A spreadsheet has been circulating where employees and workers from Blizzard Entertainment share their salaries and pay increases. The spreadsheet is a reaction to the high wage disparities that are present within the company between workers and executive positions.
Blizzard performed a study regarding their employees not being happy with their compensation after an internal survey. After they implemented the results of said study, employees rose up and started sharing their information regarding wages anonymously. within the spreadsheet are wages of some employees and the raises they’ve received following the study, which were lower than the employees expected them to be after the study.
Blizzard has long had a reputation for underpaying its workers. Although some senior staff can make well over $100k/year, members of many departments have struggled. Lots of Blizzard staff have left for neighboring Riot, Amazon Game Studios, and tech companies for huge pay raises
— Jason Schreier (@jasonschreier) August 4, 2020
Jessica Taylor, spokeswoman for Activision Blizzard, spoke about the situation. “Our goal has always been to ensure we compensate our employees fairly and competitively. We are 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.” She also explained their efforts when it comes to promotions and salary increases.
It’s not the first time a situation such as this came to be. CEO of Activision Blizzard Bobby Kotick got criticized recently for his compensation which consisted of 40 million dollars in 2019. CFO Dennis Durkin also received a significant sign-on bonus and stock award worth 15 million dollars. Numbers which are in stark contrast with the other wages shared in the anonymous spreadsheet that surfaced recently.
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