Paramount’s new CEO, David Ellison, has demanded that employees return to the office and work from there five days a week. He added that those who are unwilling to comply with this criterion could consider taking a buyout. Ellison argued that the move would “unlock” the company’s “full potential”, Fortune reported, citing the email he sent to employees.
The mandate will roll out in phases. Employees based in New York and Los Angeles who do not wish to return to the office must resign by September 15. From Thursday to September 15, the company will offer a severance opt-in program for those unable or unwilling to return full-time.
The plans for employees based outside New York and Los Angeles would be announced in 2026, the company said.
Reuters reported staff assigned to production, who require overseeing telecasts from remote venues, may be exempt from reporting daily to headquarters.
‘Need to row in the same direction’
“As I said during our town hall, some of the most formative moments of my life happened in rooms where I was a fly on the wall, listening and learning. I’ve never seen that happen on Zoom,” Fox News reported him as saying in the email.
He added, “I believe that in-person collaboration is absolutely vital to building and strengthening our culture and driving the success of our business. We need to all be rowing in the same direction. And especially when you’re dealing with a creative business like ours, that begins with being together in person,” per the memo quoted by Reuters.
Layoffs at Paramount
Ellison became the company’s CEO after Skydance’s $8 billion merger with Paramount. With the deal now complete, the company is preparing to lay off between 2,000 and 3,000 employees in November. As of December last year, Paramount had 18,600 employees, Variety reported.
The CEO has set a goal of achieving $2 billion in cost savings.