As Activision Blizzard approaches one year since appointing its first chief diversity, equity and inclusion officer — amid continued efforts to distance itself from accusations of a toxic work culture — the company released its “first yearly update” March 23 regarding efforts made to shift its DEI framework.
Part of that shift includes changing how it gathers and reports demographic data. For example, the company has moved away from shuttling all racial and ethnic data into an “underrepresented ethnic group” category and has also split “woman” and “non-binary” gender identities in representation data, among other changes.
“We believe that distinct reporting on racial, ethnic, and gender data will help reduce feelings of ‘othering’ that grouping identities together can create,” the post, written by Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer Kristen Hines, reads.
That shift is about maintaining accountability, Hines said, and was undertaken in collaboration with its employee network groups (Activision Blizzard’s employee resource groups).
“In our new report of representation data, we’re also sharing our hiring and retention data broken down by gender, race and ethnicity. This is the first time we’re sharing this data and will therefore serve as our baseline or starting point moving forward,” the report said.
Other changes include the new Press Pause series — roundtable discussions that allow for “courageous conversations” on topics not “typically had in the workplace,” featuring employees explaining their experiences.
The company has also used technology to examine the gendered language in job ads and make changes where needed, the report said.
Activision Blizzard — one of the biggest names in video games — has been under intense scrutiny since late 2021, when various lawsuits shed light on an alleged culture of systemic misogyny and microaggressions focused on protecting White, male leadership.
As part of its rebuilding, the company hired Jessica Martinez as a VP and head of culture as well as Hines in April 2022.
In January 2022, Activision Blizzard was acquired by Microsoft, prompting questions over how the cultural crisis would be handled amid a $68.7 billion deal. Experts previously told HR Dive that Microsoft would have its work cut out for it, but that a focus on values may help the companies regain trust.
