September 12, 2025
The company is directing its hybrid employees to resume in-office work four days per week beginning January 5, 2026.
NBCUniversal is offering severance packages to work-from-home employees who refuse to come back to the office.
The company is directing its hybrid employees to resume in-office work four days per week beginning January 5, 2026. Only Fridays will be allowed for remote work. The new terms of employment were laid out in a memo, obtained by Deadline, from Chief Operating Officer Adam Miller.
“We are better when we are together.” Miller stated, “As we have all experienced, in-person work and collaboration spark innovation, promote creativity, and build stronger connections.”
NBCUniversal has made a “voluntary exit assistance package” available to employees who would rather not comply. All employees who elect not to return must give notice to their HR manager by Oct. 3. The severance package includes eight weeks of base salary and three months of continued healthcare, which includes medical, dental, and vision. Additionally, they will be eligible for their full bonus, provided they remain on active payroll through December 31 and assist with transitioning other employees to fulfill their duties.
This policy applies to U.S.- and U.K.-based hybrid employees at the vice president level or below. Employees in divisions affected by an upcoming spin-off of NBCU’s cable networks, including MSNBC and CNBC, are excluded from this mandate and the severance offer.
In the memo, NBCUniversal reminded staff of its supposed goal: to reunite more employees in physical spaces, believing that working side by side enhances problem-solving and team bonds.
The corporation is not the first to demand employees return to the office after the 2020 COVID shutdown led to a mass work-from-home movement. NBCUniversal’s parent company, Comcast, made similar demands of its workforce in 2023.
As companies attempt to balance the chemistry of in-person work with employee expectations for flexibility, NBCUniversal’s policy will serve as a closely observed example. Employees have a few months to assess their options and respond.
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