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In October 2021, the studio started a phased return in which many employees worked from the office for three days a week.
By Caitlin Huston
Business Writer
As Bob Iger calls on employees to return to the office four days a week, some Hollywood companies are making similar moves.
Lionsgate will also require employees to work in the office for four days a week, with Friday as the work from home day. Their policy, which was in the works before the Iger announcement, starts Jan. 17. In October 2021, the studio started a phased return in which many employees worked from the office for three days a week.
Disney employees are set to begin the new four-day in-person schedule on March 1. The company set its new policy as Iger returns to reshape the company and to put focus back on decision-making by creatives. In a memo to employees, Iger argued that the way to do that was to return to more in-person work.
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“As you’ve heard me say many times, creativity is the heart and soul of who we are and what we do at Disney. And in a creative business like ours, nothing can replace the ability to connect, observe, and create with peers that comes from being physically together, nor the opportunity to grow professionally by learning from leaders and mentors,” Iger wrote in the memo.
And though Iger is a commanding voice in the industry, and one which could set the tone for others in Hollywood, other studios have yet to make any changes.
Warner Bros. Discovery and Sony are both sticking with their policies of requiring three days a week in the office. However, Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav has similarly expressed a preference for in-person work.
At Paramount, the company will continue with its policy of having hybrid employees spend half their time in the office and half at home, with the exact number of days varying by week.
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