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Apple Offering Work-From-Home Support Roles to Retail Employees [Updated]

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Apple has recently contacted some of its retail employees in the U.S. with an opportunity to work from home as a support advisor on a temporary basis due to the ongoing pandemic, according to sources familiar with the matter.

apple-at-home-advisor.jpg

Retail employees who accept this offer will receive the necessary equipment from Apple to offer support to customers by phone or online chat, as well as a small cash incentive, one source noted. It is unclear how long this at-home role will last, how many employees have been offered this opportunity, or if it is being offered in any other countries.

Jon Prosser of the YouTube channel Front Page Tech has also relayed this news today, noting that participating employees each receive an iMac.


With thousands of Apple retail employees that are already well experienced with sales and support currently sitting at home, this move makes sense, and will help alleviate the workload of Apple's existing at-home advisors.

Update: Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has confirmed this news, noting that employees in the program are not being asked to work beyond their regular hours.

Update 2: MacRumors has learned that the at-home work program appears to be available to all Apple retail employees, not just Geniuses and Technical Specialists. Participating employees must be able to accept delivery of a 27-inch iMac delivered by courier and are required to participate in virtual training.

Article Link: Apple Offering Work-From-Home Support Roles to Retail Employees [Updated]
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2020/03/31/apple-geniuses-work-from-home-opportunity/
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matamoris said:
Thanks for the photo. I now know what it looks like to be work from home as an Apple support specialist. Looks like I'm going to need a headset, an iMac, a desk, and pen and paper.
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I use all of that but write on my iPad with my Apple Pencil. Ha.
 
calzon65 said:
I think a face-to-face work environment is usually better most of the time, but after we prevail over COVID-19, I think there are a lot of people who will say to their employers, why can't I work from home, it worked before.
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Once that employee asks that, the boss is going to say why can't I hire someone across the globe to work remotely cheaper.
 
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calzon65 said:
I think a face-to-face work environment is usually better most of the time, but after we prevail over COVID-19, I think there are a lot of people who will say to their employers, why can't I work from home, it worked before.
Click to expand...

When I worked at Apple in the enterprise division all my clients were around the globe. Whether Merrill Lynch, Swiss Banc, etc., there was no other way, and technical developer talking via the phone really turns one to focus over the phone, listen to the client more and solve problems without any distractions.
 
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Today I spoke with a technical supervisor from Apple Support by phone.
This was regarding my Apple Pro Display XDR.

–> He asked me what brand the monitor is. Wtf? ((he was a technical supervisor))
 
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Not surprising, Verizon is doing the same thing for their retail sales people. They are sending them computers to help with the influx of calls to customer service.
 
calzon65 said:
I think a face-to-face work environment is usually better most of the time, but after we prevail over COVID-19, I think there are a lot of people who will say to their employers, why can't I work from home, it worked before.
Click to expand...
I suspect some companies will react about the same as US companies at the end of WWII, when they decided they no longer needed women working in their factory jobs, and replaced them with the returning men. Some companies may go along with more work-from-home, others will be like, "oh good, now we can get back to exactly the way it used to be."
 
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dlastmango said:
are they hiring?
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One, this helps put a bunch of their sidelined retail staff to effective use, and, two, how would they train you, entirely remotely - you may know technology and even Apple products, but likely not how they want all sorts of particular questions answered. This whole thing has caught everyone off-guard. Their retail staff is already somewhat trained/vetted.
 
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macfacts said:
Once that employee asks that, the boss is going to say why can't I hire someone across the globe to work remotely cheaper.
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Many employers already tried that, and in many cases realised the results were terrible because of the cultural difference, and went back to hiring locals. So locals working at home is vastly different to cheap foreigners working at home.
 
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matamoris said:
Thanks for the photo. I now know what it looks like to be work from home as an Apple support specialist. Looks like I'm going to need a headset, an iMac, a desk, and pen and paper.
Click to expand...

Don’t forget the Apple Watch.
 
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