{"id":895590,"date":"2026-10-26T20:24:09","date_gmt":"2026-10-26T20:24:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/895590\/"},"modified":"2026-10-26T20:24:09","modified_gmt":"2026-10-26T20:24:09","slug":"skydance-is-offering-employees-voluntary-buyouts-ahead-of-layoffs-adopts-5-day-per-week-in-office-policy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/895590\/","title":{"rendered":"Skydance Is Offering Employees Voluntary Buyouts Ahead of Layoffs, Adopts 5-Day-per-Week In-Office Policy"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\tSkydance<\/a>, as it embarks on the work to integrate the businesses of Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery, is offering certain employees a voluntary buyout in a \u201cone-time offer.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tThe new program was outlined by chairman and CEO David Ellison and co-CEO Ynon Kreiz in a memo to staffers Monday.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cAs we bring our teams together, we recognize that not everyone will see their future here, and we respect that. To give eligible employees the option to move on in a way that works for them, we are introducing a Voluntary Buyout (VBO) Program,\u201d the execs wrote. \u201cThose who qualify will receive an individual communication with their personalized details and terms, and a window to decide whether to accept this one-time offer.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tThey added, \u201cPlease know we don\u2019t take any of this lightly. We are clear about what we\u2019re building: a company that tells the stories people around the world love, embraces new ways to connect with audiences, and leads the next era of media and entertainment. We have the talent, the creative firepower and the ambition to do it, and we will get there together.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tParamount\u2019s massive $111 billion takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery closed on Oct. 6. In their \u201cDay One\u201d memo to employees<\/a> that day, Ellison and Kreiz (who was the CEO of Mattel before joining the new Skydance earlier this month) acknowledged that layoffs will be part of the process. \u201cIntegrating two companies will bring change, including difficult decisions that affect our workforce,\u201d the execs wrote in that memo. \u201cWe are committed to handling this process thoughtfully and respectfully.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tIn the Oct. 26 memo, Ellison and Kreiz also said the new Skydance is moving to a mandatory five-days-per-week in-office policy across the company. \u201cWe believe in-person collaboration is vital to our culture and to the success of our business. Especially in a creative company like ours, the best ideas come from people in the same room, sharing perspectives, challenging one another and solving problems,\u201d the execs said. \u201cWe truly believe this is in the best interest of our company and our people. We\u2019ve seen the benefits firsthand at Paramount, and we want every part of Skydance to share in them.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tSkydance execs have said they are shooting to achieve more than $6 billion in cost savings on an annualized basis within three years, and part of that will come from layoffs. The company has not revealed at this point the extent of the job cuts it expects. According to a report issued by Los Angeles County in August, the Paramount-Warner Bros.<\/a> merger could result in the loss of some 4,500 film and TV jobs<\/a> over three years in L.A. alone.<\/p>\n

\n\tRead the full memo sent by Skydance\u2019s top brass Monday, a copy of which was obtained by Variety:<\/p>\n

\n\tTeam,<\/p>\n

\n\tAt Skydance, our goal is to build the next-generation media and entertainment company, powered by creativity and technology. We are creative-first, audience focused, tech-forward and globally scaled. And in a world of endless choice and fierce competition for attention, we don\u2019t just want to succeed. We want to win.<\/p>\n

\n\tTo do that, we must be a strong, connected and agile company. Among our business and creative priorities, none matters more than building a strong culture, because it\u2019s the foundation of everything we want to achieve. Winning requires us to work as one team: one company, fully aligned. That means communicating openly and collaborating efficiently across every part of the organization.<\/p>\n

\n\tIn-Person Collaboration<\/p>\n

\n\tWe believe in-person collaboration is vital to our culture and to the success of our business. Especially in a creative company like ours, the best ideas come from people in the same room, sharing perspectives, challenging one another and solving problems. Being together isn\u2019t just about showing up. It\u2019s about inspiring one another, learning and coaching, forming friendships and having the casual conversations that spark something great.<\/p>\n

\n\tWith that in mind, we will adopt a five-day in-office policy across all of Skydance. We truly believe this is in the best interest of our company and our people. We\u2019ve seen the benefits firsthand at Paramount, and we want every part of Skydance to share in them.<\/p>\n

\n\tWhile many of you are already in the office five days a week, we understand this may be a significant change to the daily routines of others. To give you time to plan and adjust, we will take a phased approach by location. You will receive ample notice before changes take effect, and we will work closely with managers to support you through the transition.<\/p>\n

\n\tVoluntary Buyout Program<\/p>\n

\n\tAs we bring our teams together, we recognize that not everyone will see their future here, and we respect that. To give eligible employees the option to move on in a way that works for them, we are introducing a Voluntary Buyout (VBO) Program. Those who qualify will receive an individual communication with their personalized details and terms, and a window to decide whether to accept this one-time offer.<\/p>\n

\n\tWe recognize this is a significant decision, and we want you to feel informed and supported. If this applies to you, please review your materials carefully and reach out to your leadership or HR representative with any questions. FAQs and other resources are available on the Skydance Integration Hub, and HR support is also available through My Paramount (legacy Paramount employees) or Ask Employee Connection on WBD One (legacy Warner Bros. employees).<\/p>\n

\n\tPlease know we don\u2019t take any of this lightly. We are clear about what we\u2019re building: a company that tells the stories people around the world love, embraces new ways to connect with audiences, and leads the next era of media and entertainment. We have the talent, the creative firepower and the ambition to do it, and we will get there together.<\/p>\n

\n\tThank you for your commitment, and for the creativity and passion you bring to your work every day.<\/p>\n

\n\tBest,<\/p>\n

\n\tDavid and Ynon<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Skydance, as it embarks on the work to integrate the businesses of Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery, is…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":895591,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[33],"tags":[88,324153,3094],"class_list":["post-895590","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-entertainment","tag-entertainment","tag-paramount-warner-bros","tag-skydance"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/895590","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=895590"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/895590\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/895591"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=895590"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=895590"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=895590"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}