Day: September 9, 2025

• NBCUniversal employees who don’t want to return to the office next year can take severance.
• The company is offering a severance package with eight weeks of pay for many staffers.
• The “voluntary exit assistance package” isn’t based on their length of tenure.

NBCUniversal just gave its staffers an ultimatum: return to the office four days a week in 2026, or take a severance package.

Business Insider first published NBCU’s return-to-office memo, and now we have exclusive details about the company’s “voluntary exit assistance package.”

NBCU employees were instructed to contact their HR manager if they aren’t willing to work in the company’s offices from Monday to Thursday, starting January 5.

According to internal communications viewed by Business Insider, those who ask their manager about the severance package by October 3 will get the following offer: eight weeks of their base salary and continued healthcare coverage (medical, dental, and vision) for three months after their exit. Plus, they’ll remain eligible for their full bonus.

This severance offer is available for all NBCU employees VP level or below who are based in the US and are working hybrid. They will have to remain on the active payroll through December 31 and work to transition their responsibilities to other employees as directed by their manager.

Notably, NBCU’s severance offer isn’t based on an employee’s tenure or length of employment. Severance packages are often based on the number of years an employee has worked.

An NBCU spokesperson declined to comment on internal communications and policies.

RTO orders have become increasingly common.

Paramount’s new CEO, David Ellison, just called his employees back in person five days a week, and major companies like AT&T, Goldman Sachs, and JPMorgan have previously done the same.

Some of these in-person directives may be “a stealth alternative to layoffs,” Business Insider’s Aki Ito wrote earlier this year. The rise of AI may tempt companies to get by with smaller workforces.

NBCU’s chief operating officer, Adam Miller, said in a memo that its decision was about improving collaboration across teams.

“In-person work and collaboration spark innovation, promote creativity, and build stronger connections,” Miller said.