When the COVID-19 Pandemic hit multiple businesses implemented “temporary” work-from-home initiatives, that way work could still be done while not needing to be at the home office. To this day many have grown accustom to working from home. However, one major company is ending that practice… and that company is Disney.



Last Autumn former Disney CEO Bob Iger was reinstated as CEO after nearly three years while his successor Bob Chapek was of course let go. Iger’s return was welcomed by many at the company as Chapek was planning on letting many people go across the board as the company’s financials hadn’t been doing so well.



Now, after a couple months back as CEO, Bob Iger sent out an email memo to the employees at the company. In that email it was said that the many office employees that had been enjoying working from home must now come back to the home office and work in person for at least four days a week beginning March 1st.

The memo begins with:

Dear Fellow Employees,

Happy New Year! I hope you all found time to rest and recharge during the holidays.Since returning to Disney, I’ve been busy catching up on the many exciting projects underway across all our businesses, and I have been inspired by your boundless creativity and the remarkable success of so many of your recent endeavors.

I thought I would mention a few:

For the 7th consecutive year, Walt Disney Studios was the number-one studio at the box office, and last week, Avatar: The Way of Water became the 7th highest grossing film of all time, and its success is only continuing to grow. The Lion King celebrated its 25th anniversary on Broadway in November, one of just three productions in history to achieve this incredible milestone. Disney General Entertainment shows received an industry leading number of mentions across year end ‘Best of’ lists, including seven of the top 15 most critically acclaimed television shows of the year.

Disney Parks, Experiences and Products finished the year strong as guests celebrated their holiday traditions and rang in the new year at Disney destinations around the world, and Walt Disney Imagineering marked 70 years of groundbreaking innovation and storytelling. And I would be remiss not to mention how the ESPN team expertly handled Damar Hamlin’s tragic injury, showing grace under pressure, and presenting the facts to viewers with utter respect and sensitivity. Accomplishments like these remind me of how special our Company is. 

Then we get into the section that rose a few eyebrows:

I also wanted to let you know that, as I’ve been meeting with teams throughout the Company over the past few months, I’ve been reminded of the tremendous value in being together with the people you work with. 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. It is my belief that working together more in-person will benefit the Company’s creativity, culture, and our employees’ careers. 

Starting March 1, employees currently working in a hybrid fashion will be asked to spend four days a week on-site, targeting Monday through Thursday as in-person workdays. Stay tuned for additional details.

The memo then concluded with:

As we embark on a new year, Disney’s historic 100th anniversary, and all the opportunities before us, we have so many reasons to be excited about the future. Certainly, this is a moment of tremendous change — for our Company, for our industry, and for the global economy — but despite the challenges, at my core I remain an optimist.

Thank you. It’s an honor to be able to work alongside you.

– Best, Bob

So for those who were expecting to stay at home I’m sorry to say but it’s time to get back into the habit of setting your alarm, brushing your teeth, shaving, take a morning shower, dress in clean clothes, pack a lunch and drive to the office like everyone else.

More and more companies are bringing back in-person work. Twitter is a good example of this. We are now exiting the quarantine days and now getting back to how thing were. Let’s just hope it stays that way.

What do you think? Is Bob Iger justified is asking people to come back to work? Let us know below.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter