UMG, WMG, Sony Staying Home TFN
• Out of an abundance of caution due to the still out-of-control COVID-19 pandemic, the three major music companies — Sony Music, Universal Music and Warner Music Group — have formally asked their employees to work from home as much as possible for the rest of the year… and possibly longer. That’s the word from internal memos obtained by Rolling Stone (which first reported the news) and Variety. The offices will be open for employees who must be there for business reasons.
UMG informed its employees via email on Tuesday evening that, “at this point, it’s our best judgment that not have a widespread return to our U.S. offices at least through late January, 2021, if not longer.” Warner Music Group sent a similar note to its employees on Wednesday explaining that despite initial plans to begin a return to offices in September, “We’ve now reviewed the situation and decided to postpone these dates, at the earliest, until January for our U.S. offices and October for our UK offices.”
The letter from Masha Osherova, EVP and Chief People Officer of Warner Music Group continues, “Our thinking is that we want to evaluate what happens after the summer holidays, in terms of the infection rate itself, the potential reopening of schools, and the higher numbers of people using public transport again. … At the moment, the picture in terms of infection rates is looking better in the UK than the U.S., hence the earlier projected ‘Return To Office’ date in London. But we’re aware that things can change quickly — as recent events in Spain, which is experiencing a second wave, have shown.”
Sony Music Group’s message to its troops read, in part, “We wanted to let you know that we don’t anticipate U.S. Sony Music Group offices moving beyond our own Phase One return in the U.S. before the end of the calendar year.” The memo continues, “Our top priority remains the same: ensuring the safety of you and your families. The SMG COVID-19 task force continues to meet every few days to analyze each office’s situation.”
