Disney Is Bringing Employees Back Four Days a Week

The shift did not come as a complete surprise to Disney employees; Mr. Iger signaled that a change was coming during a Nov. 28 meeting with them. CNBC earlier reported on his memo on Monday.

Disney employees have been required to work on site three days a week for the past couple of years, in line with most major media companies. NBCUniversal has a three-days-a-week policy (Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday), while Warner Bros. Discovery requires three days between Monday and Thursday.

Mr. Iger’s return-to-work edict was accompanied by praise for a wide array of Disney divisions, including Broadway productions and Imagineering, the company’s theme park design unit. Bob Chapek, who was chief executive from 2020 until he was fired in November, sometimes left certain groups in the company feeling overlooked or underappreciated.

“I would be remiss not to mention how the ESPN team expertly handled Damar Hamlin’s tragic injury, showing grace under pressure, and presenting the facts to viewers with utter respect and sensitivity,” Mr. Iger said in the memo, referring to the Buffalo Bills player who collapsed and went into cardiac arrest on “Monday Night Football” on Jan. 2.

Mr. Iger is also working on a sweeping restructuring involving the flow of content to Disney’s streaming services. He has also signaled that cost cutting lies ahead, including potential layoffs.

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/09/business/disney-return-to-office.html