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Activision Blizzard reaches agreement with EEOC, will develop tools & training

The company has also committed to create an $18 million fund to "compensate and make amends to eligible claimants."

Sam Chandler

September 27, 2021 6:15 PM

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Activision Blizzard has reached an agreement with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) to settle claims and create new opportunities as well as develop tools and training programs to better its workplace. The company has also committed to create an $18 million fund to compensate those affected, pending court approval.

In a post to its Investor Relations page on September 27, 2021, Activision Blizzard has outlined part of the agreement it has reached with the EEOC, as well as its plans for creating a fund to compensate “eligible claimants”, pending the approval of the court. According to the post, Activision Blizzard has agreed to the following:

Settle claims and to further strengthen policies and programs to prevent harassment and discrimination in the company’s workplace. Under the agreement, the principal terms of which are summarized in Attachment A to this press release, Activision Blizzard has committed to create an $18 million fund to compensate and make amends to eligible claimants. Any amounts not used for claimants will be divided between charities that advance women in the video game industry or promote awareness around harassment and gender equality issues as well as company diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, as approved by the EEOC. The agreement is subject to court approval.

The post goes on to highlight some of the training programs and tools employees will hopefully have available to them to better the workplace.

The company also announced an initiative to develop software tools and training programs to improve workplace policies and practices for employers across the technology industry.

Outside of these new initiatives, the company will also upgrade its policies, practices, and training to tackle harassment and discrimination in its workplace.

All of this follows a lawsuit from the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing against Activision Blizzard. After the lawsuit came to light, employees staged a walkout and listed demands while rejecting the union-busting WilmerHale firm. The toxic culture of Activision Blizzard also extended to its QA department and now the SEC is investigating the company.

It will be interesting to hear the thoughts and concerns of those employees who have been affected by the workplace culture of Activision Blizzard. As a reminder, below are the demands from the employees, including several charities you can donate towards to show your support.

The #ActiBlizzWalkout organizers are encouraging people to signal boost the hashtag as a sign of solidarity while using a 💙 emoji. They also support donations to the following charities:

@BlackGirlsCode
@WithoutViolence
@GirlsWhoCode
@RAINN
@wia_animation @GETWIGI pic.twitter.com/FtsbGARUsd

— Shacknews (@shacknews) July 28, 2021

Shacknews will continue to follow the Activision Blizzard story as it develops.

Sam Chandler

Head of Guides

Hailing from the land down under, Sam Chandler brings a bit of the southern hemisphere flair to his work. After bouncing round a few universities, securing a bachelor degree, and entering the video game industry, he's found his new family here at Shacknews as Head of Guides. There's nothing he loves more than crafting a guide that will help someone. If you need help with a guide, or notice something not quite right, you can message him on X: @SamuelChandler