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IGN Employees Walk Out After Former Employee's Sexual Harassment Claims

_Aaron_

Member
Prominent staff at the gaming site IGN say they’ve walked out today in the wake of allegations late last week that a former editor sexually harassed two women at the company.

On Friday night, Plagge said on Twitter that while working as a social media contractor at IGN last year, she and another female employee were sexually harassed by former editor Vince Ingenito. In her tweet, and in an interview with Kotaku on Saturday, Plagge said that she saw Ingenito as a mentor but grew gradually uncomfortable when he made sexual remarks and “manipulative and abusive comments” toward her and one of her co-workers, whose name she did not want used without that woman’s permission. One example Plagge brought up on Twitter: “‘When I was your age I could go all night.’ He put his hand on my arm. ‘I just want one more night like that.’”

What bothered Plagge the most, she said during a phone call, was what happened after she and her co-worker reported the incident to IGN’s human resources department in July 2016. Plagge said that she and the other woman were told to sit and work in a glass conference room—“a fishbowl”—while IGN decided what to do. Then, Plagge said, she was forced to sign a document saying that she had conducted herself inappropriately, without being told what she had done.

“That is the worst thing about this, is not the harassment, it’s what happened after,” Plagge said. “I deeply deeply regret [contacting HR]. It was just an absolutely traumatic experience for me.”

Plagge said she felt anxious and uncomfortable at work in the coming months, until she decided in December 2016 to leave for a new job at GameSpot. “It got to the point where I couldn’t work for multiple hours a day because I was having panic attacks, so I decided to quit,” she said.

http://www.kotaku.co.uk/2017/11/13/...ter-former-employees-sexual-harassment-claims
 

_Aaron_

Member
IGN statement: http://uk.ign.com/articles/2017/11/13/a-statement-from-the-ign-team
[Note: Please know that this has been written by the IGN content team, not by management or legal or anyone else.]

To the gaming and entertainment community:

It is with great sadness, pain, and regret that we tell you that IGN has failed two of its female employees, one former and one current – both of whom the team cares deeply about. We are devastated that two of our own have had to live with and carry this pain for more than a year.

When the women made management and human resources aware of the situation involving a now-former employee, those women, in the estimation of the IGN team, did not get the respect and care that they deserved as IGN employees and as people. That system, plainly put, failed them. It especially failed them but it also failed all of us.

All of us have been wounded deeply by this – though again, our suffering is nothing compared to those of our two beloved friends – and this morning we addressed the open wound directly with our management team and human resources representative in an emotional, difficult, but ultimately productive two-hour meeting, where any and all voices were heard.

We care deeply about what we do, and we hope our passion for video games and entertainment shines through in our articles, videos, and podcasts every day. But we care even more deeply about each other, and we will continue to fight to make this right for the past, present, and certainly the future. Any future allegations will be taken extremely seriously, and we are actively working to ensure that everyone on our team feels like they work in a safe environment; we will not tolerate the exclusion or mistreatment of any people. The human resources representative who oversaw this situation originally is no longer with the company, and our current HR rep has been transparent and willing to listen to ideas and suggestions for how to create a better work environment going forward.

We are aware of the influence that IGN has in the gaming and entertainment community, and we will utilize that to the best of our abilities going forward. And we will continue to challenge our management and human resources teams to fix what is broken, because if we can’t or if we don’t, then IGN will no longer be a place we’re proud to call home – as content creators, entertainment consumers, and as gamers.

Sincerely,

The IGN Team
 

Dunki

Member
Unlike the Phill Collar one this is some serious shit. And while the guy is not working there anymore I hope IGN really does follow their statement. This is not acceptable in an office or work related environment. And HR should be educated on this.
 

OrionFalls

Member
Unlike the Phill Collar one this is some serious shit. And while the guy is not working there anymore I hope IGN really does follow their statement. This is not acceptable in an office or work related environment. And HR should be educated on this.
It’s not acceptable anywhere, let alone a work place. I just hope IGN do follow through with their promise, and ensure shit like this never happens again.
 

Dunki

Member
It’s not acceptable anywhere, let alone a work place. I just hope IGN do follow through with their promise, and ensure shit like this never happens again.

I would argue that it depends on the relationship. For example I can totally see how close friends can do this but for doing this you need to know the person and their limits sense of humor etc. .

However this was a work related "relationship" and not a close personal one so there is absolute no excuse for this.
 

OrionFalls

Member
I would argue that it depends on the relationship. For example I can totally see how close friends can do this but for doing this you need to know the person and their limits sense of humor etc. .

However this was a work related "relationship" and not a close personal one so there is absolute no excuse for this.
Even if they were in an intimate relationship, this sort of behaviour should be kept at home. Bringing it into the office doesn’t make it sexual harassment, but it does turn it in to sexual misconduct. But this wasn’t an intimate relationship, it was a professional relationship between an editor and one of his writers - someone who, unfortunately, was naive and wanted to impress. He took advantage of that. Plagge has nothing but respect for coming forward, and the IGN content team have my respect too!
 

Dunki

Member
Even if they were in an intimate relationship, this sort of behaviour should be kept at home. Bringing it into the office doesn’t make it sexual harassment, but it does turn it in to sexual misconduct. But this wasn’t an intimate relationship, it was a professional relationship between an editor and one of his writers - someone who, unfortunately, was naive and wanted to impress. He took advantage of that. Plagge has nothing but respect for coming forward, and the IGN content team have my respect too!

I agree with that
 
It's great to see people taking a stand from this, hopefully more victims can feel brave enough to come forward knowing that there is support out there
 
Good on IGN for sacking the HR rep involved, but this is a good opportunity to remind the world: HR IS NOT YOUR FRIEND. HR exists to protect the company's interests, not the employees'.

The fact that these women were treated like they fucked up after a more prominent employee created a hostile work environment speaks volumes about the lack of care the organization truly has for its employees. No one should feel like they shouldn't report sexual harassment.
So brave.
So beautiful.
...What? Like, this flip, sarcastic remark for what sounds like genuine workplace harassment? What's your problem?
 
The first step is admitting their faults. I do hope all parties can resolve this swiftly.

I love IGNs podcast, and whilst this doesn't directly impact me there are female hosts who I wouldn't want to see leave because of this.
 
Let me make this clear:

I strongly support the brave and beautiful show of solidarity by the IGN staff in these dark times of rampant sexual assault and harrassment.
 
Let me make this clear:

I strongly support the brave and beautiful show of solidarity by the IGN staff in these dark times of rampant sexual assault and harrassment.
You can't backpedal that shit. Your response was obviously flip and not made with the intent of expressing what you are in this post. You basically memed on the topic the same way a 4chan troll would.

Just skip the thread if you don't give a shit.
 

ZeoVGM

Banned
What?

I think it's both brave and beautiful for them to stand united with their co-workers.

Based on your incredibly questionable post history, including the Ray Moore thread where you said that the reason why there are more people defending a pedophile these days on GAF was that GAF now has more "intellectual freedom," I'm going to go ahead and say you're a liar.
 

Estellex

Member
Whoa I been extremely flirty in the past when I was in school and I annoyed and pissed a lot of people off.

I am trying to leave the dark past behind but the consequences seems quite severe.
 

ZeoVGM

Banned
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