Read the memo Paramount CEO David Ellison sent employees after the first week of 5-day RTO

• Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison has called thousands of employees back to the office.
• Ellison asked staffers to work in person five days a week.
• Read Ellison’s full memo to employees after their first week of fully in-person work.

Paramount Skydance’s return-to-office push is underway, and CEO David Ellison is taking a moment to thank staffers for showing up.

Starting Monday, Paramount employees assigned to the company’s New York and Los Angeles offices were expected to return to the office five days a week, as announced by Ellison in September. (Some workers, including those who aren’t assigned to an office, are in “Phase 2” of the RTO rollout, with more details coming later this year.)

Staffers who couldn’t, or wouldn’t, make the change were offered a severance package, which the company said about 600 workers took.

“I know that returning to the office full-time has been an adjustment for many, and I truly appreciate the flexibility and commitment you’ve shown,” Ellison said in a companywide email on Friday afternoon, which was viewed by Business Insider.

Ellison added that “the positive energy and increased productivity that come from being together in-person are already evident.”

The Paramount CEO had said in a September memo announcing the five-day RTO push that “in-person collaboration is absolutely vital to building and strengthening our culture and driving the success of our business.”

In his latest missive, Ellison also thanked the “RTO Task Force” that got its offices ready for a surge of workers returning.

Paramount isn’t alone in calling its employees back to the office. Several major media companies, including Disney and Warner Bros. Discovery, have asked their staff to return to in-person work.

NBCUniversal instructed thousands of employees to return to its offices starting on January 5, although it’s only requiring four days a week of in-person work. As with Paramount, staffers who didn’t want to return to the office were offered severance packages.

Read Ellison’s full memo to employees here:

Team Paramount,

As we wrap up our first week back together in our LA and NY offices, I want to thank each of you for your dedication, professionalism, and teamwork. I know that returning to the office full-time has been an adjustment for many, and I truly appreciate the flexibility and commitment you’ve shown. The positive energy and increased productivity that come from being together in-person are already evident, and it’s great to see.

A special thank you to our RTO Task Force and all the teams involved for their hard work behind the scenes to prepare for our return and to ensure the transition was smooth and welcoming for everyone.

It’s hard to believe we launched the new Paramount just five months ago, and in that short time we haven’t just set a strategy — we’ve acted on it. In the process, we’ve made real and meaningful progress against our North Star priorities. From day one, our goal has been clear: to transform Paramount for the future by championing great storytellers, investing in world-class technology, and making bold, thoughtful moves that position us to help define the next era of entertainment. That’s exactly what we’ve been doing — and it’s what we’ll continue to do together.

While the coming year will bring its share of challenges, it will also be exciting. We’ve set ambitious goals, and we’re confident we have the strategy, the momentum, and — most importantly — the team to achieve them. Your expertise, resilience, and commitment give me tremendous confidence in what we can accomplish. I am grateful for your efforts and incredibly proud to work alongside you.

Thanks again for a great first week back together. Let’s go!

Best,

David