Disney is asking more employees to return to the office, Themoneytimes has learned.
The Mouse House told some remote product and tech employees on Monday that they will need to work from an office four days a week, a person familiar with the change said.
Many Disney employees already work in person four days a week, though some staffers on certain tech teams have had exceptions. That is changing under the new mandate.
Employees who do not follow Disney’s in-person work policy can be fired. In practice, the return-to-office policy has not always been enforced consistently, staffers have told Themoneytimes. Some say their managers closely track the four-day rule, while others say their bosses are more relaxed.
Disney’s new return-to-office push is intended to reinforce its existing in-person work policy rather than signal a major strategic shift, the person familiar with the change said.
Several other major tech and media companies have tightened their in-office work requirements.
NBCUniversal expects most staffers to work in person four days a week, while Paramount Skydance has a general five-day requirement with exceptions. Paramount’s Phase 2 return-to-office push, which applies to US workers assigned to offices outside New York City or Los Angeles, took effect on Monday.
Disney’s renewed focus on return-to-office comes as CEO Josh D’Amaro approaches the six-month mark in the top job.
D’Amaro has invested in Disney+ by integrating Hulu features and is trying to turn the flagship service into a streaming super app with games and merchandise.
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Under D’Amaro, the media giant is also leaning into its “One Disney” vision by unifying workflows and teams. As part of that process, Disney carried out a major round of layoffs in April and let go of more staffers in July as part of a shake-up at ESPN.