The state of media RTO: Here's what companies from Paramount to Netflix are telling workers heading into 2026

Become an Insider and start reading now. Have an account? . Remote work policies are changing at many large companies, including media giants. NBCUniversal and Paramount Skydance asked staffers to return to the office in early 2026. Here's a list of which major media firms do and do not allow remote work. It was a year of RTO mandates in the media industry. Those issuing new guidance included media giants like NBCUniversal and Paramount Skydance, which this fall told thousands of employees to prepare to work in person four or five days a week in early 2026. Work-from-home policies haven't gone extinct at Netflix or its acquisition target , Warner Bros. Discovery, however. YouTube also has a flexible approach to remote work . Here's the latest on work-from-home and return-to-office policies at six major media and tech companies heading into 2026. Paramount Skydance: 5 days a week (with exceptions) Paramount announced this year that it would be calling thousands of employees back to its New York and Los Angeles offices to work in-person five days a week starting January 5, 2026. The decision came in early September, less than a month after CEO David Ellison took charge after the Paramount-Skydance merger . Staffers who weren't up for in-person work were offered a severance package , which about 600 employees took, Paramount said in its third-quarter shareholder letter in mid-November. Some Paramount staff members can continue to work from home for now, including those based outside the US and those who were hired for fully remote roles. These employees who aren't assigned to the NY or LA offices will hear about "Phase Two" of Paramount's return-to-office plan in 2026, Ellison told employees in his September memo. Paramount has been preparing its offices in NY and LA for an influx of remote workers by having employees in those areas work from home throughout December. NBCUniversal: 4 days a week Comcast's NBCUniversal followed in Paramount's footsteps, telling employees to report to its office four days per week starting January 5, 2026. NBCU staffers can still work from home on Fridays. "In-person work and collaboration spark innovation, promote creativity, and build stronger connections," NBCU operating chief Adam Miller said in a memo to staffers about the change. NBCU also gave a severance offer to employees who weren't willing to return to the office. Notably, this exit package was one-size-fits-all , meaning that it wasn't dependent on how long staffers had worked for the parent of Peacock and Universal Studios. Disney: 4 days a week Disney's return-to-office edict came nearly three years ago in early 2023, when CEO Bob Iger called most Mouse House staffers back to the office four days a week. "It is my belief that working together more in-person will benefit the company's creativity, culture, and our employees' careers," Iger told employees at the time. However, Disney's remote work policy isn't always enforced equally. Some staffers have told Business Insider that their managers strictly enforce the four-day rule, while others have said...

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