After the news that J. Allen Brack, President of Blizzard Entertainment, has left the company, Bloomberg News reports that a high-ranking employee of the HR department is also absent.
Jesse Meschuk, whose title was SVP and Senior People Officer of Blizzard Entertainment and Activision Blizzard, left “this week,” Activision Blizzard confirmed to Bloomberg News. No further details of Meshuk’s departure were disclosed, but it came after the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing filed a July 22 lawsuit alleging that Activision Blizzard women employees were at the company, among other allegations Were “constantly sexually harassed”. Thousands of employees have since signed an open letter in support of the lawsuit before giving up their jobs in protest last week.
Activision Blizzard executives have sent mixed messages about the lawsuit, some of which have sparked outrage among current and former employees. This group of employees said Activision Blizzard’s response to the lawsuit – particularly Fran Townsend’s – was “horrific and offensive”.
In the time since the initial filing, current and former employees have continued to talk about the toxic culture they have experienced at Activision Blizzard since its inception. Axios reporter Megan Farokhmanesh published a report Tuesday, which reveals how the company’s HR department “failed” its employees. The report describes widespread problems within the HR department that resulted in employee experiences being “undermined and devalued”.
The Axios report states that employees were often confronted with skepticism about claims. Several former employees reported similar experiences in interviews with Polygon, with one source specifically highlighting the high turnover rate mentioned in the Axios report. “It was a revolving door,” they said.
