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Activision Blizzard hires former Disney executive as new head of human resources
Activision has hired Julie Hodges (Julie Hodges) as the new chief personnel officer. She was the Walt Disney Company’s senior vice president of corporate human resources and compensation, benefits, and talent acquisition. Hodges will succeed Activision’s current CPO Claudine Naughton, “all aspects of leadership human resources”, from recruitment and compensation to “diversity, fairness and tolerance.”
“I can’t think of a better person to join our team and help lead our ongoing commitment to an inclusive workplace,” said Bobby Kotick, CEO of Activision Blizzard announcement“Julie is the experienced leader we need to ensure that we become the most inspiring, fair and imitative entertainment company in the world.”
Hodges, who has worked at Disney for 32 years, leans toward similar themes in her own statement, emphasizing the need to “welcome all perspectives, experiences, and backgrounds.”
She said: “A workforce that makes everyone feel valued is essential to our business success. An environment of trust, participation, and safety encourages creativity and innovation in which all employees can thrive.” This requires collective effort, and I look forward to ensuring that we support the diversity of our talents, bring our employees together and continue to create amazing entertainment.”
Activision has good reasons to make its diversity and inclusive efforts as visible as possible. In July, the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing filed a lawsuit accusing the studio of discrimination, sexual harassment, and a “fraternal” culture. The executives initially opposed it, but soon adopted a more conciliatory approach. However, many employees seem unmoved: the strike that took place a week after the DFEH lawsuit was filed attracted the support of the entire industry, especially Ubisoft, which is trying to solve its own workplace abuse problem.
A representative told Stephen Totillo Axios Gaming stated that Naughton’s departure had nothing to do with the lawsuit, but many others were expelled as a result, including Blizzard President J Allen Brack, Diablo 4 Game Director Louis Barriga, Chief Level Designer Jesse McCree, and World of Warcraft Designer Jonathan LeCraft. Blizzard also The names of game characters that refer to the trio were removed from Overwatch and World of Warcraft.
The DFEH lawsuit alleges that Blizzard’s Human Resources Department did not resolve complaints about compensation discrimination and harassment, and that the department was “not highly valued” or trusted by employees. In August, Activision Blizzard’s human resources department was accused of smashing documents related to abuse allegations. Earlier today, a new complaint filed with the National Labor Relations Commission stated that Activision Blizzard was implementing labor violations, including intimidation. , Monitor and interrogate employees to prevent them from organizing and discussing workplace conditions.