Bob Iger made a comeback to his role as CEO of Disney after a hiatus of less than one year. He replaced Bob Chapek in November 2022.
Disney has become the latest big company to issue a mandate to its employees to return to physical offices for a set number of days per week.
The entertainment giant’s CEO Bob Iger told hybrid workers that they must return to offices at least four days a week starting 1 March.
An email Iger sent employees, which was seen by CNBC, highlighted the importance of in-person collaboration given the nature of the creative industry.
“As you’ve heard me say many times, creativity is the heart and soul of who we are and what we do at Disney. And in a creative business like ours, nothing can replace the ability to connect, observe and create with peers that comes from being physically together, nor the opportunity to grow professionally by learning from leaders and mentors.”
Iger became CEO of Disney in November 2022, returning to the role following a hiatus during which the job was overseen by Bob Chapek. Iger retired in 2020 after 15 years as CEO. His comeback sees him abandon his retirement plans to serve as head of Disney for two more years.
As well as the new rules for hybrid employees, Iger plans to maintain a hiring freeze at Disney which was originally implemented by Chapek.
He is also hoping to recover losses on its streaming service Disney+, which is under pressure from rivals like Netflix.
Iger’s policy on the return to office is slightly less lenient than that of other tech companies. Google and Apple are both allowing employees to work remotely two days a week.
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Disney CEO Bob Iger at the World of Colour Premiere in Disney California Adventure Park, 2010. Image: Josh Hallett via Flickr (CC BY-SA 2.0).
