Paramount Workers Back To Office or Take Buyout

Paramount Global, following its $8.4 billion merger with Skydance Media, has announced a mandatory five-day-a-week return-to-office (RTO) policy for employees, effective January 5, 2026. 

The directive, issued by CEO David Ellison, marks a significant shift from the company’s previous flexible, pandemic-era remote work structure. 

The policy will initially apply to employees in Paramount’s Los Angeles and New York offices, with plans to extend to other locations, including international offices, later in 2026. This mandate affects employees across Paramount’s portfolio, including CBS, MTV, Nickelodeon, Showtime, BET, Pluto TV, Network 10 in Australia, and Channel 5 in the UK.

Ellison emphasized the importance of in-person collaboration for fostering innovation, problem-solving, and building a stronger company culture, particularly in a creative business like Paramount’s. Employees at the vice president level and below in Los Angeles and New York have until September 15, 2025, to decide whether to comply with the RTO mandate. 

Those unwilling or unable to return full-time can opt into a severance program, details of which will be provided directly to eligible employees. This move aligns with broader cost-cutting efforts, as Paramount aims to reduce expenses by over $2 billion, with layoffs of 2,000–3,000 employees expected by early November 2025, particularly targeting redundancies from the merger.