Disney workers rebel against CEO Bob Iger’s return to the office mandate demanding staff come in four days a week: 2,300 employees sign petition begging him to abandon the new rule after he laid off 7,000 workers
- More than 2,300 Disney employees have signed a petition pushing back against the return to the office mandate recently announced by CEO Bob Iger
- Starting March 1, Disney staff must work in the office four days a week
- The petition comes as Disney prepares to layoff 7,000 employees
Disney employees are pushing back against the mandate recently announced by CEO Bob Iger requiring them to return to the office four days a week.
More than 2,300 workers recently signed a petition asking Iger to reconsider the order which cuts back on their remote work days first implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The mandate, the employees claim, will lead to ‘forced resignations among some of our most hard-to-replace talent and vulnerable communities’ while also ‘dramatically reducing productivity, output, and efficiency.’
The petition comes just weeks after Disney announced 7,000 layoffs to cut back on costs in the entertainment and ESPN divisions.
Disney employees are pushing back against the mandate requiring them to return to the office four days a week, recently announced by Disney CEO Bob Iger (pictured)
More than 2,300 workers recently signed a petition asking Iger to reconsider the order which cuts back on their remote work days first implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic
According to The Washington Post, the petition was submitted to upper management last week.
The company is slated to bring workers back into the office four days a week starting on March 1, DailyMail.com reported in early February.
Disney currently employs more than 200,000 and signees of the petition span ABC, 20th Century Studios, Marvel Studios, Hulu, Pixar, and FX.
‘This policy will slow, or even reverse, our post-COVID recovery and growth by creating critical resource shortages and causing irreplaceable institutional knowledge loss,’ employees wrote in the petition obtained by the Washington Post.
The employees say they believe the mandate will have ‘unintended consequences’ that damage the company in the long-term.
Officially, the group asks that Iger and Disney keep current work-from-home policies in place and invest in new technology and training to make collaboration easier.
‘Sitting on Zoom calls in an office for four days a week while your co-workers, partners, stakeholders, vendors, and customers do the same in a different part of the world does not meet the core need,’ the petition states
‘There is value in being together, but we also need to look forward and embrace new paradigms that add value,’ it continues.
They are also asking for more networking and town hall events.
The company is slated bring workers back into the office four days a week starting on March 1
The group is asking that Iger and Disney keep current work-from-home policies in place and invest in new technology and training to make collaboration easier
Disney employs more than 200,000, meaning roughly one percent signed the petition
Signees of the petition span ABC, 20th Century Studios, Marvel Studios, Hulu, Pixar, and FX
In his letter to employees last month, Iger said he was bringing employees back into the office to inspire creativity and connection
Hundreds of testimonials were submitted along with the petition. According to the Washington Post, 400 comments came from parents who said the return to the office would disrupt the work-life balance they have become accustomed to.
Aside from parents, some workers described themselves as ‘neurodivergent’ – individuals with attention-deficit, autism, and dyslexia- said the office time will take a toll on them.
Several employees who talked with the outlet said they are hoping Disney at least listens to their concerns.
‘Flexibility at Disney really felt like a fresh start,’ the employees said. ‘Now it feels like we’re moving backwards,’ they said.
In his letter to employees last month, Iger said he was bringing employees back into the office to inspire creativity and connection.
‘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,’ Iger reportedly wrote.
Disney’s four-day mandate is relatively strict compared with other major companies, most of which require workers to be in the office two or three days per week.
Google-parent Alphabet and Apple both instituted three-day requirements for working in the office last year.
Some Disney employees may have been hesitant to sign the position, however, after the company announced thousands of layoffs in early February.
The restructure and layoffs will predominantly cut those in the entertainment and ESPN divisions as the cuts will impact roughly 3.5 percent of the company’s workforce
Frontline employees at Disneyland and Disney World are reportedly not in danger
Disney aired an ad during the Super Bowl, celebrating their 100 year anniversary. The ad would have cost the company millions and came just days after 7,000 layoffs were announced
Iger announced the layoffs as part of a ‘significant transformation’ to cut back costs.
The CEO, who took over the position from Bob Chapek in November, plans to restructure the company into three divisions: Disney Entertainment, ESPN, and Experiences and Products.
The restructure and layoffs will predominantly cut those in the entertainment and ESPN divisions as the cuts will impact roughly 3.5 percent of the company’s workforce. Frontline employees at the parks are reportedly not in danger.
The company has faced major backlash, however, after the company announced that it earned $1.28 billion in the three months through December 31.
After Disney aired an ad during the Super Bowl celebrating their 100-year anniversary, the company saw criticism from the public.
‘Something about that Disney celebratory ad bugs me … maybe it’s the recent announcement they’re laying off 7,000 employees and spending at least $7m on the ad,’ Kristina Monllos, senior marketing editor at online trade magazine Digiday, said.
Commercials during the Super Bowl can cost upwards of $7 million a slot for just 30 seconds.
Source: Read Full Article
