Audit finds Paradox has "clear problems" preventing and investigating misconduct

gamedeveloper.com:

An independent audit of Paradox Interactive found the company has "clear problems" with abusive behaviours including suppression techniques and verbal harassment that specifically impacts women at the studio.

The Stellaris developer enlisted Swedish discrimination prevention and investigation company Gender Balance to conduct a third-party audit of its workplace after several current and former employees detailed a culture of harassment and toxicity.

That outpouring of allegations eventually prompted Paradox CEO Fredrik Wester to come clean about subjecting an employee to "inappropriate behaviour" in 2018 during a company-wide conference.

Following the conclusion of Gender Balance's audit, Paradox said it wanted to publish the full report online in the interest of "complete transparency."

Although the company noted that "few severe cases" of misconduct were identified, it acknowledged it failed to "equip our managers sufficiently with the tools needed to identify and act against [misconduct]."

More specifically, Gender Balance highlighted a "signifiacant lack of structural capital in terms of the company's response to misconduct," highlighting that managers lack the training and supportive structure that would allow them to constructively manage incidents of misconduct.

As a result, the audit claims Paradox's handling of potential misconduct is "very uneven, ranging from good to weak and in some cases even aggravating."

"Many cases that should be relatively easy to manage are dismissed or not picked up at all, creating a climate that in practice tolerates misconduct to some extent. Processes are lacking in structure and transparency, resulting in unclear expectations and reluctance to file complaints," it reads.

"Clear-cut