The state of media RTO: Here's what companies from Paramount to Netflix are telling workers heading into 2026

Paramount announced this year that it would be calling thousands of employees back to its New York and Los Angeles offices to work in-person five days a week starting January 5, 2026. The decision came in early September, less than a month after CEO David Ellison took charge after the Paramount-Skydance merger.

Staffers who weren't up for in-person work were offered a severance package, which about 600 employees took, Paramount said in its third-quarter shareholder letter in mid-November.

Some Paramount staff members can continue to work from home for now, including those based outside the US and those who were hired for fully remote roles. These employees who aren't assigned to the NY or LA offices will hear about "Phase Two" of Paramount's return-to-office plan in 2026, Ellison told employees in his September memo.

Paramount has been preparing its offices in NY and LA for an influx of remote workers by having employees in those areas work from home throughout December.

Comcast's NBCUniversal followed in Paramount's footsteps, telling employees to report to its office four days per week starting January 5, 2026. NBCU staffers can still work from home on Fridays.

"In-person work and collaboration spark innovation, promote creativity, and build stronger connections," NBCU operating chief Adam Miller said in a memo to staffers about the change.

NBCU also gave a severance offer to employees who weren't willing to return to the office. Notably, this exit package was one-size-fits-all, meaning that it wasn't dependent on how long staffers had worked for the parent of Peacock and Universal Studios.

Disney's return-to-office edict came nearly three years ago in early 2023, when CEO Bob Iger called most Mouse House staffers back to the office four days a week.

"It is my belief that working together more in-person will benefit the company's creativity, culture, and our employees' careers," Iger told employees at the time.

However, Disney's remote work policy isn't always enforced equally. Some staffers have told Business Insider that their managers strictly enforce the four-day rule, while others have said that their bosses are more lax about badge swipes.

Warner Bros. Discovery requires most of its employees to work in person three days a week, with a work-from-home option on the other two days.

However, that policy could change if the company behind HBO and Warner Bros. Studios were bought by either Netflix or Paramount Skydance.

YouTube-parent Google's remote work policy may be confusing, but it offers a certain level of flexibility.

The tech giant's remote work policy lets employees work from home two days a week. It also offers a "Work From Anywhere" program, allowing staff members to telecommute for four weeks a year.

Google revised that "Work From Anywhere" policy this fall, CNBC reported, citing an internal memo telling employees that using one so-called "WFA" day in a week would count as using an entire week. That's because these "WFA" weeks are intended for use when employees work away from their homes or worksites, and not as a substitute for a work-from-home or paid-time-off day.

"The policy was always intended to be taken in increments of a week and not be used as a substitute for working from home in a regular hybrid workweek," John Casey, Google's VP of performance and rewards, said of the change in a call with employees, CNBC reported.

Netflix hasn't set a companywide work-site policy, meaning that employees can be fully remote, work in the office every day, or anywhere in between.

Employees' working locations can vary by team and position, which a Netflix spokesperson said gives teams "the information and freedom to make decisions that best suit their type of work."

That relaxed remote work policy has long been common among tech companies, though that's starting to shift — even at video-conference giant Zoom.