Activision Blizzard has called the proposal to adopt the Rooney Rule, a policy requiring the company to interview at least one diverse candidate when hiring, an "unworkable affront" to its business ability, Motherboard reports.

The Rooney Rule, enacted in 2003, is an NFL policy requiring each team to interview at least one non-white, non-male candidate for coach. It has since spread to other industries in various forms. Earlier this month, the American Federation of Labor and the Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) submitted a shareholder proposal calling on publishers Activision and EA to adopt this policy in all hiring.

EA told Motherboard that it would consider the AFL-CIO's proposal at its next board meeting. However, while Activision claims that it has already adopted this practice in its director and CEO positions, the publisher is reportedly trying to get the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to intervene and force Activision to reject the proposal outright.

In a letter obtained by Motherboard, attorneys representing Activision wrote, "Implementing a policy that would extend this approach to all hiring decisions would amount to an unworkable violation of our ability to operate our business and compete for talent in a competitive, fast-moving marketplace " he wrote.

Activision's lawyers argue that the proposal seeks to "micromanage" the way the publisher handles its recruitment strategy. A spokesperson stressed that the company invests heavily in scholarship programs, mentoring, and internships. Activision Blizzard reinforced its claim to Kotaku that diversity is an important part of the company's hiring culture (although not elaborating) and said that Motherboard "completely misinterpreted" its SEC filings:

"In fact, our hiring practices , rooted in ensuring diversity in all of our positions. We do this proactively and successfully. Our objection was rooted in the fact that the AFL-CIO's proposal did not adequately consider how to apply these practices in all the countries in which we operate.

"To ensure that our game remains true to our mission of connecting with and engaging the world through spectacular entertainment, we are committed to ensuring that all candidates of all backgrounds, ethnicities, genders, races and sexual orientations are considered for each role in the recruitment We are seeking to We actively recruit diverse candidates to ensure that they can bring the inspired creativity needed to meet the expectations of our 400 million players spread across 190 countries. We remain committed to increasing diversity at all levels across Activision Blizzard worldwide.

The AFL-CIO told Kotaku that the proposal is indeed "clearly viable" given the number of companies that have successfully implemented it. Having worked with banks to improve hiring practices, the AFL-CIO is now turning its attention to high-tech companies, and even if the AFL-CIO's proposal is not immediately adopted, Brandon Reese, director of investments, said that the proposal often starts internal conversations and leads companies to establish their own policies tells Motherboard.

"We see it as a useful tool," he says. And we felt now was the right time to take steps to ensure employment practices that promote diversity and inclusion in the game, given the Black Lives Matter movement's focus on racial justice and #MeToo's focus on gender equality and sexual harassment in the workplace." This is important given that #MeToo focuses on gender equality and sexual harassment in the workplace.

Discrimination in the gaming industry is nothing new. In recent years, Ubisoft, Riot, and even smaller teams like seasonal developer Scavengers Studios have been plagued by allegations of abuse and harassment. Invariably, these reports are accompanied by references to a "boys' club," an internal culture of toxic masculinity that believes embedded perpetrators are given safety.

Promising to interview (and never hire) people from outside the white male demographic is the minimum step a company can take, and if Activision feels it is not feasible, it is worth questioning what steps they feel are within their power.

"Game workers want to be more diverse, but they don't get to choose who gets hired," Wes McEnany, organizer of the Campaign to Organize Digital Employees, told Motherboard. "It's really hard to get qualified candidates from marginalized minority communities in gaming and tech. Once they are hired, there is no community for them. They are expected to represent these groups."