According to the Wall Street Journal, 37 Activision Blizzard employees have reportedly “left” the company since July of last year as part of the company’s effort to combat issues related to sexual harassment. Activision Blizzard spokeswoman Helaine Klaskyalso told the WSJ that 44 people have been disciplined following allegations of workplace misconduct.
See also: Activision Blizzard: Investigated by the SEC for employee discrimination and harassment
Those numbers likely include the more than 20 employees who left the company in October, along with about 20 employees the company reprimanded at the time. The WSJ also notes that Activision Blizzard has collected about 700 employee complaints of workplace misconduct. Activision Blizzard wanted to release a report summarizing the results of its ongoing investigation late last year, but the WSJ reports that CEO Bobby Kotick declined, saying it would amplify the company’s problems and make them look worse than they are.
“Across Activision Blizzard, our team works tirelessly to ensure that every employee feels safe, equal, heard, and empowered,” said Activision Blizzard spokesperson Rich George. George also confirmed that the company has completed reviews of 90 percent of employee reports since July and described Kotick’s alleged refusal to make that information public as “inaccurate.”
See also: Activision Blizzard sued for ongoing sexual harassment
Last July, the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH) sued Activision Blizzard for fostering a culture of “perpetuating sexual harassment.” Since then, multiple employees have come forward with their own experiences of sexual harassment at the company, alleging that management knew about and possibly encouraged the behavior. The company reached an $18 million settlement with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in September, but the DFEH recently appealed a judge’s ruling that bars it from intervening.
See also: Activision sues company distributing Call of Duty cheats
Kotick was also personally accused of abusive behavior in November, and despite this, the company's board of directors continued to express confidence in his leadership. Shortly after, more than 1,500 employees signed a petition to remove Kotick from his position as CEO, who said only that he would consider resigning if the company's toxic work culture could not be fixed immediately.
