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From Game Industry: Activision Blizzard says interviewing diverse candidates for every opening "unworkable"

Activision Blizzard says interviewing diverse candidates for every opening "unworkable"

Publisher asks SEC to exempt it from putting "Rooney Rule" proposal before shareholders; EA says it will consider it

www.gamesindustry.biz

Activision Blizzard is looking to avoid a shareholder proposal that it interview at least one diverse candidate when it hires for a position, according to a Vice report.

The proposal was based on the NFL's Rooney Rule, adopted in 2003 to require all of the football league's teams to interview at least one diverse candidate for every head coaching vacancy. It was later expanded to include vacancies for general managers and similar front office positions.

"implementing a policy that would extend such an approach to all hiring decisions amounts to an unworkable encroachment on the Company's ability to run its business and compete for talent in a highly competitive, fast-moving market."

So what everybody with a working brain already knew. Hiring and interviewing based on diversity, color, sex, being LGBQWERTY instead of pure CV content, past carreer, expertise and own professional archievements is impossible to apply on the real world where stuff as competition or deadlines exists.
My theory is that if you hire based ONLY on CV and the profile you can get after an interview you will automatically hire this "diverse cast". If you hire because a SJW agenda you are not hiring people, you are hiring TOKENS.

 

[buizel]

So they found out hiring someone based on what they look like instead of the relevant skills they possess is a bad idea.

wHo KnEw

 

[Alan Wake]

Naturally.

 

[Krappadizzle]

TwitterMob won't like this one bit. This is shit people have been saying for the last 10 years. Problem is these companies don't have the balls to stand up for the very obvious.

 

[xrnzaaas]

I always find it curious how the big shareholders agree for large scale diversity hires when they could be making more money if the company hired people based purely on talent and productivity.

 

[Sentenza]

TwitterMob won't like this one bit.

Now they'll be forced to apologize and hire a platoon of obese lesbian women of color on a wheelchair to make up for it.
And then apologize again. Without getting any forgiveness.

 

[Dr.Morris79]

I always find it curious how the big shareholders agree for large scale diversity hires when they could be making more money if the company hired people based purely on talent and productivity.

Exactly what I was going to comment. You couldnt make this stuff up. To hazard a guess i'd put it down to the idea that it's a 'hip' trend ripe for making money..

 

[Dr. Claus]

No shit. Anyone who honestly believes diversity hiring is a good idea is someone who has more than a few screws loose. Hire based on their resume, CV, and actions. Not based on what they think they are, what’s between their legs, or who they want to bone.

 

[Salmon Snake]

Maybe the world is slowly waking up from this madness.

 

[SuperColourful]

TwitterMob won't like this one bit. This is shit people have been saying for the last 10 years. Problem is these companies don't have the balls to stand up for the very obvious.

look at the Replies they already not liking it lol

 

[ZywyPL]

I always find it curious how the big shareholders agree for large scale diversity hires when they could be making more money if the company hired people based purely on talent and productivity.

Except that's not how the stock market works, hence the shareholders not only agree for it but actually desire/demand the companies to go along with it. That's why CEO's have such a hard task to combine both the financial and stock results.

 

[WakeTheWolf]

Maybe the world is slowly waking up from this madness.

I doubt it to be honest. Never underestimate how stupid people can get

 

[Insane Metal]

Hire based on skills then maybe?

 

[Soodanim]

look at the Replies they already not liking it lol

“I knew there was a reason I didn’t like their games”

Oh, okay.

To help tackle any actual problems, you’d need to have interviews set up based on CVs with possible indicators stripped (even names) so that it’s strictly facts, then have a team conducting the interview to minimise on biases. But you’d probably be sacrificing something else in the process.

 

[Salmon Snake]

I doubt it to be honest. Never underestimate how stupid people can get

The realistic side of me agrees with you.

 

[Hudo]

Based Activision.

 

[regawdless]

It's so ridiculous that such a thing was even considered. Like, how fucking stupid can you be.

The western world is in a strange place.

 

[MiyazakiHatesKojima]

Once I saw how big of a colossal fail Marvel's Avengers was, I knew the black director hired for it was nothing but a token developer.

No real talent.

 

[mitch1971]

I can increase my chances of getting a job by dyeing my hair pink.

 

[Fuz]

Spoiler

 

[Thomish]

The point of this particular "woke" policy was that people weren't being hired just on their skills and were being discriminated. If AB are doing it on meritocracy, that's what we should be aiming for to begin with.

People want to act like there wasn't discrimination in work place hiring, this is why things like the Rooney Rule came to fore to begin with.

 

[Sentenza]

The point of this parricular "woke" policy was that people weren't being hired just on their skills and were being discriminated.

Well, it's more correct to say that this was the general assumption.
Too bad it turned out to be mostly false when put to the test.

People who aren't already familiar with it should give this old documentary a watch:

Hjernevask (Brainwash) is a Norwegian popular science documentary series that aired on Norwegian television in 2010. The series was produced by Harald Eia and Ole Martin Ihle, and was completed in seven episodes consisting of interviews with Norwegian and foreign researchers who have different views on the nature versus nurture debate.

 

[clintar]

On the other hand, an EA representative told Vice the publisher would consider the AFL-CIO proposal, saying it was "committed to maintaining hiring practices that promote inclusion and diversity" at the company.

This "promote inclusion and diversity" language should always read as "promote favoring based on race and gender/sexual orientation", so racism and bigotry

 

[RoboFu]

I’ve worked in software development for 25+ years and I haven’t ever had a black person apply for a position. Plenty of Indians and Asians though.

 

[KiNeMz]

I hope Biden is watching.

 

[Spukc]

wait so hiring a disabled gay trans Indian does not automatically mean they are better then all white males?

 

[clintar]

I hope Biden is watching.

He's probably watching AND sniffing.

 

[Nezzeroth]

Hiring and interviewing are 2 different things. You can interview an additional person and then not hire them. I really don't see the issue.

 

[TGO]

As soon as people get through their head that to a business, they're just a number
They don't care who you are, what race or sex you are or like.

 

[AV]

Hiring and interviewing are 2 different things. You can interview an additional person and then not hire them. I really don't see the issue.

The issue is that if they have a position open and have 10 white people apply for an interview, even if they definitely want one of those people for the position, under this retarded rule they have to either wait for or find a minority to apply just so that they can turn them down. In which time, the person they actually wanted for the position might have been scooped up by somebody else.

 

[SJRB]

Hire based on skills then maybe?

Oops you committed a thought crime.

It's 2021 so you don't hire based on skill but on non-discriminatory selection based on skin color, gender, sexual preference and wether or not someone prefers pineapple on pizza.

 

[cormack12]

Not much info to go on there. But I thought all applications were anonymised to a skillset, and then the personal details were revealed after the skillset was met and they ere moved to interview status? Ironically to prevent prejudice. Only those qualified get interviews. This means you would need to know the applicants demographs before advancing to interview which is open to corruption (e.g. a relative puts specific criteria as flags to look out for like 'White Irish' + 'Sikh').

Also as someone who does interview infrequently fuck this move. It's already time consuming enough to interview and prep packs, score them and provide feedback than adding an extra person in just because.

 

[Rean no Kiseki]

TwitterMob won't like this one bit. This is shit people have been saying for the last 10 years. Problem is these companies don't have the balls to stand up for the very obvious.

And yet CoD will still sell tens of millions and generate billions in revenue and good ol' Bobby Kotick will laugh all the way to the bank.

 

[GymWolf]

Blizzard discovering hot water next, stay tuned folks.

 

[KingT731]

It seems like a lot of companies took things the exact wrong way. The point was to stop /not/ hiring people based on those things (Gender/Sexuality/Race) instead of their talent/skills. It's less to do with "woke" shit than most of you might think.

 

[Fake]

Hire based on skills then maybe?

Nah.

 

[Thomish]

Well, it's more correct to say that this was the general assumption.
Too bad it turned out to be mostly false when put to the test.

Well, it's more correct to say that this was the general assumption.
Too bad it turned out to be mostly false when put to the test.

People who aren't already familiar with it should give this old documentary a watch:

I can't say I agree with the phrasing of this nature v. nurture argument like this at all, but I don't want to derail the thread and get too politic tbh. I know plenty of women who think more systematically than emphatically at my current work place for example, so the premise of that whole theory doesn't really hold up for me, anecdotally. I suggest you need to look deeper into the "nurture" side of things.

 

[cormack12]

It seems like a lot of companies took things the exact wrong way. The point was to stop /not/ hiring people based on those things (Gender/Sexuality/Race) instead of their talent/skills. It's less to do with "woke" shit than most of you might think.

It seems this is a shareholder decision that damages the talent pool potential. Take a look at the last year alone, the amount of talent that has moved from established studios to other studios. Blizzard are saying that if the shareholders impose the Rooney Rule to that level, they will miss out on the opportunities to hire/incentivise those people joining the workforce because of red tape. Red tape that isn't applicable to their competitors.

 

[The_Mike]

First comment is from a Era retard. I would also be mad if I couldn't use my wheelchair or my black cuck boyfriend as a reason to get a high paid job if I was her.

 

[KingT731]

It seems this is a shareholder decision that damages the talent pool potential. Take a look at the last year alone, the amount of talent that has moved from established studios to other studios. Blizzard are saying that if the shareholders impose the Rooney Rule to that level, they will miss out on the opportunities to hire/incentivise those people joining the workforce because of red tape. Red tape that isn't applicable to their competitors.

Then you also clearly missed the point. People aren't saying oh you need to interview X amount of Black people for example. They're saying when said black person applies that those things aren't he deciding factor for not being hired. You have to look beyond some things...good example is Google until very recently wouldn't hire people who graduated from HBCUs.

 

[cormack12]

Then you also clearly missed the point.

Explain how it is different. The article has the quotes. Let's take the summaries:

Activision Blizzard is looking to avoid a shareholder proposal that it interview at least one diverse candidate

the Company has implemented a Rooney Rule policy as envisioned [for director and CEO nominees]

...a policy that would extend such an approach to all hiring decisions amounts to an unworkable encroachment on the Company's ability to [..] compete for talent in a highly competitive, fast-moving market."

Typically CEO and Directors are not dynamic positions like devs etc. There is a range of management initiatives like succession planning and coupled with the long lead times for leaving current positions there is usually a lot more time. Time is of the essence on contracted positions (fixed or part) or talent in a competitive market.

 

[Clear]

Hiring and interviewing are 2 different things. You can interview an additional person and then not hire them. I really don't see the issue.

The issue is under such a rule any vacancy would have to remain open until the interview diversity quota for that position had been met.

So basically they'd potentially lose high quality candidates due to delaying the hiring process until they'd checked off the box.

 

[cormack12]

Then you also clearly missed the point. People aren't saying oh you need to interview X amount of Black people for example. They're saying when said black person applies that those things aren't he deciding factor for not being hired. You have to look beyond some things...good example is Google until very recently wouldn't hire people who graduated from HBCUs.

That's exactly what it says. I don't know why you specifically picked out black people?

a shareholder proposal that it interview at least one diverse candidate when it hires for a position

 

[Nezzeroth]

The issue is under such a rule any vacancy would have to remain open until the interview diversity quota for that position had been met.

So basically they'd potentially lose high quality candidates due to delaying the hiring process until they'd checked off the box.

The issue is that if they have a position open and have 10 white people apply for an interview, even if they definitely want one of those people for the position, under this retarded rule they have to either wait for or find a minority to apply just so that they can turn them down. In which time, the person they actually wanted for the position might have been scooped up by somebody else.

That's how it works? Then yes, that's stupid as fuck.

 

[captainraincoat]

Maybe the world is slowly waking up from this madness.

not when there is a democrat government in place in the US

It does have a bright side however...the far left cannibalize themselves in the quest for being the most woke and they have 4 years to eat their own tail

 

[KingT731]

Explain how it is different. The article has the quotes. Let's take the summaries:







Typically CEO and Directors are not dynamic positions like devs etc. There is a range of management initiatives like succession planning and coupled with the long lead times for leaving current positions there is usually a lot more time. Time is of the essence on contracted positions (fixed or part) or talent in a competitive market.

1. Check the Edit

2. Those quotes are exactly why I said they were going about it the wrong way.

 

[Salmon Snake]

not when there is a democrat government in place in the US

It does have a bright side however...the far left cannibalize themselves in the quest for being the most woke and they have 4 years to eat their own tail

Don't want to take part of US domestic policies, but it sucks that the rest of the world takes influence from "woke" US politics.

 

[aries_71]

I’ve worked in software development for 25+ years and I haven’t ever had a black person apply for a position. Plenty of Indians and Asians though.

I have several in my team. Some of the best developers, btw.

 

[Stuart360]

Its always made me scratch my head when you get this diversity quota in companies that are in countries that are like 80-90% white. Of course there will be more white people working at said company.
Just hire the best people for the job, and fuck the checklist ridiculousness.

 

[cormack12]

I’ve worked in software development for 25+ years and I haven’t ever had a black person apply for a position. Plenty of Indians and Asians though.

We've had a few but they generally only contract, not interested in permanent positions. We get more indians applying.