Former Bungie HR manager sues studio for wrongful termination
The complaint alleges the employee was fired after handling an incident of possible racial bias at the company
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Earlier this year, an ex-HR manager of Bungie sued the company for wrongful termination.
As reported by IGN, the suit claims that she was let go following a case of possible discrimination at the Bungie studio. A jury trial is set for January 22, 2024.
The manager had been investigating the performance of an employee at the studio, a staffer who was the only Black individual in a 50-person team. The developer said his current supervisor was racially discriminating against him.
The HR manager recommended that the employee's supervisor should work on diversity training, but the suit says the idea was met with hostility and denied, with people citing the supervisor's tenure and how "highly regarded" they were by other employees.
Shortly after, it was suggested that the Black staffer's employment be terminated. The HR manager disapproved and said that this would be considered racial bias. She then sought advice from Bungie's director of equity of inclusion, Dr. Courtney Benjamin. Given the circumstances, the executive agreed not to fire the employee and suggested issuing him a written warning.
The suit says the HR manager's supervisor allegedly became angry with her for bringing Benjamin into the situation and gave her a written warning. Despite having excellent employee reviews beforehand, the HR manager received a "needs improvement" performance rating within weeks, and her supervisor suggested she look for an exit from the studio.
Not long after, her access to emails and Bungie's platform was cut off without explanation. Eventually, she was told that her job resignation was accepted despite not voluntarily resigning. Emails sent to the company's chief people officer, Holly Barbacovi, about the incident were reportedly not answered.
The former HR manager was hired months after an IGN report in December of 2021 said that Bungie has tolerated sexism, racism, abusive bosses, and systemic discrimination.