Activision Blizzard is Accused of ‘Shredding’ Documents Related to Ongoing Investigation

A report by Axios reveals that the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH) has updated its filing against Activision Blizzard. The DFEH had filed a lawsuit accusing Activision Blizzard of discriminating against its female employees at virtually all levels of employment, including on compensation, promotion, assignments, and termination. The filing was recently updated claiming that Activision Blizzard is shredding documents of workers who left the company within 30 days. The California government requires all employers to keep records for up to two years. The lawsuit has also been updated to include not just employees, but also temporary workers.

Workers report instances of being overworked and underpaid

The updated filing claims “documents related to investigations and complaints were shredded by human resource personnel.” The DFEH also claims that Activision Blizzard has required employees to sign NDAs and speak internally before contacting the DFEH. The government body ahs claimed that the actions are interfering with its ability to “investigate, prosecute, and remedy workplace discrimination and harassment violations on behalf of employees and contingent or temporary workers.”

Axios reviewed the lawsuit and revealed that it specifically mentions that California’s protections against harassment, equal pay rights and equal employment opportunity protections exist for both employees and contingent/temporary workers. The lawsuit has been changed to include the word “workers” in reference to allegations made by former temporary workers at the company.

Stories from the ABK Workers Alliance include mentions of there being constant pressure to “excel, impress and move” through the ranks before the end of a contract. There are also claims of workers being overworked and underpaid “across the board.”

Activision Blizzard’s Response to Axios

An Activision Blizzard spokesperson told Axios that the company has complied with every proper request in support of its review. The company has stated that the company has taken appropriate steps to preserve information relevant to the ongoing investigation.

The company also claimed that it has provided evidence of there being no gender pay or promotion disparities, and that the senior leadership is increasingly diverse with a growing number of women positioned in key leadership roles at the organization.

Correction Note: A previous version of the article did not mention that this was an allegation brought up by the State of California, the article has been updated to reflect the situation more accurately.