Workplace misconduct is a big no no hor? Basic respect for other people. But earlier this week, Riot’s CEO sent an e-mail to employees describing the punishment of Riot’s COO, Scott Gelb. This comes after multiple employees alleged that, as a comedy bit, repeatedly touched subordinates’ balls or butt or farted in their faces. Gelb’s punishment includes two months of unpaid leave and training.
CEO Nicolo Laurent explained in the e-mail:
“As I have mentioned, we are committed to protecting Rioters’ privacy and the integrity of the investigation process. This means that you will not hear me or any other leader discuss individual cases.
“Having said that, we made a very rare exception in the case of our COO, Scott Gelb. There are factors that collectively drive this exception. The Special Committee of the Board of Directors has specifically requested that one of Scott’s consequences be highly visible. Scott holds one of the most senior roles at Riot and is held to a higher level of accountability and visibility, therefore certain consequences are going to be very visible to Rioters. It’s for these reasons I feel it’s necessary to make an exception.”
Is a two months suspension worthy punishment of what Gelb had done? Interviews by Kotaku with Riot employees described the two-month unpaid leave and training as “a tiny slap on the wrist. . . I think this is also not respectful towards people that were hurt or offended by his behavior.”
