Apple Employees Reportedly Petitioning Against Plan to Return to Office 3x Per Week

[citysnaps]

Yes, because labor never has valid concerns and the companies are always right and good. Damn lazy workers .

Let’s try your phrasing in the context of modern labor laws and see how well it works

“Just let the people who don’t want to be locked in the factory go. Also let the families that don't want their children to work starve. Only the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory has the big insight as to what's necessary to efficiently conduct company operations that meet the company's needs.”

Yeah, that’s the ticket

I imagine that would make sense to someone. With zero relevancy to Apple. A cute straw man, though.

Apple, like all companies, have employment requirements based on the manner in which their operations are conducted.

If Apple needs people working in the office then it's best for people seeking work apply for employment where working at home makes sense for the company.

Cracks me up people here believing they have so much insight regarding Apple's needs. All based on zero knowledge about Apple's internal operations.

Perhaps you were a department/group/project/lab manager or VP at Apple at one time and can speak with some authority about this?

 

[erikkfi]

I kinda feel like this is between Apple employees and their employer, and for the rest of us to have strong opinions about it is kinda weird.

 

[ian87w]

I'm surprised that Apple didn't learn a thing when the ML guy left. If more talents are leaving, Apple is shooting themselves in the foot. For a huge and highly profitable tech company like Apple to still think like a traditional office jobs is really hurting Apple's image.

 

[citysnaps]

I kinda feel like this is between Apple employees and their employer, and for the rest of us to have strong opinions about it is kinda weird.

Spot on, and concise!

So many experts here spouting what Apple needs to do, with zero experience or knowledge about Apple's internal operations.

Astonishing Apple, one of the most successful companies in the world, is managing to limp along without their expertise.

 

[bsolar]

I'm not sure when our culture shifted to employees attempting to dictate to their employer how things are going to go, but it's the mark of a failed society.

First of all, "dictate" is the wrong word. Nobody is expecting that Apple should be forced by the employees to accept the employees' demands. Apple can tell them that it's Apple's way or the highway, if Apple is willing to do so and ready to accept the consequences of such a stance, e.g. losing some qualified employees which might decide Apple is not the correct career choice for them anymore.

Back to your question, employee's opinion on how things should go became more and more relevant since employees became more and more knowledgeable of their work than their managers, meaning that listening to their feedback on how things could be improved became a key factor in becoming more efficient and gaining a competitive advantage.

 

[spazzcat]

Shut up and go to work.

I'm not sure when our culture shifted to employees attempting to dictate to their employer how things are going to go, but it's the mark of a failed society.

There are many people who would love to work for Apple and would gladly show up to that beautiful new campus. Maybe they should get their chance.

While they may want to work at Apple, do they have the needed skills? Also, employees have been dictating terms for a long time; it is called a Union ...

 

[cvam1985]

Spot on, and concise!

So many experts here spouting what Apple needs to do, with zero experience or knowledge about Apple's internal operations.

Astonishing Apple, one of the most successful companies in the world, is managing to limp along without their expertise.

well sure , but does that mean that those of us who purchase their products cannot question their decision to build a zillion dollar “park” complex, the cost of which is surely passed on to us every time the price of an iPhone goes up, and they’re not even USING the office space?

 

[bsolar]

Also, employees have been dictating terms for a long time; it is called a Union ...

Not necessarily a Union: individual employees qualified enough might be a scarce enough resource to have strong enough bargaining power to make their demands get accepted even without collective bargaining being part of the equation.

 

[Pentium]

I will be the first to go back, I hate working from home.

 

[Chaos215bar2]

I know this seems weirdly controversial now - and ive no idea why...

But this strikes me as utterly entitled and ridiculous behaviour.

Firstly..... 3 times a week? is that all?? more than generous of apple.
Secondly.... like it or not there are some roles where collaboration is needed, and not in zoom meetings and the like - theres no substitute to face to face interaction. I wonder out loud how much better iOS 15 could have been and iOS16 too.... (though I accept that might just be nonsense)

Thirdly, and HERES THE MAIN ONE...... Each and every employee went to a job interview..... and accepted the job based on where they lived, the commute, the office they were working in... etc etc. Just because its nicer and cheaper not to commute does not mean they now have the right to demand a change in their working conditions... THEY took the job on knowing full well what it entailed..... Covid was a temporary and unprecedented problem and its time to get back to normal like it or not.

The easy answer is if you dont like you job or working conditions (and only 3 days a week in the office which is much better than you had when you took the job on) then simply resign. Stop wasting time and energy with petitions etc - your employer is well within their rights to mandate working arrangements like this and if your office job requires you to be in the office then get in there or move aside and give one of the many thousands out there who would love your job the opportunity to do it and work from that amazing Apple Park location (id love to work there!).

It’s incredible that such an asinine take on WFH is getting so much attention here. I mean, why ever advocate for change when you could just quit, right?

Maybe these people actually like their jobs, are productive working from home, and would like to continue working on something they love? I don’t know, and you certainly don’t either.

Things change, and smart businesses adapt.

 

[Smearbrick]

Shut up and go to work.

I'm not sure when our culture shifted to employees attempting to dictate to their employer how things are going to go, but it's the mark of a failed society.

There are many people who would love to work for Apple and would gladly show up to that beautiful new campus. Maybe they should get their chance.

It’s called “flexibility”. I’m sorry your manual labor job doesn’t allow for such things as work from home.

This isn’t 1955. People can actually connect to their place of work through this fancy technology called “the internet” (I hear it’s a series of tubes). It has pretty much revolutionized our modern world (in good and bad ways), and allowed people who would typically be required to commute several hours to and from an office to stay home and be just as productive.

Funny… if you bothered to have an informed opinion, you would see that most statistics show that people work longer hours and are more productive at home vs an office.

Also, it saves the company money! *gasp*

It takes a little getting used to, but once you don’t have to spend 250 bucks a month on gas to travel 100 miles one way/per day to an office, you get used to it.

Ok… go back to your shoveling.

 

[Smearbrick]

It’s incredible that such an asinine take on WFH is getting so much attention here. I mean, why ever advocate for change when you could just quit, right?

Maybe these people actually like their jobs, are productive working from home, and would like to continue working on something they love? I don’t know, and you certainly don’t either.

Agreed. He’s either trolling or doesn’t have a gig that allows for WFH and is insanely jealous.

Or… he’s an executive from the 1950s!

 

[cvam1985]

This isn’t 1955. People can actually connect to their place of work through this fancy technology called “the internet” (I hear it’s a series of tubes). It has pretty much revolutionized our modern world (in good and bad ways), and allowed people who would typically be required to commute several hours to and from an office to stay home and be just as productive.

Funny… if you bothered to have an informed opinion, you would see that most statistics show that people work longer hours and are more productive at home vs an office.

Also, it saves the company money! *gasp*

It takes a little getting used to, but once you don’t have to spend 250 bucks a month on gas to travel 100 miles one way/per day to an office, you get used to it.

Ok… go back to your shoveling.

Wow! Im not the one who you’re replying to but tell us how you really feel about lowly “manual labor” workers! Guess what, without them there would be no “series of tubes” for you to feel important while you answer credit card inquiries at home in your panties.

I wonder if all of the children in China who are slaves can “WFH” making your Internet equipment and iThings since this isn’t the 50s anymore! 😂

 

[citysnaps]

well sure , but does that mean that those of us who purchase their products cannot question their decision to build a zillion dollar “park” complex, the cost of which is surely passed on to us every time the price of an iPhone goes up, and they’re not even USING the office space?

Absolutely!

If based on your superior knowledge and in depth analysis of Apple's internal operations and needs, and come to the conclusion Steve Jobs blew it on Apple Park meeting Apple's long term requirements for continued success, you can certainly vote with your wallet and choose competitor phones/computers/tablets/services with employment policies that are more in alignment with yours.

Will you do it? It's easy, just switch and find happiness.

 

[bsolar]

Wow! Im not the one who you’re replying to but tell us how you really feel about lowly “manual labor” workers! Guess what, without them there would be no “series of tubes” for you to feel important while you answer credit card inquiries at home in your panties.

It's not a matter of importance but of flexibility. Manual labor typically needs to be done on-site, which makes it less flexible in regards to WFH. Other kinds of labor don't have this limitation and can be more flexible as of from where the actual work is performed.

This does not mean one kind of labor is "better" or "more important" than the other, but it is a difference and if the job can be performed remotely it is an option on the table that should be taken into consideration.

 

[AF_APPLETALK]

All the enviro wokies say we're in a climate emergency and want you to give up your car, but corporate America still wants you to commute in to do what could be done over an internet connection and produce all that carbon. 🤔

 

[cvam1985]

Absolutely!

If based on your superior knowledge and in depth analysis of Apple's internal operations and needs, you can certainly vote with your wallet and choose competitor phones/computers/tablets/services with employment policies that are more in alignment with yours.

Will you do it. It's easy, just switch and find happiness.

Hm , so I’m not allowed to have an opinion on a discussion forum without Tim Cook’s fan club saying that my opinion is invalid because I don’t work for him? I’m quite happy, and I’ll continue buying the things I can afford. But guess what, we all spent years watching the construction of that monstrosity, and what are they using the space for? Not working there , apparently.

But hey I’m sure you’ll find happiness come September because the new iPhone is a hundred bucks more than the last iPhone. SHUT UP AND TAKE MY MONEY, you will say 🤣

 

[bsolar]

Absolutely!

If based on your superior knowledge and in depth analysis of Apple's internal operations and needs, and come to the conclusion Steve Jobs blew it on Apple Park meeting Apple's long term requirements, you can certainly vote with your wallet and choose competitor phones/computers/tablets/services with employment policies that are more in alignment with yours.

Will you do it. It's easy, just switch and find happiness.

Voting with your wallet is the best way to express dissatisfaction as a customer, but it's definitely not the only one. One can still purchase Apple's products while at the same time be dissatisfied about something and let Apple know about it through other means than choosing a competitor.

There is a spectrum between "Apple is perfect" and "Apple is doing everything wrong" and, accordingly, a spectrum of what a customer might want to do about it.

 

[stocklen]

Agreed. He’s either trolling or doesn’t have a gig that allows for WFH and is insanely jealous.

Or… he’s an executive from the 1950s!

wow. to both of you.
Trolling is not offering an opinion that differs to your own.....

Look, its not my call what do i care? And yes you are ignoring the millions of workers who dont have the luxury of "working from home" in their profession (manual workers, doctors, shop workers, the list goes on and on) ...

... in fact the only ones who this does apply to are basically office workers.

And, what I or anyone else including you think on the subject is rather irrelevant. If Apple, or whichever other company we might find our selves talking about, deems that they want their workers in the office collaborating and working in close proximity to more effectively do their jobs (both physically and mentally) then thats 100% their call and they are simply getting people back to what they signed up for in the first place.

But please, continue to push your own agenda thats fine of course - this thread is very interesting for sure. Please dont refer to others as trolls when they dont agree with you. Thanks.

 

[calvin2006]

WFH has been so productive that across the board everything is back-ordered or delayed. I don’t remember that being the case when everyone went to work. Once supply chains return to normal with people working from home, you’ll convince me. Until then, back to the office.

 

[citysnaps]

Hm , so I’m not allowed to have an opinion on a discussion forum without Tim Cook’s fan club saying that my opinion is invalid because I don’t work for him? I’m quite happy, and I’ll continue buying the things I can afford. But guess what, we all spent years watching the construction of that monstrosity, and what are they using the space for? Not working there , apparently.

You absolutely are allowed to have an opinion.

It would be nice if it's based on real world experience running a successful company the size of Apple with 100,000+ employees.

Tim Cook fan club? Do you really need to go there in order to make a point? Or was that intended to be a juvenile dig?

 

[bsolar]

WFH has been so productive that across the board everything is back-ordered or delayed. I don’t remember that being the case when everyone went to work. Once supply chains return to normal with people working from home, you’ll convince me. Until then, back to the office.

The main issue in the computer industry is the chip shortage, which has less to do with office workers working from home and more with production facilities actually being shut down and sources for raw materials becoming problematic.

 

[IbisDoc]

It’s amazing how people these days feel so entitled that they demand to (pretend to) work from their homes.

What they don’t realize is that when they use the argument “I’m actually more productive at home”, they’re raising a big red flag to their employers. Essentially telling their bosses “I don’t work as hard at your office.”

Should be a fireable offense.

 

[cvam1985]

You absolutely are allowed to have an opinion.

It would be nice if it's based on real world experience running a successful company the size of Apple with 100,000+ employees.

Tim Cook fan club? Do you really need to go there in order to make a point? Or was that intended to be a juvenile dig?

Wouldn’t it be nice if I had that experience! But I never will, so even if I run a company with a hundred employees, my opinion would be moot and invalid to someone like you. And yes. I did need to go there, because obviously you only respect the opinion of someone who is the CEO of the company on question. I bet you’d do really well as a citizen of North Korea.

 

[citysnaps]

Voting with your wallet is the best way to express dissatisfaction as a customer, but it's definitely not the only one. One can still purchase Apple's products while at the same time be dissatisfied about something and let Apple know about it through other means than choosing a competitor.

There is a spectrum between "Apple is perfect" and "Apple is doing everything wrong" and, accordingly, a spectrum of what a customer might want to do about it.

How are you letting Apple know? Certainly not through a forum. Have you written letters to Apple to give them a piece of your mind?

Seriously, the best way to let a company know you are dissatisfied with their behavior is to stop purchasing their products. Millions of people showing their dissatisfaction in that manner will certainly be noticed and be taken seriously. A rant on a tech forum will not.