A return to full-time in-person work or severance pay, it’s time for many Paramount employees to pick their poison. Just weeks after reports of upcoming layoffs, Paramount’s new full-time RTO mandate has set worker sentiments ablaze. Starting January 5, 2026, workers at the newly merged Paramount Skydance company will have to return to in-person work permanently. Paramount’s 5-day return-to-office mandate also comes with a buyout offer, giving employees the option of quitting its forces voluntarily.

Paramount Announces a Full-Time RTO Mandate to “Unlock Its Full Potential”

Does Paramount truly believe a permanent return to in-person work will be beneficial for the company, or is this another way to cut costs without additional layoffs? That is the question of the hour. Keeping with trends of multinational corporations demanding employees return to the office full-time, Paramount also released an RTO mandate requiring employees to come into the office to position the business for long-term success.

“These changes are about building a stronger, more connected, and agile organization that can deliver on our goals and compete at the highest level. We have a lot to accomplish and we’re moving fast,” CEO David Ellison told employees. “We need to all be rowing in the same direction. And especially when you’re dealing with a creative business like ours, that begins with being together in person.”

How Will Employees Be Affected by the RTO Mandate?

Employees at the company’s Los Angeles and New York offices will be the first to comply with Paramount’s 5-day return policy starting January 5, 2026. Employees assigned to other locations or operating internationally will also have to comply as part of the second phase of the policy’s enforcement.

Only staff who are required at out-of-office venues to oversee telecasts may see an exemption from having to show up at the office every day, according to Variety. However, their tasks already take them out of opportunities to work remotely from home.

Paramount’s Severance Offer to Employees Who Don’t Want to Comply

Employees will be required to sit primly at their desks five days of the week starting in January next year, but it’s unclear how many will remain at the company to keep with the new RTO policy.

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