activision Blizzard. This followed after numerous reports relating to the gaming company’s sexual harassment issues.
Department of Fair Employment & Housing’s (DFEH) initially filed a lawsuit against the company. The lawsuit claims that Activision is creating an environment that is discriminating against its female employees.
Aside from such, a group of employees also created an activist group pressuring the company to become more transparent in terms of its wages, and hiring practices.
Following the issues, the company’s CEO J. Allen Brack stepped down from his position. Following his lead is global human resources executive Jesse Meschuk who also left the company on the same day.
Based on reports, Brack is the main target of the lawsuit regarding the alleged workplace abuses.
Meanwhile, the company’s vice president of corporate affairs and former Homeland Security advisor Frances Townsend defended the company saying that the allegations were ‘distorted’. Townsend claims that the stories are just creating a ‘false image’ of the company’s real practices.
Activision Blizzard Threatened Employees to Keep them Silent
DFEH in their report that the company shredded necessary documents to remove evidence against them.
The company allegedly shredded “documents related to investigations and complaints were shredded by human resource personnel.”
DFEH also told that the company required its employees to sign NDAs to keep them silent in the investigation.
The department says that Blizzard is abusing its powers to interfere in its capacity to “investigate, prosecute, and remedy workplace discrimination and harassment violations on behalf of employees and contingent or temporary workers.”
As of this moment, Activision Blizzard has kept itself mum on the newer allegations. It could be that the company is trying to kill the spread of the issue by keeping itself quiet.
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