Cameo's $10,000 Raises: A New Incentive for Office Attendance

Cameo, a tech startup known for its celebrity video shoutouts, is taking a unique approach to encourage employees to return to the office. The company is offering a $10,000 raise to all Chicago employees who commit to working from the office four days a week. This move comes as many companies are struggling to lure employees back to the office, with some even resorting to mandates and penalties.

Cameo's CEO, Steven Galanis, believes that people are more valuable in person and wants to put his money where his mouth is. "We're back Monday through Thursday for all Chicago employees," Galanis said. "We gave all of those employees a $10,000 raise." In addition to the raise, Cameo is also picking up the tab for employees' lunches, parking, and gym memberships, making the office a more attractive option.



Cameo's experiment with coming back to the office started two years ago when it was looking to jump-start its sales. The company initially benefited from homebound shoppers during the pandemic, but the growth was fleeting. The benefit from being in the office was not. Productivity soared, and Cameo extended the experiment. Most of its Chicago employees were coming in two to three days a week, and now it's four days.

Cameo's move illustrates the lengths it's willing to go to get employees back to the office. While some companies are offering carrots, others are wielding sticks. Giant employers, from the federal government to Amazon and JPMorgan Chase, are mandating workers return to the office five days a week — without the perks.

Cameo's advantage is that it underwent several rounds of layoffs, reducing its headcount roughly 90%. This sharply cut the number of remote workers outside Chicago. Twenty-six of the company's 50 employees are now in Chicago, compared with just 13% during the pandemic and 70% beforehand.

The company is not pulling the plug on workers who live outside the Chicago area, or requiring them to move here. But it's offering such workers up to $5,000 to offset moving costs, plus the $10,000 raise. "What makes me nervous about those types of incentives is it becomes hard to enforce or monitor," said Megan Mackinson, workplace lead for real estate and investment management company JLL. "We've seen a lot of companies steer away from those."

Cameo's experiment with coming back to the office started two years ago when it was looking to jump-start its sales. The company initially benefited from homebound shoppers during the pandemic, but the growth was fleeting. The benefit from being in the office was not. Productivity soared, and Cameo extended the experiment. Most of its Chicago employees were coming in two to three days a week, and now it's four days.

Cameo's move illustrates the lengths it's willing to go to get employees back to the office. While some companies are offering carrots, others are wielding sticks. Giant employers, from the federal government to Amazon and JPMorgan Chase, are mandating workers return to the office five days a week — without the perks.

Cameo's approach may be more sustainable in the long run, as it is focused on making the office a more appealing option rather than simply mandating attendance. This could help to foster a more positive work environment and improve employee engagement. However, only time will tell if Cameo's strategy pays off in terms of employee retention and productivity.