Apple Delays Plans for Return to Office Three Days a Week, Masks Required in Common Areas Amid Rising COVID Cases

[MacRumors]

Amid rising COVID cases across the United States, Apple will not increase the number of days that its corporate employees are required to be in the office, reports Bloomberg.

Apple planned to have employees return to the office three days a week on May 23, but that target date is now being delayed. Right now, Apple employees are required to be in the office twice per week, and Apple plans to stick to that schedule for the foreseeable future.

Employees who are in the office will be required to wear masks in common areas to limit the spread of the virus.

Corporate Apple employees in the United States began returning to in person work on Monday, April 11. Apple started with a one day per week in-office requirement, and on May 2, started requiring employees to be in the office two days per week.

There is no word on when Apple plans to shift to the three day per week schedule, but when that happens, employees will be required to be in the office on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays, with most able to work remotely on Wednesdays and Fridays.

Article Link: Apple Delays Plans for Return to Office Three Days a Week, Masks Required in Common Areas Amid Rising COVID Cases

 

[Marbles1]

2 days a week is more than enough to schedule meetings and workshops.

Apple's 'Monday, Tuesday and Thursday' routine seems to be designed to force people to live nearby. If it has to be 3 days at least make it e.g. Tuesday/Wednesday/Thursday.

Honestly it's as if firms want to impose misery on workers.

 

[ghostface147]

This should be an interesting comment section. Personally, be responsible for your own health. If you want to wear a mask, go for it. If you don’t, you do you. Follow the guidelines of your particular company.

 

[julesme]

The market will sort this out...and by that I mean, the top tech talent will likely go where there is flexibility that rewards their talent and productive output.

Companies like AirBNB appear to have it right, at least for now (work from anywhere, no pay cut).

 

[Dwalls90]

I see this more as a backtracking of their forced return to office policy in light of workers being unhappy.

COVID is here to stay, and cases will go up and down, but it's not like they are surging anywhere near where they were prior to a vaccine being widely available.

 

[levitynyc]

Just give it up. The days of everyone being in the office multiple times a week are over. You made a bad investment in commercial real estate. Deal with it.

Not just apple, companies everywhere. Maybe build more homes and residential buildings instead of large pointless offices.

I work in tech. I've gotten a dozen interview offers in the last 3 months. Not a single company is requiring being in an office at all.

 

[bpeeps]

I see this more as a backtracking of their forced return to office policy in light of workers being unhappy.

COVID is here to stay, and cases will go up and down, but it's not like they are surging anywhere near where they were prior to a vaccine being widely available.

Cases in California were at record highs this past winter and that's after the vaccine was available. But like you said, covid is here to stay.

 

[Dwalls90]

Cases in California were at record highs this past winter and that's after the vaccine was available. But like you said, covid is here to stay.

That's true. But wasn't that because most people didn't get a booster and Omicron started circulating? In all fairness, while vaccines have been widely available for about a year now, there was a lot of apprehension and I'd guess we didn't have more complete "coverage" until recent months.

 

[mikethemartian]

Why the need for the centralized policy? Why don’t they let the group leaders decide who needs to come in and when.

 

[iZac]

...bet Ian Goodfellow feels like a plonker now, doesn't he?

 

[jerryk]

Let's hope Apple keeps it at 2 days a week. Unlike software only companies, there are a hardware company and have a lot of tech people work on devices that cannot (or should not) leave the premise. My friends that work at hardware and networking companies have the same issue and seem to be settling into a 2-3 day/week in office.

FWIW, it is obvious that today (Tuesday) is a work in the office day for many. The traffic was much higher today with the associated gridlock.

 

[4jasontv]

This should be an interesting comment section. Personally, be responsible for your own health. If you want to wear a mask, go for it. If you don’t, you do you. Follow the guidelines of your particular company.

This is bad advice. For everyone. Companies have a bad track record for protecting public health. They shouldn't have a say in it.

 

[Kylo83]

I’ve gone back to work full time enough is enough now we have to live with it

 

[munpip214]

Clearly apple doesn’t understand this pandemic or their employees. We keep seeing this macrumors article every couple months

 

[Ethosik]

I see this more as a backtracking of their forced return to office policy in light of workers being unhappy.

COVID is here to stay, and cases will go up and down, but it's not like they are surging anywhere near where they were prior to a vaccine being widely available.

I cannot use a mask for more than 30 minutes. I’d be very unhappy if I am forced in the office and forced to wear a mask in common areas.

 

[4jasontv]

I’ve gone back to work full time enough is enough now we have to live with it

Even when the alternative is not living? I can think of a million reasons why this is bad advice.

 

[TheYayAreaLiving 🎗️]

I'm not sure how long this is going to go on?

Why is it so hard for people to report to work on campus? Social distance…

 

[jerryk]

That's true. But wasn't that because most people didn't get a booster and Omicron started circulating? In all fairness, while vaccines have been widely available for about a year now, there was a lot of apprehension and I'd guess we didn't have more complete "coverage" until recent months.

Only somewhat because of the lack of boosters. The latest Omicron strain is very transmissible, approaching measles which is the most transmissible common virus. Also, as the virus continues to circulate it continues to mutate, potentially into variants that are not prevented by the current vaccines.

Hopefully exposure to the virus variants will give a lot of people immunity with minimal symptoms. And this will result in the virus fading as there are fewer and fewer people without immunity from vaccination and/or exposure.

 

[laz232]

That's true. But wasn't that because most people didn't get a booster and Omicron started circulating? In all fairness, while vaccines have been widely available for about a year now, there was a lot of apprehension and I'd guess we didn't have more complete "coverage" until recent months.

Even in European countries with 90% vaccine coverage in >16s cases were at an all time high in late 2021/early 2022. The initial claimed efficacy in reducing transmission was clearly not true - at least not in any of the variants circulating by that time.

In my country we've been working mostly in office since late 2020. No masks. 60% of our small office got Covid at some point (mostly external) - everyone is/was vaccinated.

Thankfully the CFR is way down in every region.

At this stage masks is equivalent to TSA security theatre - unless N95 and strictly no mask removal (even for eating.)

NB I am vaccinated and caught it - from a friend during a 15min lunch break.

I firmly believe in the importance of FtF meetings for engineering design work - yes - sometimes working at home is great - but a few days a week in office seems to be necessary for an efficient workflow.

 

[Unity451]

One's personal feelings about COVID aside... The apple culture is built (and has always functioned) on human collaboration hence the building of the spaceship Apple Park with the common areas in the middle and throughout. Virtual interaction is not the same as face-to-face. If employees don't return to the in-person office, the company culture will suffer irreversible damage, and by extension, the products will get worse and worse.

 

[Rafterman]

It's a new era now - the era of working from home. Apple needs to stop kicking and screaming as it is dragged into this new era. One of the biggest new benefits that companies are offering now to stay competitive is WFH. And it's not even a covid thing anymore. People got a taste of WFH, it worked for many employees and employers, and now employees now consider that in accepting a job or not.

 

[turbineseaplane]

Maybe the upcoming in person WWDC component was a bad idea?

(surprising to nobody..)

 

[jerryk]

I'm not sure how long this is going to go on?

Why is it so hard for people to report to work in campus?

Is it necessary or desirable for everyone to be on campus 5 days a week? Everyone in tech has the facilities to do some level of their work from home. And fewer people commuting means less pollution, less need for gas and parking, etc.

 

[turbineseaplane]

Just give it up. The days of everyone being in the office multiple times a week are over. You made a bad investment in commercial real estate. Deal with it.

Not just apple, companies everywhere. Maybe build more homes and residential buildings instead of large pointless offices.

I work in tech. I've gotten a dozen interview offers in the last 3 months. Not a single company is requiring being in an office at all.

100% agree

Maybe Apple should start re-tooling Apple Park to be an incredible community to live in -- it might become highly desirable to work and live at Apple

 

[AppleTO]

I'm not sure how long this is going to go on?

Why is it so hard for people to report to work on campus? Social distance…

Because their jobs turned remote, a lot of people have been moving out of cities to places cheaper to live. But obviously companies want people back now…