Thread regarding Paramount Global layoffs

I need to work from home because my mom makes me homemade lunch every day. It’s important for my mental health.

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RTO Phase 1 - 7 weeks in. Thoughts?

OP - February 19

For all of us in Phase 1, curious to hear your thoughts on the experiment thus far after the snack cart honeymoon period has worn off.

I for one think it's worse than expected. For sure my productivity has gone down with my commute and working hours. I am no longer amenable to responding to Slacks or emails after hours if this level of rigidity is in place. That alone is a big productivity drop.

While in the office, finding rooms to have meetings or private conversations is becoming more and more complicated. Why do unused offices and meeting rooms get locked? Is it a safety issue?

Tags: #RTO #ReturnToOffice #Commute #Productivity #MeetingRoom

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41 replies
Post ID: @OP+1khvsqjp3

Reply - March 11 - Anonymous
Post ID: @33f+1khvsqjp3
2 reactions (+2/-0)

Because of this jersey train tunnel construction they are alllll staying home. Lol.

Reply - March 11 - Anonymous
Post ID: @32j+1khvsqjp3
3 reactions (+3/-0)

@2zt wait until the summer time. We will see everyone after school goes backs in September.

Reply - March 10 - Anonymous
Post ID: @30j+1khvsqjp3
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@2zt The ONE time you left early? Come on kid, grab some of your life back. Everyone leave early. By 5pm today it was a ghost town on my floor.

Reply - March 10 - Anonymous
Post ID: @2zt+1khvsqjp3
2 reactions (+2/-0)

The one time I left early (5) from 1515, I felt like I was part of a fire drill - so many people exiting the building at the same time. On my floor I definitely notice people who don't come in on Friday (I guess unlimited pto?). I will say the cleaning crew is definitely in the office 5 days a week, watching our pantry tv.

Reply - March 9 - Anonymous
Post ID: @2w2+1khvsqjp3
5 reactions (+5/-0)

My boss told me to WFH whenever I want and said he doesn't agree with DE.

Reply - March 8 - Anonymous
Post ID: @2qt+1khvsqjp3
1 reaction (+1/-0)

@2q1 Good to know. Now I dont feel so alone. The company should start some new ERG (Employee Resource Group) for people pi---d at RTO.

Reply - March 8 - Anonymous
Post ID: @2q1+1khvsqjp3
2 reactions (+2/-0)

@2nw hmm i'd disagree on this one. i just left and maybe half of the FTE i knew have either left or are actively applying to leave. the other half have been thinking of leaving.

Reply - March 8 - Anonymous
Post ID: @2nw+1khvsqjp3
4 reactions (+4/-0)

When RTO was announced, there were many people I talked to in the company who were angry and said they'd see how it goes for the first few months and then leave if it didnt work for their work life balance. Now, no one talks about it angrily or openly. Its like theyve all just accepted it and moved on. Scary how easy it was to get the sheep in line.

Reply - March 6 - Anonymous
Post ID: @2dz+1khvsqjp3
7 reactions (+7/-0)

@2dc Im curious to see how compliance is when the weather starts to improve. Remember, its been a rough winter and people dont have anything better to do than come into the office. But once those 72 degree sky blue low humidity days come rolling around and people can work outside, are they still coming in to sit in the AC all day in an office with no windows? And parents cant make it home in time to watch their kids play in their sports leagues? Whats THAT going to do for morale? Hmmm.

Reply - March 6 - Parahill
Post ID: @2dc+1khvsqjp3
7 reactions (+7/-0)

The morale is way down. I have since learned how unhappy my coworkers are as well as other departments. Being back has solidified that the old guard keeps the place stuck in the late 90's with lack of innovation. The office is garbage and needs renovation so bad. Something always leaks, breaks, and dissolves in the office. People's office chairs are broken and do they even clean the office?? Subways are messed up, transit trains in NJ not running, rent is too dam high but we are supposed to act like it's 2019 again and everything is great when the city is letting us down?!? How about the precious managers who don't come in but us minions have to? If I have to be here so do they and they better not send me a zoom invite- BE PRESENT AND BE FACE TO FACE DEAR LEADERS. Leadership blows in this place!

Reply - March 3 - Anonymous
Post ID: @1zd+1khvsqjp3
11 reactions (+0/-11)

@1tq How do you have time to workout and shower during the day?

Reply - March 2 - Anonymous
Post ID: @1tq+1khvsqjp3
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It's such a mess. They haven't done anything about the gas smell. We don't have a proper wi-fi network to do our work so we're using our laptops as hot spots. They told us there would be construction on our floor which never happened, but then other people come to the office to find sawdust all over their desks. There are no private spaces. Soda and water machines aren't clean. I do like the Lodge and the Fitness Center, so my productivity has gone down but my physique is improving.

And to everyone who says "just pretend like it's pre-covid days when we all used to do this." No one liked those days!!! People were exhausted and burnt out, mothers were leaving the workforce altogether en masse, people muscled through physical disabilities and discomforts just to commute, b/c NYCers are standing on crowded buses or trains and then walking to work, not sitting in their cars. They were NOT the glory days of office life!

Reply - February 27 - "There is no dancing in the sky. Only falling."
Post ID: @1d9+1khvsqjp3
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@1ac Do you prefer the flavor of snakeskin or leather? Or does David wear something more exotic and tasty like crocodile boots?

Reply - February 26 - Anonymous
Post ID: @1ae+1khvsqjp3
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@fp what channel is that?

Reply - February 26 - Anonymous
Post ID: @1ac+1khvsqjp3
7 reactions (+0/-7)

@19p you obviously don't work for the company. The "winter storm guidance" email after the latest storm said employees can continue work remotely that day. They specifically mentioned the words work remotely. I'm not sure what memos you're reading.

Reply - February 26 - Been There, Glad To Be Done With That
Post ID: @19p+1khvsqjp3
13 reactions (+13/-0)

@13z Apparently you didn't get the memo. Nobody is allowed to work remotely. In fact, work is completely impossible without "in person collaboration."

RTO means back to the old ways: if you're sick, you don't work. If there's an emergency, you don't work. And work only happens DURING office hours, IN an actual office.

That's what David and Jeff asked for, so that's exactly what they deserve.

Reply - February 26 - Anonymous
Post ID: @18w+1khvsqjp3
4 reactions (+2/-2)

@15x I hope they did!

Reply - February 25 - Anonymous
Post ID: @15x+1khvsqjp3
3 reactions (+2/-1)

@15s So when you were told to work remotely for the snow day, you just didnt do anything and said ooops, my laptop is in the office?

Reply - February 25 - Anonymous
Post ID: @15s+1khvsqjp3
10 reactions (+10/-0)

@13z fu-k that sh-t. I ain't doing an ounce of work past five. They wanted 9 - 5 in an office 5 days a week, and they got it.

Reply - February 25 - Anonymous
Post ID: @13z+1khvsqjp3
11 reactions (+2/-9)

@p2 Of course. Why wouldnt you? If something pops up and you need to work remotely that day, youd be stuck without a laptop and couldnt work. Just because you have it, doesnt mean you need to open it up at home.

Reply - February 22 - Anonymous
Post ID: @p2+1khvsqjp3
6 reactions (+6/-0)

Do people still bring their laptops home???

Reply - February 21 - Anonymous
Post ID: @mm+1khvsqjp3
6 reactions (+6/-0)

@a6 Su-k LE and DE loser c*ck.

Reply - February 21 - Anonymous
Post ID: @mk+1khvsqjp3
9 reactions (+9/-0)

Thus far we are being asked to do the same amount of work with fewer people while having to commute and then expected to check messages after hrs. Lots of business in California now so it su-ks to be in nyc.

Reply - February 21 - Anonymous
Post ID: @mj+1khvsqjp3
15 reactions (+13/-2)

@fm I'm Phase 2/fully remote still, and this $hit-$how of an employer tries to do a number on anyone's mental health. Can't imagine what it's like with a useless commute compounded in. Factor in kids/family, and then it's batshit crazy nightmare. DE masterfully played a page from MAGA script: incompetence, chaos, a total disaster.

Reply - February 21 - Anonymous
Post ID: @hv+1khvsqjp3
5 reactions (+5/-0)

@fp Which Slack channel?

Reply - February 20 - Anonymous
Post ID: @fp+1khvsqjp3
9 reactions (+8/-1)

BTW, whats with the slack channel where they are chasing tails and cracking down on the people who hardly come in? LOL.

Reply - February 20 - Anonymous
Post ID: @fn+1khvsqjp3
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@dr You left out the free neck massages the second week we were back.

As far as severe weather, you wont see me on Monday or Tuesday and maybe Wednesday after we get 10 inches (or even 2) this weekend. I have to shovel and the commute will be horrible. I dare them to scold me. They already gave an exemption to the jersey commuters who are dealing with tunnel construction going into Penn Station until March.

Once the newness wears off, this RTO is going to be a beast too big for an HR department who is already running thin to keep constantly chasing people down.

Reply - February 20 - Anonymous
Post ID: @fm+1khvsqjp3
14 reactions (+14/-0)

@dq I figured I was the only one. Sitting in 2 hour commutes each way to sit by myself and collaborate with no one the entire day has an interesting effect on your mental health.

Reply - February 20 - Anonymous
Post ID: @ek+1khvsqjp3
2 reactions (+2/-0)

@a6 TLO, clean up on isle 4.

Reply - February 20 - Anonymous
Post ID: @ej+1khvsqjp3
5 reactions (+5/-0)

@dr It was a honey trap.

Reply - February 20 - Anonymous
Post ID: @e7+1khvsqjp3
29 reactions (+29/-0)

I work about 50% less than I did when I was WFH and my loyalty to the company has declined 100%.

Reply - February 20 - Anonymous
Post ID: @dt+1khvsqjp3
14 reactions (+14/-0)

@de it's definitely what most people are doing. Let's be honest, this was only about dropping headcount.

Reply - February 20 - Anonymous
Post ID: @dr+1khvsqjp3
15 reactions (+15/-0)

the snack cart and the one time bagels and cookies were all initial traps, the way they smiled in the first week of Jan, it felt so eerie and creepy like these corporate overlords are celebrating by making sure us commoners were suffering. 5 days is insensitive more than anything in such severe weather conditions with one of the worst winters in many years. no commuting benefits offered like other tech companies, not sure how paramount is gonna be considered a tech media company. its all a big joke.

Reply - February 20 - Anonymous
Post ID: @dq+1khvsqjp3
32 reactions (+32/-0)

I've aged 10 years since Jan. 5

Reply - February 20 - Anonymous
Post ID: @dn+1khvsqjp3
5 reactions (+5/-0)

What locations got rid of the snack cart?

Reply - February 20 - Anonymous
Post ID: @de+1khvsqjp3
16 reactions (+13/-3)

Forcing RTO without official office hours is beyond re--rded. Stroll in at 1030. Gone by 4. And gone by 3 on Fridays. But hey, we made it to the office!!

Reply - February 19 - Anonymous
Post ID: @bn+1khvsqjp3
30 reactions (+28/-2)

@a6 Right, but this post was specifically directed towards employees who have been comfortably and productively working from home for the past 5+ years. We can be grateful for a paycheck and still immensely annoyed by an out of touch decision made by clueless corporate overlords. And honestly, citing that "people have always worked in offices" just makes you sound like a dinosaur. Workplaces evolve.

Reply - February 19 - Anonymous
Post ID: @bf+1khvsqjp3
20 reactions (+19/-1)

@a6 happy to commute to work (in fact, i accepted a job offer which requires me to relocate and commute to work!), but not for the same salary that paramount is paying for full remote. an offer for 3 days in office a week is paying me ~2x what paramount is paying me, and this isn't even 5 days in office a week. bigger companies (amazon) lost talent over 5 days RTO.

and you want me to relocate on my own expense? absolutely ridiculous. there were NO metrics used in the decision. the only thing RTO did is force out paramount's best employees. good luck trying to build up your streaming service and become more like a tech company when all of your best engineers left and got snapped up by big companies who can pay much better than paramount!

Reply - February 19 - Anonymous
Post ID: @ad+1khvsqjp3
18 reactions (+16/-2)

@a6

Not if the job puts me anywhere in the vicinity of abrasive bootlickers like you.

Reply - February 19 - Anonymous
Post ID: @a8+1khvsqjp3
17 reactions (+16/-1)

Someone keeps backing up the toilet on our floor.

Work happens in the office, I’m a SVP and I’m allowed 2 work from home cuz I’m a big baby who watches sports and eats big lunches that my mommy makes for me- I’m a bad baby

@zw Audit it

Caribbean remote workers will have to work from Miami.

@113 problem is when you get people to leave this way, you get rid of the people who can jump ship

@113 that’s all it was meant to be imo. A way to trim out the fat w/o doing a mass layoff. We all know another is coming. Just a matter of when.

SVPs aren’t coming in full time to the office so this whole RTO plan was a waste of time. It was used to get people to leave.

@xe Boo hoo bro

@ed exactly the SVP, VP and Sr Director, Director roles that have no staff justification for these positions is ridiculous and just a bunch of wasted money

I’ve heard teams have gotten permanent WFH flexibility due to not being able to attract talent or retain them.

This RTO thing seems more like control thing because I agree I too don’t find any purpose of me coming into the office. I sit alone half the time and from what I can see teams have been flexible with each other.

The company is bleeding money everyday, and their favorite solution is laying people off for any reason. Don’t give them a reason, just over showing up in person. There are still a ton of companies out there with remote. Go take advantage.

@xk Are they coming in 4 days because theyre manager expects them too? Or maybe they live in Manhattan? Because they can definitely get away with 2.5/3 a week.

Phase 2 employee here. I have long been coming in 3-5 days per week, as that works with my own personal circumstances.

Most of my phase 1 colleagues come in 4 days per week and all has been well. All of us were actually more productive working remote though. The metrics don't lie.

We all believe the RTO mandate had more to do with tax breaks than any "in person collaboration" nonsense.

@wd Which lazy unlikeable leech is this? EC?

@s8 I'm sure theyre hoping people will quit instead of rto

@de That's not true. I received an RTO exemption and the official communication given to me aid that I am "not in scope" for RTO. There was no mention about it being a "6 month extension". Others on my team did receive a RTO delay (which nobody even requested) saying you are in scope for RTO, but not until 2027.

@s8 Phase 1 people were “expected” to be in office 5 days a week. It’s likely Phase 2 will be fine with 3 days. I think it might be a different story if the merger had gone through, but I wouldn’t expect sc--w tightening until then. They can’t really afford to lose a lot more people without a ready supply from WB to come in and take their places.

The phase 2 people have to return in September. I think we may see some sc--w tightening for a bit the rest of the year. Bc how would that look if they are expected in 5 days, and all of us are 3 days.

People who have been known to come in no more than 3 days a week from the very start not just eventually when other people started being lax, got promotions so I don't think these people are being looked at as "weak links"... they don't care.

Very lax, until it’s not and this merger bleeds moola so much that they have to shed dead weight. Watch out folks that blow off RTO. And just cause you got permission from your manager doesn’t mean squat!

It’s amazing how utterly lazy people are refusing to work a full week. No need for layoffs. Just fire them

Paramount should probably enact a new rule. If a person-manager is exempt from RTO, then all employees reporting to that manager are exempt. That should fix things.

@mk not surprised, if you want 5 days in office then your pay should account for that.

@gs It failed spectacularly. Many good people left for hybrid roles and we can't hire great candidates because they don't want to commit to 5 days in office. Some roles have been open for months.

I heard a few months ago from a VP that RTO failed miserably in terms of employees' morale, so they are not policing it.

Let me put it this way. When HR is doing 3-4 days in the office, I think you'll be ok doing a consistent 3.

@de when is this layoff touching the untouchables happening?

People are way too relaxed about it if I’m being honest. Some folks in some departments have confirmed they are tracking your log ins through OKTA on the work network. HR will use this to axe a lot of folks who think they wont get touched. Phase 2 people who decide not to go in are guaranteed to be axed, unless you get EVP approval. Even then, it’s a 6 months exemption and they expect you to eventually go back in at some point. They’ll revisit if your exemption is still in their best interested. I try to go 4 to 5 times a week and I hear the same from others.

Im about 55-60% physically in the office, and havent gotten my hand slapped.
Do 3 days a week and youll be fine.

At 1515 I’ve noticed that it’s very dependent on the department you are in. It’s very clear that some teams still adhere to a hybrid schedule while others make more of an effort. What’s interesting is that Paramount is posting positions with remote eligibility. I think this whole RTO thing is fading to the wayside more and more as the months continue, especially with the summertime schedules. Just what I’ve noticed.