Activision Blizzard employees walked out of work Monday to protest changes to the company’s COVID-19 vaccine order. Previously, the video game publisher had required vaccinations from employees who work together in person. On Thursday, it emailed staff and said that would no longer be the case. A group of workers organized and announced the strike on Friday, which led to a slight concession from management that same day.
The company has since adjusted its announcement by granting the authority to individual studios, who can now “determine the processes and policies that work best for their employees and locations, based on local conditions and risks.” However, the basis for the future of the company will be that there is no need for vaccines.
Blizzard Entertainment is an Activision Blizzard studio that is maintaining its vaccination requirements “at least for the next few months,” according to an email sent to Blizzard employees reported by Bloomberg writer Jason Schreier.
Monday’s strike emphasized two demands, revised from the original three that announced it: that Activision Blizzard make working from home a fair option for all workers and that all studios reverse the lifted vaccination mandate.
“We had 115 people participating in our virtual strike,” an ABK Workers Alliance representative told Polygon. “Most people have chosen not to be on campus due to an increase in COVID transmission in our area. ABK also did not allow people to take paid time on this strike, which is a break from their previous behavior.”
In response to the strike, Activision Blizzard Polygon provided the following statement:
The health and safety of our employees is paramount in everything we do, including our return to the office policy. Although Activision Blizzard’s vaccination mandate has been lifted in the US, we are still operating under a voluntary return to office for the majority of our employees. Additionally, employees who do not feel comfortable returning to the office are encouraged to work with their manager and our HR team to explore options for work arrangements that suit their individual situation. We will continue to monitor the conditions and make adjustments to the policy as necessary.
We understand that some employees may participate in a work stoppage to voice their views. The company supports the right of our employees to speak their minds in a safe and non-threatening manner and will not retaliate for any decision to participate in this strike. The company also hopes that those leaving the home will behave legally, safely and non-violently.
Activision Blizzard currently operates a “voluntary return to the office” policy, where employees are free to work from home or the office at their own discretion. But that may change in the future as management emphasizes the “benefits of working face-to-face.” according to the original leaked email.
Workers at various studios tell Polygon they are concerned about the health and safety of their colleagues and families. A Blizzard Entertainment employee told Polygon she believes there is a way to get back to the office, but it must not put employees at risk.
“Up until this email, the course the leadership had taken was one of observed caution and safety, which enabled employees across the company to not only collaborate, but successfully authorize extensions for several of the company’s flagship titles start, and all while working from home,” she said. “To see such an abrupt change in policy without warning only demonstrates their commitment to confining themselves to the minimum recommended guidelines in a rushed attempt to return to office life in a pre-pandemic world.”
Another employee told Polygon they’re concerned about how much more expensive it is for some employees to always be in the office — particularly quality assurance and customer service roles, which are notoriously poorly paid.
“Parents of younger children will be forced to place their child in daycare, which is expensive and could further increase the risk of infection,” the staffer said. “Gas prices are rising and most affordable housing is miles from offices.”
Some video game studios have embraced work-from-home as a permanent option for workers — a move some are saying made the industry fairer. This means workers no longer have to give up their lives and move to expensive cities to work on big games. However, some places are less flexible, and like tech companies like Apple, The workers are not enthusiastic about the change — at least not yet, as COVID-19 continues to spread in communities around the world.
According to the Centers for Disease Control, Hundreds of Americans die from COVID-19 every day. While the totals are trending down, experts suggest a new wave has already begun in the United States. Meanwhile, COVID-19 cases Spiking in Asia and Europe.
