Paramount Skydance Escalates Return-to-Office Push: Phase 2 Mandates Full-Time In-Person Work Outside NYC and LA by September

Paramount Skydance is doubling down on its aggressive return-to-office mandate with a "Phase 2" rollout that will force additional waves of employees back to desks. The studio just notified workers assigned to US offices outside New York and Los Angeles that they must return to full-time in-person work starting September 14, 2025. More striking: some fully remote employees who've been working from home will be forced to relocate and return to offices beginning in 2027, with the company promising they'd "receive information and resources well in advance of any transition."

CEO David Ellison's RTO philosophy hinges on the belief that physical proximity drives innovation in "this creative business," with the company arguing that "being in person together will help us innovate, solve problems, share ideas, and build stronger connections." However, the company is carving out exemptions for certain technical teams—streaming tech and ad operations staffers were explicitly told they could continue working remotely full-time, a sign that not all roles are deemed equally dependent on in-person collaboration.

The stakes for non-compliance are stark. Paramount's internal FAQ makes clear that "managers will be responsible for ensuring team members meet the full-time in-office requirement," and violations could trigger "discipline up to and including dismissal." This represents a significant hardline stance compared to competitors: Disney requires four days per week in-office, NBCUniversal mandates four days weekly, WBD asks for three days, and Netflix still offers fully remote options. Paramount's Phase 2 follows Phase 1, which in January mandated that New York and Los Angeles-based employees return five days per week after Ellison acknowledged in January that the transition "has been an adjustment for many."