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Apr 12, 2001
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Apple employees are expected to begin returning to corporate offices starting on February 1, according to a memo Apple CEO Tim Cook sent out to staff today.

apple-park-drone-june-2018-2.jpg

The memo, obtained by The Information, says that employees will return under the hybrid work pilot that was announced earlier this year. Starting in February, employees will work at Apple's campuses and offces for one to two days each week.

Then in March, workers will be expected to be in the office Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday, working from home on Wednesday and Friday. Teams that have a "greater need to work in-person" will not be able to be part of the hybrid work experience.

Apple also plans to allow employees to work remotely for up to one month per year, an increase from the prior two weeks that the company announced earlier in the year. "This provides more opportunity to travel, be closer to your loved ones, or simply shake up your routines," Cook told employees in the letter.

After working from home for more than a year, some Apple employees are not pleased that Apple is requiring them to return to the office, as the company has been able to release a number of new products with its remote work schedule.

Apple executives have always made it clear that employees are expected to return. "Video conference calling has narrowed the distance between us, to be sure, but there are things it simply cannot replicate," Cook said back in June.

Apple has pushed back the deadline for when employees must return to work several times as COVID cases have continued to soar, and in August, the company said that employees would be able to stay home until at least January.

Article Link: Apple Employees Expected to Return to Offices in February
 

Localcelebrity

macrumors regular
Feb 10, 2004
163
311
Chicago, IL
It’ll be interesting to see where COVID numbers are in February and, if this gets moved again, what policies Apple puts in place.

I have to imagine they’re still going to see some attrition from this, though I’m sure many employees left or started making plans to leave when the initial policy was announced.

This will certainly limit the talent pool for them long term.
 

LavenderCaptain

macrumors member
Nov 6, 2009
39
112
Demonstrably after almost 2 years, forcing people back to offices like this is not necessary. I'm seeing it in my workplace too - we're losing staff to recruiters who sell "100% remote" as a benefit... A ping-pong table in the office with a depersonalized workspace isn't enough anymore - what are we asking people to come back to?
 

CalMin

Contributor
Nov 8, 2007
1,642
2,774
This is the big workplace challenge of our time. Many folks (myself included) have found a way to work from home that increases our productivity and our quality of life. I do work longer hours from home which is a negative, but then I don't have to spend time on commuting, dry cleaning, lunches, vehicle maintenance etc.

For most knowledge workers, being the office is a relic of the Industrial Age. It will be interesting to see how this all pans out. Not just for Apple, but for all knowledge work.
 

guzhogi

macrumors 68040
Aug 31, 2003
3,725
1,804
Wherever my feet take me…
This is the big workplace challenge of our time. Many folks (myself included) have found a way to work from home that increases our productivity and our quality of life. I do work longer hours from home which is a negative, but then I don't have to spend time on commuting, dry cleaning, lunches, vehicle maintenance etc.

For most knowledge workers, being the office is a relic of the Industrial Age. It will be interesting to see how this all pans out. Not just for Apple, but for all knowledge work.
I agree, working from home can increase productivity. I've heard complaints about the spaceship being too open, and filled with distractions. Sure, the openness helps with collaboration, but it also hinders focus. For stuff like coding, I prefer working from home, or at least a personal, private office area.
 

guzhogi

macrumors 68040
Aug 31, 2003
3,725
1,804
Wherever my feet take me…
Here we go. Work from home versus return to the office. Everyone get their pitchforks ready!
I don't like the all-or-nothing approach of work from home vs. office thing. If I had my way, I'd let the people who want to work from home do that, and those who want to work in the office do that. If it's a team-based thing, there are many video conferencing solutions like Google's Jamboard or Neat bars. Sure, they're expensive, but Apple definitely has the resources to invest in them.
 

BWhaler

macrumors 68040
Jan 8, 2003
3,788
6,244
The problem is the open floor plans. No ability to focus, etc.

It’s always pictures of the outside of Apple’s spaceship—nit pictures of row after row after row of workbench desks, employees packed in side-by-side. And it’s the later which is the employee experience. So of course, they want to stay home—they get more done.
 

zakarhino

Contributor
Sep 13, 2014
2,458
6,647
Overall I'm pro work from home/remote work for many reasons, one of which is I think it's better to have highly paid workers spread out across the country rather than centrally focused in a single small area.

One negative I've noticed is the boundary between work hours and personal hours has been blurred to the point where for many it no longer exists, it was already deteriorating before but I think it has really ramped up now. Everyone is sending slack messages at all hours of the day and the expectation is you have to engage because other people do it. I think Poland have recently enacted laws that prevent bosses from sending people slack messages after work hours, other countries should adopt the same.
 

ckoerner

macrumors member
May 21, 2006
63
98
St. Louis, MO
I don't like the all-or-nothing approach of work from home vs. office thing. If I had my way, I'd let the people who want to work from home do that, and those who want to work in the office do that. If it's a team-based thing, there are many video conferencing solutions like Google's Jamboard or Neat bars. Sure, they're expensive, but Apple definitely has the resources to invest in them.
I work for an org that was mostly remote prior to the pandemic and for the last two years has been entirely remote. We have an office that ~1/3 of our staff can work from. The downside to this hybrid approach is that it creates cliques and inequality (in relationships, promotions, and just plain visibility) that is hard to overcome. Individual choice is important, people can come or go, but for those of us who can't work in-office (I'm thousands of miles away!) this creates a difficult situation and choice.
 
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Stella

macrumors G3
Apr 21, 2003
8,837
6,334
Canada
I'm glad our company gives us the choice of working from home, or the office. Company doesn't care as long as we get our work done, without quality suffering. Having this flexibility also helps with recruitment and retention, in a very competitive environment.
 
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