Warner Music Employees to Return to Office Four Days a Week, Get Flexible Time Off

As the world continues to adjust to different types of “new normal” following the generational disruption of the COVID-19 pandemic of the past few years, Warner Music Group CEO Robert Kyncl outlined a new policy for the major label requiring employees to return to the office four times a week, while expanding free lunches and offering more flexible time off in a memo to staff today (Aug. 29) obtained by Billboard.

The change will go into effect on Oct. 1, the start of WMG’s next fiscal year. Accordingly, the company will expand access to its employees’ Sharebite — a food ordering company that allows corporate employees to order a meal, then donates a meal to the local community — to four times per week.

Probably most significantly for employees, WMG is also moving from a fixed vacation day time off policy to a flexible time off policy, which allows employees to take time off when they need it regardless of whether it’s sick leave, vacation time or any other reason. That policy will go into effect Jan. 1, 2024.

“We are a creative company and we’re here for our artists and songwriters,” Kyncl wrote in a memo to staff. “That’s our heritage and DNA — which needs to be preserved and nourished.”

Kyncl then outlined three reasons for the change to the four-day work week, emphasizing employee collaboration and how it drives creativity; corporate talent development, and how that contributes to a stronger team; and the relationships among staffers, which he says helped Warner get through COVID successfully, and is an essential element of a company based on shared experiences.

“I am very impressed by the hustle, scrappiness and inventiveness of our team,” Kyncl wrote. “We don’t copy, we chart our own path. Our momentum through the summer is a great example of that. Leaning into that energy, creating more of it and driving excellence together, is an exciting prospect for our path forward. I’m looking forward to the opportunity to meet more of you in person as we are all in the office more.”