The staff of Blizzard Entertainment is about to pay for an internal study meant to ensure that fair payments did not produce the desired results for workers. Last week, an anonymous salary spreadsheet began circulating among employees, and they found that salary increases were not close to what they expected. Their discovery comes as CEO Bobby Kotick continues to make an enormous salary much larger than many others in the industry.
Bloomberg reports that most of the salary increases given after Blizzard’s study were less than 10%, significantly less than most people expected. Employees at Blizzard Entertainment have previously described the food over priced to make hair, while one veteran claims they now make less than they did with Blizzard nearly a decade ago.
Last year, Blizzard Entertainment was asked by parent company Activision Blizzard to cut costs, resulting in hundreds of job cuts, with new responsibilities being fought on remaining workers without a pay rise. The same story has been repeated for a number of years, even as the company records profits.
One person added CEO Bobby Kotick’s salary and compensation package to the anonymous spreadsheet to contrast other reported salaries. Kotick is one of the highest paid executives in the entertainment media sector, with its compensation last year exceeding $ 30 million.
“Our goal has always been to make sure we compensate our employees honestly and competitively,” an Activision Blizzard spokesman told Bloomberg. “We constantly monitor compensation philosophies to better recognize the talent of our top performers and keep us competitive in the industry, all with the goal of rewarding more and investing in top employees.”
