Activision Blizzard shareholders approve the proposed abuse and harassment report

Activision Blizzard shareholders on Tuesday endorsed management's recommendation. In addition, they approved a proposal for a public report on the effectiveness of video game publishers' efforts to reduce team member abuse, discrimination, and harassment.

This is the latest round of pressure on Activision Blizzard over alleged team member harassment. In March, officials said they were harassed because a judge violated an agreement with the US. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission after finding evidence of sexual harassment, pregnancy discrimination, and related retaliation at the company.

The shareholder proposal requires a report detailing the number of cases and the amount of money the company has spent on sexual assault, discrimination, or harassment against a protected group over the past three years. The proposal also states that the report should include information on pending cases, compensation data, and the number of hours worked. The Washington Post previously reported on the results of the vote.

"Reports like Demands will help shareholders assess whether the company is improving its human resource management, whether its actions are consistent with the company's public statements and whether it remains a sustainable investment," the New York State Pension Fund said in a statement. "Violations of civil rights in the workplace, including but not limited to sexual assault, harassment, and discrimination, can result in significant harm to businesses, including fines, penalties, court fees, absenteeism, and decreased productivity.

Activision Blizzard's board of directors rejected the proposal, saying another report would waste resources. The committee said this would provide an indicator, which is not the best way to track how the company deals with team member issues.

After proxy consultant Glass Lewis expressed support for the initiative, citing news reports of widespread discrimination, harassment, and retaliation against women, the company backed down, saying such articles should not be the focus of a shareholder proposal. However, the institutional shareholder service also praised the proposal, noting that the company did not appear to follow best practices in announcing its diversity, fairness, and inclusion goals.