Report: Demoralized WarnerMedia Employees Furious over Return-to-Office Mandate as Layoffs Loom

WarnerMedia employees are reportedly complaining about a new return-to-office mandate that is requiring them to return to the office at least three times a week. Fueling the internal backlash is pervasive low morale stemming from expected layoffs as a result of the Warner-Discovery merger.

While tens of millions of blue-collar and service workers have been reporting to work since the height of the pandemic, white-collar employees continue to enjoy the privilege of working from home.

Deadline reported that numerous employees of WarnerMedia, which owns CNN, have posted comments to its site complaining about an internal Warner Bros. Discovery memo saying they will be required to physically be in the office at least three times a week starting June 1.

Employees are allowed to adjust to the new schedule by starting to go to the office at least twice a week in May.

“Why is Discovery insisting we alter our lives, change our work patterns and come back to an office when many of us are about to be laid off?,” one person reportedly asked.

“Could just have easily laid off people first and then in a few weeks time only required those who still remain to return. It’s just salt in the wound.”

Another anonymous commenter blasted Discovery leadership: “From an employee that has been with Warner for over 20 years … this really feels like McDonalds has bought a Michelin star restaurant and thinks they know how to run it.”

“There are more Warner Media employees than Discovery employees in the US yet our voices do not matter,” one person reportedly wrote.

Warner Bros. Discovery executives have already embarked on cost-cutting measures at CNN by killing the much-hyped CNN+ streaming service just one month after it had launched. CNN+ had managed to attract only 150,000 subscribers despite a massive promotional push by WarnerMedia.

Follow David Ng on Twitter @HeyItsDavidNg. Have a tip? Contact me at dng@breitbart.com