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 they hire, according to a new report from Large plate. Lawyers for the massive publishing house behind it Call of Duty i World of Warcraft responded that this policy would be “an unfeasible invasion of the company’s ability to run its business.”
The country’s largest union federation, the AFL-CIO, which is also a shareholder in Activision Blizzard, filed the proposal with the SEC. In the report, obtained by Large plate, the organization wrote that establishing a policy similar to the Rooney Rule (a 2003 NFL policy instituted to address the lack of diversity among coaches) would increase the “diversity of the workforce by requiring the initial group of candidates whose new employees are hired by The company will include, among others, qualified women and minority candidates.
Large plate reports that the adoption of the proposal could be voted on at future shareholder 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 expected [for director and CEO nominees], implementing a policy that extends this approach to all hiring decisions is tantamount to an unfeasible invasion of the company’s ability to run its business and compete for talent in a highly competitive and fast-paced market, ”wrote the company’s lawyers in a letter to the SEC obtained by Large plate.
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Activision Blizzard and AFL-CIO did not immediately respond to a request from Kotaku to comment. A spokesman for the gaming company said Large plate has invested in scholarships and mentoring programs to help “develop the best and brightest diverse talent future.”
“Our talent is the lifeblood of Activision Blizzard,” the spokesman said. “We value the diversity of the Activision Blizzard community and understand that our employees and players come from a wide range of backgrounds. To provide epic and engaging entertainment for a diverse and growing global audience, our staff must reflect these communities.” .
The AFL-CIO sent a similar proposal to Electronic Arts, of which it is also a shareholder, Large plate reports.
“In accordance with our standard procedures, EA’s Board of Directors will consider the shareholders’ proposal, ”an EA spokesman said. Kotaku in an email when asked if he would be willing to set up his own Rooney Rule for the entire business.
“The Council is committed to maintaining recruitment practices that promote inclusion and diversity in EA,” the spokesperson wrote. “More generally, EA believes that a diverse and inclusive workforce is key to our success. It nurtures our creative culture and allows us to create incredible games and experiences for millions of players around the world. EA is committed to attracting dynamic and diverse talent, prioritizing inclusive values and practices at every step of the employees ’journey”.
The video game industry has long been criticized for being dominated by white men, especially in managerial and c-suite locations. Last June, in the midst of a Black Lives Matter protest over the police assassination of George Floyd, many gaming companies released statements in support of the movement’s calls for justice and racial equality, but few supported these cries of concentration with specific commitments to address issues within their own walls.
“Today and always we support all those who advocate racism and inequality,” Activision Blizzard said. he tweeted then. “There is no place for this in our society or in any other society. Black lives are important. ”
However, the company declined to comment when asked Kotaku in June on the concrete steps it was taking to promote equity and diversity within its own ranks. A couple of weeks later Activision Blizzard announced donations of $ 3 million to the United Negro College Fund, the Equal Justice Initiative, and the Management Leadership for Tomorrow, but nothing more.
EA was a little more thoughtful.
“Racial justice is important,” the company wrote on their website during the protests. “We have long kept 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 Education and Legal Advocacy Fund, give employees an additional day off each year to volunteer in their communities, Juneteenth on business vacation and would hold a “business conversation.” ‘to discuss how to’ focus its efforts on having an impact on the fight against bias, discrimination and injustice in today’s world ‘.
He also published its first annual impact report last November which included a section on the company’s demographics. Of its 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.
“As we move forward, we have a lot more work ahead of us to continue to bring greater representation to our company,” said CEO Andrew Wilson wrote in the report.
Updated: 17:45 ET, 27/01/21: An Activision Blizzard spokesman responded Kotaku with the following statement.
Activision Blizzard is committed to inclusive hiring practices and to creating a diverse workforce; it is essential to our mission. Vice fully characterized the SEC presentation made by our external attorneys. In fact, our hiring practices have their roots in ensuring the diversity of all roles. We are dedicated to this with aggression and success. Our objection was based on the fact that the AFL-CIO proposal did not adequately consider how to apply these practices to all countries where we operate.
Our games have uniquely influenced popular culture and have helped increase tolerance and inclusion through their connectivity, as well as the heroes we represent and our stories that celebrate the diversity, equity and inclusion of so many. powerful ways.
To ensure that our games stay true to our mission: to connect and engage the world through epic entertainment, we need all candidates from all backgrounds, ethnicities, genders, races, and sexual orientations to be considered for to each open paper. We aggressively recruit several candidates so that the staff provides the inspired creativity needed to meet the expectations of our 400 million actors in 190 countries. We remain committed to increasing diversity at all levels around the world of Activision Blizzard.
Activision Blizzard did not immediately delve into what Large plate “Poorly characterized” on his presentation to the SEC, he apparently rejected the AFL-CIO’s proposal.
Update: 20:30 ET, 01/27/21: According to AFL-CIO Treasury Secretary Liz Shuler, her Rooney Rule proposal is “clearly feasible,” as evidenced by other large companies that have adopted similar policies.
“Diversity and inclusion at all levels is important for businesses to succeed, particularly in industries where there has been a historical underrepresentation of women and minorities in high-level positions,” Shuler said. Kotaku in an email. “We are pleased that many banks have adopted various candidate search policies and we are now turning our attention to technology companies. These policies are clearly viable, as many companies have adopted them for their boards of directors and are now adopting them for their staff. ”
Some of these companies include Wells Fargo, Citigroup and JPMorgan.