The pandemic largely shifted people’s ideas of work, but many leaders in various industries want to go back to the way things were pre-pandemic. Bob Iger is one of those, as he wants Disney employees back in the office for at least four days, according to a memo that Deadline received. The returning CEO plans to execute the Monday-Thursday in-person workweek decision on March 1, mostly putting an end to hybrid schedules.
Leaders have different ideas of what work should be in this modern age of the virus still being a threat. For Bob Iger, Disney employees working together in the same building will aid the company’s “creativity, culture, and our employees’ careers.” More details on what this new phase of the company in the pandemic era will arrive closer to the March 1 date.
Returning CEO Bob Iger making Disney employees spend four days in the office
The executive has been known for being a creative-first type of leader. After his shocking return to replace previous CEO Bob Chapek, it was expected changes would happen to position the company in the world of streaming after criticism had been thrown at Chapek’s decisions with Disney+. As a part of these changes, the four-day workweek is the only new development that we have seen since he came back.
Executives of large companies have been divided on coming back to offices full-time. Bob Iger putting Disney employees for four days is stricter than others. For example, Apple employees work three days a week. Others have been more strict, as Elon Musk told Twitter workers that they must arrive at the office for a full week’s work of work. For creative industries like film, the Disney leader finds it will cultivate more collaborative efforts and garner more creative projects.
The company has shifted in many ways in how it handles distribution in the pandemic. Disney+ has been a major focus in delivering original movies and shows across Marvel, Lucasfilm, National Geographic, Pixar, and more. Its theatrical releases have also gone to streaming sooner than what would be expected pre-COVID. Still, when a movie comes to the streamer was uneven under Chapek, which will still need to be seen how Iger tackles delivering a newly released film, like Avatar: The Way of Water, to the company’s streaming platform.
