Disney workers are protesting the latest directive from CEO Bob Iger forcing them to go to work four days a week.
More than 2,300 employees have signed a petition urging Iger to rescind the rule that reduces the number of remote work days that was first put in place during the COVID-19 outbreak.
The directive, according to the workers, would “dramatically reduce production, output, and efficiency” in addition to “forcing resignations among some of our most hard-to-replace talent and vulnerable groups.”
Just a few weeks have passed since Disney announced 7,000 layoffs in order to reduce expenses in the entertainment and ESPN businesses.
The petition, according to The Washington Post, was sent to the top management last week.
Disney presently has more than 200,000 employees, and companies including ABC, 20th Century Studios, Marvel Studios, Hulu, Pixar, and FX have signed the petition.
Employees said in a petition received by the Washington Post that “this strategy would impede, or possibly reverse, our post-COVID recovery and development by generating key resource shortages and causing valuable institutional knowledge loss.”
According to the workers, the rule would have “unintended repercussions” that will eventually hurt the business.
The organization formally requests that Iger and Disney maintain its present work-from-home policy and make investments in new technology and training to facilitate cooperation.
The petition claims that “sitting on Zoom calls for four days a week in an office while your coworkers, partners, stakeholders, suppliers, and customers do the same in a different area of the globe does not address the essential requirement.”
The statement adds, “There is value in being together, but we also need to look forward and accept new paradigms that provide value.”
Also, they want more town hall meetings and networking activities.
The petition was presented with hundreds of testimonies. The Washington Post said that 400 responses came from parents who claimed that their return to the workplace will upset the work-life balance to which they had become accustomed.
In addition to parents, several employees who identified as “neurodivergent”—people with attention deficit disorder, autism, and dyslexia—said that working in an office setting would be difficult for them.
Some workers who spoke with the source expressed their hope that Disney would at least pay attention to their issues.
The staff said that flexibility at Disney “truly felt like a new start.”
Someone said, “Now it seems like we’re going backward.”
Iger said that he was inviting workers back to the office in a letter to the staff last month to encourage innovation and connection.
Iger allegedly wrote, “I’ve been reminded of the immense importance of being together with the people you work with as I’ve been visiting with teams around the firm over the last several months.”
As compared to other large corporations, most of which require employees to be in the office two or three days per week, Disney’s four-day requirement is rather rigorous.
Apple and Alphabet, the parent company of Google, also implemented three-day workweek rules last year.
Yet, after the company’s announcement of thousands of layoffs in early February, some Disney workers could have been reluctant to accept the post.
Iger described the layoffs as a “major transition” meant to reduce expenses.
The corporation will be divided into Disney Entertainment, ESPN, and Experiences and Products, according to the CEO, who replaced Bob Chapek as CEO in November.
As around 3.5 percent of the company’s workers would be laid off as a result of the restructuring and layoffs, those affected will mostly be from the entertainment and ESPN businesses. According to reports, front-line workers at the parks are not in risk.
Nevertheless, the corporation has seen significant reaction after it revealed that it made $1.28 billion in the three months ending on December 31.
Disney received backlash from the public after airing a Super Bowl commercial commemorating their 100th anniversary.
‘Something about that Disney celebration commercial annoys me,’ said Kristina Monllos, senior marketing editor at online trade publication Digiday. “Maybe it’s the recent fact they’re cutting off 7,000 people and spending at least $7m on the ad.”
Super Bowl commercials may cost upwards of $7 million for just a 30-second spot.
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