Activision Blizzard Shareholders Vote for Public Harassment Report

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1970-01-01 08:00

Activision Blizzard will publish a report on harassment at the company as a result of a shareholder vote held Tuesday.

Activision Blizzard shareholders voted Tuesday in favor of a proposal that would see Activision Blizzard make a public report of compensation data, sexual harassment settlements, progress around resolving harassment and abuse complaints, and total pending complaints.

New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli first requested the report in February as an accountability measure for the company, which remains embroiled in scandal around its widely reported culture of abuse and harassment.

"Shareholders' majority vote spoke loudly," DiNapoli told The Washington Post in a statement. "Activision Blizzard needs to restore investor confidence and increase transparency on how it handles workplace harassment and discrimination. We expect swift action from the company on our concerns."

In the same round of voting, shareholders widely approved the election of 10 directors to the board despite a portion of shareholders fighting against the reelection of Brian Kelly, Robert Morgado and CEO Bobby Kotick. They also approved the company's executive compensation packages, and shot down a proposal by organizing employees that they receive a representative on the board of directors.

Last Thursday, Activision Blizzard said an internal investigation had found "no evidence to suggest that Activision Blizzard senior executives ever intentionally ignored or attempted to downplay the instances of gender harassment that occurred and were reported." The investigation also turned up no evidence that executives had concealed information from the board of directors.

Activision Blizzard is in the process of being acquired by Microsoft for $68.7 billion. The latter announced a labor neutrality agreement with the Communications Workers of America earlier this month, making it likely any union formed at Activision Blizzard would be recognized by Microsoft provided regulators approve the the acquisition. The Game Workers Alliance, a union formed at the Activision Blizzard-owned studio Raven Software, received recognition from Activision Blizzard after months of organizing.