Thread regarding Paramount Global layoffs

@rm maybe you should let david ellison know too then, goofy: https://www.thewrap.com/paramount-tech-transformation-david-ellison-analysis/

Our multi-location team was never more efficient than when we were all fully remote. More connected. More productive. Full stop.

@OP More proof that the WFHers are tech based... It's primarily a media company here, tech is not the main product. Get on board or leave for a pure tech company.

To those fighting for WFH - just stop. It's not happening. Read the writing on the wall. I dislike the trolls here bringing people down but they have a point. Face the facts, stop circling the drain on a dead issue.

The fact that people are still complaining about having to go to work is getting pathetic. There is no discussion or compromise. You have to go to work. End of story.

Wake up, this has nothing to do with culture or being a fly on the wall or whatever BS they share. This company is being driven by private equity who will squeeze every penny they can. RTO is a coordinate effort to get people to quit but more importantly, protect real estate interests of PE and other investors. It’s literally that, nothing more.

VH's response RE: RTO still wasn't as bad as the people who continue to kiss his butt as this super empathetic leader. maybe that was true years ago when pluto was still a startup. but i don't see any empathy from a leader who's responsible for convergence in the first place and is about to enjoy a big fat golden parachute on his way out. we are all stressed out working on this stupid project that will result in more people losing their jobs, and it was his idea in the first place. get a grip.

@OP The issue with big corporations is that they have a one-size fits all approach to their employees, which lets face it - it's the least effective model. The responses from this post is proof of this. Good companies, take the time to take a macro look at what works for each department. Sure, it makes sense that creatives and productive teams would benefit from being in the office 5 days a week, but so many other departments, finance, legal, etc., would probably do well with 2 to 3 days a week. Their deliverables do not depend on staff being in the office every day. Companies that employ RTO is not really about collaboration or bringing everyone together. It's a tactic. To force people out (called a backdoor layoff - you can look it up) and to create a controlled office labor. Check out those companies that have done this in the last few years - isn't it odd, those announcements come with public admission of issues in the company, along with huge layoffs?

Not a single person I work with is in my region. I will still be in Zooms all day long! I also can't afford to move near an office for an easier commute. The second I leave the office I am unplugged. That is the deal with BTO. At least when I was remote I was available more because I was home and not commuting for hours.

What do you expect VH to do? He’s already out the door basically; and even if he wasn’t, is he supposed to protest Ellison? Lol

It’s a top down policy and not much he can do about it (frankly, nothing he can do)

@ab I definitely see where you’re coming from and agree that in person collaboration can be helpful for certain roles. My beef is that because I interact with a variety of teams in other locations, I will come back to an office and still spend the majority of the day on Zoom so unfortunately, there is not much of an upside there. I just think the whole RTO mandate could’ve been done with a little more thought behind it.

@ab I did; it's what I do. And I'm not forcing you into that closet. So why don't you just go into your office and leave the rest of us out of it? You don't sound like the "collaborative" type.

@a3

WFH is fantastic for a multitude of reasons but ki-ling "company culture" has got to be right up at the top. Unless you are a corporate toady.

@a7 Can I suggest you just look for another job?

The work I do is on the creative end and I prefer in person collaboration over zoom. I get it. Your job is boring and you can do it just as well sitting alone in a closet 8 hours a day. You should go find a job that lets you work from home.

@a3 Before COVID, I was in in-person meetings. When lockdown first started, we had a camera-always-on policy. The culture there was worse on its best day than Paramount is on its best. May I suggest therapy or just making real friends?

@a3 I would rather have a “ camera on” mandate than be forced to waste 1.5 hours (or more) commuting to an office where I will still sit on Zoom meetings for a decent portion of my day. No one is ever going to convince me that random hallway conversations yield meaningful business impacts, and that is a hill I am willing to die on.

Remote work ki-led the 'great culture' our team once had. No one ever even turns their cameras on. Remote work has tons of benefits on my life but I'm not going to lie and say the culture is better because of it.