It looks like hybrid work at Disney is coming to an end. CEO Bob Iger recently sent an email to employees stating that they must return to corporate offices four days a week starting March 1.
According to Iger, in-person collaboration is crucial for creativity and professional growth. He wrote, "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."
This move comes as many companies, including Disney, are looking to return to a more normal pre-pandemic work environment now that vaccination rates have risen and cases have fallen. However, Disney's four-day in-office requirement is stricter than those of other companies, which have typically mandated two or three in-office days for hybrid employees. Apple, for example, required employees to return to work three days a week in September, while Twitter owner Elon Musk ordered nearly all Twitter employees to return to the office five days a week in November.
Iger's return to the CEO role at Disney in November was accompanied by a promise to lead the company to renewed growth and to develop a successor. However, the company has also faced challenges, including rising expenses at its streaming service, Disney+, and a shifting media landscape with decreasing ad revenue and more consumers cutting cable subscriptions for streaming services. As a result, Iger is restructuring the company, including reorganizing the Media & Entertainment Distribution division and implementing a hiring freeze.
Meanwhile, from the period between December 29h and January 4th, there have been 3,125 new cases of COVID reported within Orange County, and 352 people currently hospitalized with the disease. This falls short of last year's numbers at this time, cases are still on the ries, and moving people indoors without masks or an air filtration system will only stand to increase these numbers.
