California has expanded its cause anti-discrimination against Activision Blizzard, adding temporary workers to the full-time employees he is suing for. The state Department of Fair Employment & Housing also claims the game maker interfered with his investigation.
Activision Blizzard: California expands the cause
A copy examined by Axios specifically mentions that California protections against harassment, equal pay and other equal employment opportunity protections "exist for contingent or temporary employees and workers."
Throughout the lawsuit, the word "employees" was changed to "workers" in reference to harassment and other allegations. The DFEH also says that Activision Blizzard hindered its efforts through NDA, requiring employees to di speak to the company before contacting the DFEH.
The lawsuit argues that this "directly interferes" with the DFEH's ability to "investigate, prosecute and remedy violations of discrimination and harassment in the workplace".
He claims, in part, that "documents relating to investigations and complaints were destroyed by human resources personnel" in violation of what he claims to be the legal obligation of the gaming company of keep them pending investigation.
An Activision Blizzard spokesperson told Axios that the company has “complied with every correct request in support of its review. We have also implemented reforms to ensure that our workplaces are welcoming and safe for every employee ”.
“As for the claims that we have destroyed information by destroying documents, these claims are not true. We have taken appropriate measures to preserve information relevant to the DFEH investigation, ”the spokesperson added. “We have provided the DFEH with clear evidence that we have no gender pay or promotion inequality. Our senior leadership is increasingly diverse, with an increasing number of women in key leadership roles across the company. ”
The declarations of the workers
Stories shared with Axios by the ABK Workers Alliance, paint a picture of brutal overtime coupled with low pay.
"As a contract employee, I feel there is a lot of pressure to excel, impress and advance through the ranks as fast as possible before your contract ends and you are forced to go 3 months with no income or find another job," he said. a worker. "I am proud of what I do, but it seems to me that it is never enough."
“We suffer from stress,” said another worker. “We suffer from physical ailments. We are overworked and underpaid across the board ”.
