As many employers enforce return-to-office mandates, Cameo is taking a different approach by offering its Chicago-area employees a $10,000 raise to incentivize their return to the office. CEO Steven Galanis believes that in-person teamwork is crucial for productivity and problem-solving. Despite experiencing explosive growth during COVID, Cameo faced challenges post-pandemic, resulting in significant layoffs that shrank its workforce. The company is working to rebuild its team while emphasizing a collaborative office environment.
"We believe people are more valuable in person," said Steven Galanis, 37, Cameo's co-founder and CEO. "This is an idea that I think solves a lot of the problems that so many CEOs are facing, and frankly, a lot of workers are too."
"During COVID, our business really exploded. Every single athlete, actor, celebrity on Earth was out of work, and they were just more available. People were looking for a way to send digital love, and Cameo was certainly the answer."
Cameo is offering its Chicago-area employees a $10,000 raise to return from their scattered spare bedrooms and coffee shops to the company's Fulton Market office full-time beginning Monday.
Cameo struggled in the post-pandemic landscape, losing money and slashing costs through three rounds of layoffs during 2022 and 2023 that reduced the headcount from 347 employees in 38 states and 13 countries down to skeleton staff of 32 workers.
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