Activision Blizzard confirms vaccine mandate is over, employees will walk out April 4th

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Workers plan to walk out in protest after it was announced that the vaccine mandate for US corporate employees is being lifted. The company confirmed to The Verge that it has already ended the mandate, and A Better ABK, an organization of employees advocating for better working conditions, announced Friday that employees will walk out of work on April 4th in protest.

The founder of A Better ABK, Jessica Gonzalez, revealed that the company was changing its vaccine policy on Thursday evening. She shared the text of an email sent by Brian Bulatao, the company's chief administrative officer. Bulatao acknowledged that the company's return-to-office policies differed across the business. The email was reported by the journalist shortly after.

LEAKED: Brian Bulatao emailed all of ABK to talk returning to office in June. They will not be enforcing proof of vaccination. I’m sure the ‘benefits’ of in person collaboration is actually so employees organizing can be followed and monitored closely. Do not die for this company pic.twitter.com/MSOwWVYBR3

— Jessica Gonzalez is a chair (@_TechJess) March 31, 2022

A representative for the ABK Workers Alliance said that at the end of three months of feedback sessions and polls, they decided to mandate the vaccine for workers coming into office. The recent change was not run by any employees.

On Friday, Bulatao sent another email to clarify the company's policies, seemingly assuring employees that they don't need to return to work if they are uncomfortable.

Schreier reported that Mike Ybarra sent an email Friday saying that he will require vaccine for the next few months.

At the same time, Blizzard boss Mike Ybarra emailed staff saying they'll continue to require vaccination for at least the next few months and that about 80% of their employees in Irvine, Austin, and Albany have uploaded proof of vaccination

— Jason Schreier (@jasonschreier) April 1, 2022

A Better ABK made three demands of the company on Friday, which I will quote below and which you can see in the embedded tweet that follows:

An immediate reversal to lifting the vaccine requirement

Remote work should be offered as a permanent solution

The decision to work remote or in office should be made by each individual employee

1. An immediate reversal to lifting the vaccine requirement

2. Remote work should be offered as a permanent solution

3. The decision to work remote or in office should be made by each individual employee

— ABetterABK ABK Workers Alliance (@ABetterABK) April 1, 2022

The group has yet to post its own response to the clarifications.

Breaking: Brian Bulatao has conceded to allow each studio to choose their own vaccine mandate requirements. So far I've heard that Blizzard, QAMN, QALA, and QATX have reinstated a vaccine mandate. I hope to hear that all of my fellow ABK coworkers will be similarly protected.

— Valentine Powell ️‍ ️‍⚧️ (@valentine_irl) April 1, 2022

A representative for the group did not have an estimate of how many workers would walk out. The company didn't reply to the request for comment.

The scandals that have plagued the company have caused employees to walk out. More than 350 people were in attendance when staffers walked out after the state of California sued the company for sexual harassment, according to The Washington Post. More than 150 people walked out of the company after the Wall Street Journal reported that CEO Bobby Kotick was aware of sexual harassment allegations. At least 200 people walked out of a studio that worked on the Call of Duty series after layoffs of a dozen staffers, according to The Washington Post.

Here's the full statement from the company.

The health and safety of our employees is at the absolute forefront of everything we do, including our return to office policy. While Activision Blizzard’s U.S. vaccine mandate has been lifted, for the majority of our employees, we are still operating under a voluntary return to office opportunity. In addition, employees who are not comfortable returning to the office are encouraged to work with their manager and our HR team to explore options for working arrangements that suit their individual situations. We will continue to monitor conditions and make adjustments to the policy as needed.

We recognize some employees may be participating in a walkout to express their views. The company supports our employees’ right to express their opinions in a safe and nonthreatening way, and will not retaliate for any decision to participate in this walkout. The company also hopes that those who walk out will conduct themselves in a legal, safe, and nonviolent manner.

Here is the text of Brian Bulatao's latest email.

From: Brian Bulatao

Subject: Vaccine Policy Update

Date: April 1, 2022

Everyone,

Yesterday, I shared an update that we are lifting our corporate vaccine mandate for all U.S. employees. As a result of questions that have emerged since, I want to clarify what this means in terms of decision making throughout our organization about what is best for a particular business unit or location.

First, from the beginning of the pandemic, we have always made the health and safety of employees our highest priority. Our decisions have been founded in implementing standards that meet or exceed local guidance in the communities where we live and work. And, for the majority of our employees, we are still operating under a voluntary return to office opportunity. We will continue to monitor conditions and make adjustments to the policy as needed.

Although we are not on a company-wide basis requiring vaccinations to enter our buildings in the US, it is still up to the leaders of Activision Publishing, Blizzard, and King to determine the processes and policies that work best for their employees and locations based on local conditions and risk.

Thank you for your feedback. We will continue to clarify our plans as we get closer to our full return date.

Brian