Employees at Activision Blizzard were supposed to return to work in June, but the original plan of requiring vaccinations was scrapped.
Activision Blizzard has been in the news for a variety of reasons in recent months, ranging from neutral to outright negative, and the company’s latest venture isn’t winning them any sympathy. At the very least, it’s not about new allegations of abuse this time.
Activision Blizzard just announced that once employees return to work in June, it will not enforce their vaccination status.
As a result, a number of Activision Blizzard employees will strike on Monday to protest the policy changes, which do not appear to be in line with what was previously decided.
Representatives from the Activision-Blizzard-King Workers Alliance stated that employees agreed to return to the offices only after Activision Blizzard promised to mandate vaccination, which it later backtracked on. According to Jason Schrier, the company eventually caved in to ABK’s pressure, and the company’s president, Mike Ybarra, announced that vaccinations would be required for at least the next few months.
However, the issue persists, as ABK claims that Activision Blizzard’s removal of COVID-19 vaccination requirements was the polar opposite of what was agreed upon, and the workers’ April 4th walkout may still occur. According to ABK’s demands, Activision Blizzard must abandon its current course and continue to enforce vaccination mandates for the foreseeable future, as well as provide remote work options that allow employees to choose whether or not to return to the office.
Activision Blizzard is in a difficult situation, as the company has recently been scrutinized by the media and government agencies. Granted, Activision made $5.1 billion in microtransactions and DLC in 2021, making it one of the industry’s most profitable companies.
Its leadership can’t seem to get a handle on its employees, as this isn’t the first walkout ABK has managed to organize in recent months.
As allegations of abuse, mistreatment, and other issues surface, it appears that even Microsoft will not stand in the way of Activision Blizzard’s unionization. It’s impossible to predict how the company’s situation will play out in the near and long term, but it’s clear that ABK intends to see things through and provide a better working environment for its employees.
