Activision Blizzard shareholders vote in favor of harassment report, despite board's objections

pcgamer.com:

In May, Activision Blizzard's board of directors urged shareholders to vote against a proposed report(opens in new tab) on the company's efforts to combat abuse, harassment, and discrimination in the workplace. The board argued that having to prepare «yet another report» would divert resources that could be more effectively used elsewhere, and furthermore «would create a set of metrics that are simply not the best measures of how the Company is responding to employee concerns.» At today's annual meeting, however, shareholders rejected that argument, and voted decisively in favor of the creation of the report.

Roughly 67% of the voting shares cast their ballot in favor of the report, Activision said in a statement. But that doesn't necessarily mean the report will happen: The vote is non-binding, meaning that it's more of an advisory thing than an obligation. The board of directors, of course, said it will think about it.

«Consistent with our ongoing commitments, we will carefully consider the proposal to enhance our future disclosures. Activision Blizzard remains deeply committed to a respectful, welcoming workplace for all colleagues,» the board said in a statement(opens in new tab). «We believe that transparency with our stakeholders is critical to our commitment to the very best governance practices. The Board greatly values our stockholders’ perspectives.»

The likelihood of the report being produced is anybody's guess. A 67% vote in favor signals discontent with the way that reports of longstanding misconduct at Activision Blizzard have been handled, and should probably not be ignored lightly. On the other hand, shareholders voted in line with the board's recommendation across the board otherwise, and in far more