The shift did not come as a complete surprise to Disney employees; Iger signaled that a change was coming during a Nov. 28 meeting with them. CNBC earlier reported on his memo on Monday.
Disney has required most employees to report to the office three days a week for roughly the last year, in line with most major media companies. NBCUniversal has a three-days-a-week policy (Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday), while Warner Bros. Discovery requires three days between Monday and Thursday.
Iger’s return-to-work edict was accompanied by praise for a wide array of Disney divisions, including Broadway productions and Imagineering, the company’s theme park design unit. Bob Chapek, who was chief executive from 2020 until he was fired in November, sometimes left certain groups in the company feeling overlooked or underappreciated.
“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,” Iger said in the memo, referring to the Buffalo Bills player who collapsed and went into cardiac arrest on “Monday Night Football” on Jan. 2.
Iger is also working on a sweeping restructuring involving the flow of content to Disney’s streaming services [which have grown quickly to collectively pass Netflix in total audience, but also racked up huge losses]. He has also signaled that cost-cutting lies ahead, including potential layoffs.
Written by: Brooks Barnes
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