Blizzard Employees Share Salary Details Amid Ongoing Pay Dispute
Employees shared stories of reportedly avoiding meals to make rent.
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Activision and Blizzard's wages have come under scrutiny in the past, especially the disparity between staff and executive pay. Yesterday, this issue surfaced in a spreadsheet compiled by Blizzard staff, demonstrating the difference in salaries between various workers at the company.
A report from Bloomberg details a spreadsheet containing dozens of alleged Blizzard salaries. Most of the raises are reportedly lower than 10 percent, with one employee telling Bloomberg they received a raise of "less than 50 cents an hour" and stories of others leaving for higher paying companies. In some cases, Bloomberg reports on one employee who skipped meals to afford rent, and another only eating oatmeal because they couldn't afford food at the company cafeteria.
Activision Blizzard has been under criticism for a while over these issues. In 2019, the company laid off hundreds of employees following a "record year" of profit. At the time, Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick said that while 2018's financial results were the best in the company's history, it "didn't realize our full potential."
Earlier this year, Activision Blizzard came under scrutiny from its own shareholders, who highlighted Kotick's compensation, which included almost $100 million in stock options and equity since 2016. CtW Investment Group said that Activision Blizzard's approach to human capital management "needs to be addressed before it manifests in deeper operational problems."
Though some positions offer higher salaries, some areas of the company like testing and customer service offer notably less, according to Bloomberg's report. Meanwhile, Bloomberg reporter Jason Schreier noted Kotick's salary in a tweet, specifically the bonus section.
A spokesperson for Activision Blizzard told BusinessInsider that the company is "constantly reviewing compensation philosophies to better recognize the talent of our highest performers and keep us competitive in the industry, all with the aim of rewarding and investing more in top employees."