Skydance is introducing a five-day office attendance policy across its workforce and offering eligible employees voluntary buyouts as the company moves ahead with post-merger integration and cost-cutting measures.
The changes follow Skydance’s $110 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery, bringing the media company under the leadership of David Ellison and Ynon Kreiz as part of the Paramount-Skydance group.
The directives were outlined by co-CEOs David Ellison and Ynon Kreiz in an internal staff memo reported by Deadline. The return-to-office mandate will be phased in by location, with employees given advance notice to adjust to the changes. Major offices in Los Angeles, New York, Atlanta and London are expected to be affected.
The policy brings the wider workforce in line with Paramount-Skydance, which had already ended hybrid working arrangements, and replaces the three-day in-office model previously followed at Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD).
Alongside the attendance changes, the company has introduced a Voluntary Buyout (VBO) Programme to give eligible employees the option to leave the organisation. Those eligible will receive individual communications detailing the terms of the one-time offer and a window in which to decide whether to accept it.
The moves come as the *merged company* faces nearly $90 billion in debt and pursues at least $2 billion in cost savings, with workforce reductions expected to form part of the effort.
In the memo, the co-CEOs said the company considers in-person collaboration important to its creative culture, arguing that working together supports idea-sharing, coaching and coordination across teams. They also acknowledged that the changes could disrupt employees’ daily routines and said the transition would be supported by managers and HR teams.
The policy and buyout programme mark a significant shift in workplace arrangements as Skydance seeks to integrate its teams and reshape its cost structure following the merger.
