Apple Implementing COVID-19 Prevention Measures as Employees Return to Work

[MacRumors]

As employees begin returning to work at Apple's Apple Park and Infinite Loop campuses, Apple is implementing COVID-19 prevention measures that include testing, social distancing, and temperature checks, reports Bloomberg.

Some employees, such as hardware and software engineers, began returning to Apple Park in May. Some of the people who are working at the campus are doing so for just a few days a week, with Apple limiting the number of people allowed in closed spaces, such as elevators.

Employees who return to the campus are being provided with an option to take a coronavirus nasal-swab test, while temperature checks are mandatory. Apple has closed many of its break room kitchens, and is asking employees to wear masks through posted signs.

Apple Park features large open work spaces where employees worked in close proximity, but Bloomberg says that Apple is going to need to make changes to bring the rest of its workforce back to the campus. For now, some employees are continuing to work from home.

Apple's head of retail and people Deirdre O'Brien told employees in May that the return to Apple's campuses worldwide would be done in phases over the course of a few months. The first phase, in which some employees are returning, is in progress now.

A second phase in July will see more employees return to work, though Apple has said that its plans are fluid and may change based on local and state stay-at-home orders.

Apple has also begun reopening its Apple retail locations worldwide, and in the United States, more than 100 stores are open. Many of these locations are limited to device pickups and repairs.

Article Link: Apple Implementing COVID-19 Prevention Measures as Employees Return to Work

 

[Brandhouse]

So they should, it's a responsible thing to do to protect everyone's health.

 

[Rogifan]

So Apple is doing what every other company is doing. Must suck for Mark Gurman. Now that he’s not getting any juicy rumors anymore he’s reduced to publishing banal stuff like this.

 

[Williesleg]

They should all work from home.
Why is apple forcing this?

 

[Erehy Dobon]

Apple isn't forcing anything. They are following guidelines set by the County of Santa Clara (SCC) Public Health Officer, specifically as it pertains to essential business operations in offices.

But don't listen to me, go knock yourself out on the original SCC document:

Public Health Orders - Emergency Operations Center - County of Santa Clara

www.sccgov.org

which actually uses Google and Apple as examples. Just use Command-F and search for "goog" or "apple" in your web browser.

This is an amended document from the May 22 order which started letting more people back into their offices.

Apple is not doing anything special that Google, Cisco, Intel, AMD, HP, Adobe, NVidia, etc. aren't doing. If Facebook is doing something different (which I doubt), that's because they are headquartered in San Mateo County, just adjacent to the north of Santa Clara County.

It's worth pointing out that the senior management of all of these large corporations have been in repeated close and ongoing consultation with the County of Santa Clara COVID-19 response team.

SCC Public Health Officer Dr. Sara Cody did not randomly list a bunch of bullet points for fun-and-games nor did Tim Cook just randomly say, "Hey, let's start sending people back to the campus."

Apple is not the first company on this planet to let people start returning to the office. There is now ample precedence in many other jurisdictions around the planet about these phased returns.

It is also very worth pointing out that Santa Clara County actually led the entire nation in their shelter-in-place policy and is one of the slowest counties to lift restrictions within the state. SCC is not blindly walking into unchartered territory, not while Dr. Cody is at the helm.

 

[glowplug]

Who could have guessed this would be the final nail in the coffin of open floorplans.

 

[Erehy Dobon]

Who could have guessed this would be the final nail in the coffin of open floorplans.

I doubt that very much. More likely they will continue on with additional features such as plexiglas partitions, the kind that have been used in restaurants in China for several months.

There will likely be some reorganizing of some of the open common areas.

These are all attainable modifications and many other countries started adjusting months ago. Again, Apple is not the first company on this planet to deal with this.

The bigger question isn't even related to corporate offices. What happens to event venues like concert halls, basketball arenas, movie theaters, etc.?

Fortune 500/Russell 2000 companies will survive just fine with plexiglas partitions in their cubicle farms. However, would an NHL fan be willing to sit in a plexi cocoon?

 

[now i see it]

So much for the "open office" layout that has been all the rage - getting rid of cubicles so that everyone is within eyeshot (aka call center layout).
The future might require a total rethinking (and remodeling) of office layouts with cubicles returning but with hermetically sealed walls all the way up to the ceiling.
Oh well.

 

[lostngone]

The Apple HQ building design is perfect for this... They test a group of people, then lock that group inside the ring for 14 days. If everyone tests clean again after the 14 days then they are allowed inside the building... ?

 

[AngerDanger]

As employees begin returning to work at Apple's Apple Park and Infinite Loop campuses, Apple is implementing COVID-19 prevention measures that include testing, social distancing, and temperature checks, reports Bloomberg.

I really don't know how socially distant you can get at Apple Park…

Unless—

 

[supremedesigner]

In case of zombie apocalypse, Apple Park will be perfect place to camp out. ??

 

[quietstormSD]

Apple isn't forcing anything. They are following guidelines set by the County of Santa Clara (SCC) Public Health Officer, specifically as it pertains to essential business operations in offices.

But don't listen to me, go knock yourself out on the original SCC document:

Public Health Orders - Emergency Operations Center - County of Santa Clara

www.sccgov.org

which actually uses Google and Apple as examples. Just use Command-F and search for "goog" or "apple" in your web browser.

This is an amended document from the May 22 order which started letting more people back into their offices.

Apple is not doing anything special that Google, Cisco, Intel, AMD, HP, Adobe, NVidia, etc. aren't doing. If Facebook is doing something different (which I doubt), that's because they are headquartered in San Mateo County, just adjacent to the north of Santa Clara County.

It's worth pointing out that the senior management of all of these large corporations have been in repeated close and ongoing consultation with the County of Santa Clara COVID-19 response team.

SCC Public Health Officer Dr. Sara Cody did not randomly list a bunch of bullet points for fun-and-games nor did Tim Cook just randomly say, "Hey, let's start sending people back to the campus."

Apple is not the first company on this planet to let people start returning to the office. There is now ample precedence in many other jurisdictions around the planet about these phased returns.

It is also very worth pointing out that Santa Clara County actually led the entire nation in their shelter-in-place policy and is one of the slowest counties to lift restrictions within the state. SCC is not blindly walking into unchartered territory, not while Dr. Cody is at the helm.

When did Apple start mandating employees work from home? When the county said so? We all know when our counties told us to work from home it was too late at that point. Community spread already took place, long before. Counties just sat on their hands looking at some beauracrat for guidance. I wouldn't take the county's word at when to return for work. Government "leaders" failed us just 3 months ago, I'm not willing to give them a free pass all of the sudden.

 

[Erehy Dobon]

When did Apple start mandating employees work from home? When the county said so?

That's right.

SCC Health Officer Dr. Sara Cody imposed the shelter-in-place order effective March 16 and coordinated the county directive with six other SF Bay Area counties, the first in the nation.

It was not a gradual transition in these jurisdictions. All of the big employers took the county orders seriously. Companies like Apple, Google, etc. sent employees who showed up at the offices the following morning away. They were complying with county public health orders, just like the mom-and-pop retail stores.

If I recall correctly, it was about 36 hours between the time the order hit the news and when it was officially in place. I remember going out for a beer that Saturday then consciously avoiding going to the store before the shutdown to avoid the mobs (which were already being reported in the news and social media).

Some local city government events had been postponed prior to the county shutdown. There was a town community meeting on that Saturday (March 14th) before the shutdown that was called off.

The SCC health order was not a total surprise. Other countries had already enacted these measures, it was only a matter of time. All of the big multi-national corporations had an inkling that it was imminent.

Not only does Apple have retail stores around the world, they have business operations and other back-of-the-house subsidiaries that had already been affected by local COVID-19 regulations before the mandate that affected the corporate HQ.

 

[Stars&Stripes]

That's probably the bleakest picture I've seen of this campus.

 

[macsrcool1234]

given the recent protests and the likelihood of a resurgence, they might wanna hold off

 

[Erehy Dobon]

Nah, Apple Park is on I-280, not US-101.

Not a big deal.
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That's probably the bleakest picture I've seen of this campus.

Probably taken on a weekend when no one was around. This is not a current photo anyhow. The rainbow stage is not a permanent structure and the grass certainly isn't that green in Cupertino today.

Remember there's a wall around the entire perimeter of the property. It's not a public park.

 

[CausticSoda]

Who could have guessed this would be the final nail in the coffin of open floorplans.

That would at least be one positive outcome.

 

[cmaier]

They should all work from home.
Why is apple forcing this?

They’re not “forcing” anything.

 

[FlyingDutch]

It’s not just Apple. It is happening everywhere. The place where I work, a single building hosting about 350 workers, is running in multiple shifts to keep the number at around 150 every day.
[automerge]1591335058[/automerge]

They should all work from home.
Why is apple forcing this?

??‍♂️
not every job could be done at home.

 

[Brandhouse]

given the recent protests and the likelihood of a resurgence, they might wanna hold off

Gotta agree, my workplace in Melbourne, OZ isn't thinking of going back to work until Sept, until then we're all WFH.

 

[Seanm87]

Gotta agree, my workplace in Melbourne, OZ isn't thinking of going back to work until Sept, until then we're all WFH.

Yep. We’ve been told to stay at home for the rest of the year if not longer.

I must be honest I hate working from home. I much prefer the social interaction of an office.

 

[spazzcat]

So much for the "open office" layout that has been all the rage - getting rid of cubicles so that everyone is within eyeshot (aka call center layout).
The future might require a total rethinking (and remodeling) of office layouts with cubicles returning but with hermetically sealed walls all the way up to the ceiling.
Oh well.

You should read about the open office, the guy that came up with it in the 50s or 60s, I forgot which, wish he never designed it.

 

[curmudgeonette]

When did Apple start mandating employees work from home? When the county said so? We all know when our counties told us to work from home it was too late at that point.

Much of Silicon Valley was already having people work from home before the government orders came out. I don't know if or when specifically Apple did this. However, traffic on a commute heavy highway was already very light before the orders.

Remember there's a wall around the entire perimeter of the property. It's not a public park.

The big green construction wall is gone - replaced by some sort of fence.

 

[Borophyll0520]

That's probably the bleakest picture I've seen of this campus.

Right? Looks like they forgot to hire a landscaper!

 

[az431]

They should all work from home.
Why is apple forcing this?

Maybe try reading the article instead of making up your own facts?