Some Activision Blizzard studios will require proof of vax as worker walkout continues

polygon.com:

Activision Blizzard employees walked out of work Monday to protest changes to the company’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate. Previously, the video game publisher had required employees working together in-person to be vaccinated. On Thursday, it emailed staff and said that would no longer be the case. A group of workers organized and announced the walkout on Friday, leading to a slight concession from management that same day.

The company has since adjusted its announcement by giving agency to individual studios, which are now free to “determine the processes and policies that work best for their employees and locations based on local conditions and risk.” The baseline for the company going forward, however, will be that vaccines are not required.

Blizzard Entertainment is one Activision Blizzard studio that will keep its vaccine requirement “for at least the next few months,” according to an email sent to Blizzard staff and reported by Bloomberg writer Jason Schreier.

The walkout on Monday emphasized two demands, revised from the initial three it was announced with: for Activision Blizzard to make work-from-home an equitable option for all workers, and reversing the lifted vaccine mandate for all studios.

“We had 115 people attend our virtual walkout,” an ABK Workers Alliance representative told Polygon. “Most people opted not to be on campus due to a rise in COVID transmission in our area. ABK also did not allow people to take paid time for this walkout, which is a break from their past behavior.”

In response to the walkout, Activision Blizzard provided the following statement to Polygon:

The health and safety of our employees is at the absolute forefront of everything we do, including our return to office policy. While