Activision Blizzard Says Interviewing Diverse Candidates for Every Hiring Decision Is ‘Unworkable’
When you say the words ‘diverse’ and ‘fair’, you probably don’t think about Activision Blizzard – a company that’s often stated that there shouldn’t be politics in video games and whose CEO has a net worth of 600 million dollars. So, it’s no real surprise then that Activision Blizzard would turn up their nose at the thought of implementing the Rooney Rule into their workplace.
In a report from Vice, it was described how the company was actively resisting diversity hiring. The excuse Activision Blizzard made that was by implementing the Rooney Rule – interviewing at least one diverse candidate for every vacancy – it would amount to “an unworkable encroachment on the Company’s ability to run its business and compete for talent in a highly competitive, fast-moving market.”
The attorney for Activision Blizzard also clarified that the implementation of more, diverse practices while hiring candidates for roles would mess with the ‘structure’ on how people are hired. How it would do this was not clarified. Ultimately this is a disappointing moment for Activision Blizzard, but one that isn’t all that surprising.
However, other publishers such as EA have said they are committed to “maintaining hiring practices that promote inclusion and diversity”. Whether they’ll follow through with that remains to be seen.
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