Activision Blizzard has written to shareholders urging them to vote against a New York State proposal that it should publish an annual report detailing the effectiveness and outcomes of its efforts to prevent abuse, harassment, and discrimination in its workplace. Similarly, it also wants shareholders to vote against a proposal to put an employee representative on its board.
As detailed in its latest shareholder filing, Activision Blizzard's board of directors is unanimously recommending shareholders vote against enacting the annual report, which would include several proposed metrics: the total number of pending sexual abuse, harassment or discrimination complaints the company is seeking to resolve through internal processes or ligation; details of the company's progress toward reducing the average time it takes to resolve sexual abuse, harassment or discrimination complaints; the amount of money it has spent settling disputes related to sexual abuse, harassment or discrimination, and finally pay and hours worked consolidated data.
While this kind of transparency might seem prudent given the shocking allegations that have surfaced in relation to Activision Blizzard's workplace practices over the last year, and given that the publisher remains embroiled in a number of lawsuits relating to those practices - including last July's State of California filing, which called the company a "breeding ground for harassment and discrimination against women" - its board says it believes the proposal isn't "in the best interests of the Company or its shareholders."