Apple Staff Complain About Plans for Return to Office Work in Letter to Tim Cook

[antiprotest]

"This past year has been an unprecedented challenge for our company; we had to learn how to deliver the same quality of products and services that Apple is known for, all while working almost completely remotely."

So it was hard...

"For many of us at Apple, we have succeeded not despite working from home, but in large part because of being able to work outside the office. The last year has felt like we have truly been able to do the best work of our lives for the first time, unconstrained by the challenges that daily commutes to offices and in-person co-located offices themselves inevitably impose; all while still being able to take better care of ourselves and the people around us."

So it was easy?

It is hard to avoid some perception of contradiction here, since it says "unprecedented challenge" due to work from home, but "the best work of our lives" were done because of WFH "for many of us". So was there an unprecedented challenge or not?

Perhaps "for many of us" functions as a qualifier, so that for many others it was harder, but that is me being lenient. Who wrote this? Was this a combined effort of Apple employees? The whole thing needs to be more clear and precise to be taken seriously.

Note: Quotes taken from the full letter. And BTW I have no problem with WFH.

 

[Abazigal]

Apple did not do anything different from other tech companies. If other companies offer remote work now, why should not Apple employees consider switching the employer?

They should, and I recommend that they do if they feel that Apple is no longer able to offer them what they want.

 

[docmordin]

I'm honestly not sure why people are so hostile towards working from home. My guess it's a mixture of bitterness and jealousy.

Working from home has been phenomenal for my productivity. My lack of a commute, going to lunch, even if it's just the campus cafeteria, and other distractors has freed up a lot of time. It's allowed me to step back from a managerial role and do more technical work again. I've started new projects that are gaining serious traction. Likewise, many of my team members are even more productive now than they were two years ago.

The only negative aspect about persistent teleworking is that it has hit extroverts, like myself, rather hard. There are days where I do miss chatting with colleagues, brainstorming on the whiteboards, grabbing coffee, and so forth. It'd be nice to find some happy medium where we all just get together for a few days each month or even once per week, whatever makes sense for a given team.

 

[cmaier]

(I am taking these quotes from the full letter.)

"This past year has been an unprecedented challenge for our company; we had to learn how to deliver the same quality of products and services that Apple is known for, all while working almost completely remotely."

So it was hard...

"For many of us at Apple, we have succeeded not despite working from home, but in large part because of being able to work outside the office. The last year has felt like we have truly been able to do the best work of our lives for the first time, unconstrained by the challenges that daily commutes to offices and in-person co-located offices themselves inevitably impose; all while still being able to take better care of ourselves and the people around us."

So it was easy?

It is hard to avoid some perception of contradiction here, since it says "unprecedented challenge" due to work from home, but "the best work of our lives" were done because of WFH "for many of us". So was there an unprecedented challenge or not?

Perhaps "for many of us" functions as a qualifier, so that for many others it was harder, but that is me being lenient. Who wrote this? Was this a combined effort of Apple employees? The whole thing needs to be more clear and precise to be taken seriously.

It was a poorly written manifesto. The right way to deal with it is would have been to go to one’s immediate manager and express concerns. Likely, in a lot of cases, accommodations would be made. But if they were going to do this open (yeah, i know - leaked) letter, it should have been written much more concisely.

 

[thatsmyfish]

Wow, you make a lot of assumptions.

I won't answer all of your questions to avoid giving away personal information, but I am in the CS field. You don't need to live near Cupertino to get a job there - Apple will give you a relocation bonus, which means they obviously see the value in employees working together in Apple Park.

Not all SWE jobs are created equal. You can be asked to perform very mentally taxing work in a poorly managed department where every day is hell and the pressure is on you to figure out everyone else's mistakes or face retaliation. In this type of job your career growth is non-existent as well - it is up to you to apply like crazy and find a way out.

On the other hand, being an SWE at a FAANG company can be an absolute dream job. You get paid tons of money, have amazing benefits, get promoted quickly, and work on a great team that cares about what they are working on. The thing is, once you get one of these jobs you are considered part of the "elite", and as long as you don't get fired you will have recruiters reaching out to you from other large companies the second you say you're looking for work on LinkedIn. Probably even if you do get fired this will still be true. So, these employees are not afraid to ask for more remote work because they are the most sought after people in their field.

But, there are many other SWEs who are talented but entered a bad organization unknowingly, and would love nothing more than to work 40 hrs. a week at Apple Park on amazing projects.

You answered the question, although the responses are based on 2019 realities.

Two years ago, if there was an opening you were able to apply for, you’d effectively be able to live in the vicinity of Cupertino, and it’s a matter of positions not being available that’s prevented you, possibly, from applying. I don’t know your circumstances. On those matters, I did make an assumption and your answer set it straight. We’re good there.

The second issue is we don’t live in 2019 before. As you verified, the employees we’re talking about in this thread are not easily replaceable workers. They’re, using your words, the most sought after people in their field. Apple admitted through their reconfiguration that telework works. The employees asked for more telework than Apple was offering. They could fire the lot of them, which I’d imagine would create layers of difficulties for Apple. They could also say no, say yes, or further compromise.

Apple may no longer be a company which pays a relocation bonus after this conversation is said and done.

 

[paulvee]

Fire them all. Plenty of people are looking for work now and willing to sacrifice for a good job. These people are not irreplaceable.

 

[thatsmyfish]

What a bunch of BS. Get back to work or step aside. There are plenty of other people willing to work for a paycheck. What a world we live in today. 🤪

Apple btw breeds this insanity with some of their messaging trying to be woke.

You’re under the impression these are untrained fry cooks that are easily replaceable by Apple.

You’re also one of those lazy posters that uses “woke” and SJW as much as possible hoping you get a power-up.

 

[thatsmyfish]

Fire them all. Plenty of people are looking for work now and willing to sacrifice for a good job. These people are not irreplaceable.

Please, in extreme detail, break down the job requirements of these positions and explain why they are not irreplaceable? You’ve clearly done exhaustive research on these employees, their education, and their skill sets.

 

[GrumpyCoder]

There's plenty of people willing to work for apple out there.

Then why don’t they work for Apple already? They didn’t make the cut. When people are leaving now, what could possibly go wrong hiring B-grade workers now...

 

[seadragon]

Fire them all. Plenty of people are looking for work now and willing to sacrifice for a good job. These people are not irreplaceable.

You‘ll make a fine exhibit at Jurassic Park with all your fellow dinosaurs.

 

[Apple_Robert]

"This past year has been an unprecedented challenge for our company; we had to learn how to deliver the same quality of products and services that Apple is known for, all while working almost completely remotely."

So it was hard...

"For many of us at Apple, we have succeeded not despite working from home, but in large part because of being able to work outside the office. The last year has felt like we have truly been able to do the best work of our lives for the first time, unconstrained by the challenges that daily commutes to offices and in-person co-located offices themselves inevitably impose; all while still being able to take better care of ourselves and the people around us."

So it was easy?

It is hard to avoid some perception of contradiction here, since it says "unprecedented challenge" due to work from home, but "the best work of our lives" were done because of WFH "for many of us". So was there an unprecedented challenge or not?

Perhaps "for many of us" functions as a qualifier, so that for many others it was harder, but that is me being lenient. Who wrote this? Was this a combined effort of Apple employees? The whole thing needs to be more clear and precise to be taken seriously.

Note: Quotes taken from the full letter. And BTW I have no problem with WFH.

The second quote doesn't say it was easy. It says we succeeded. That is not the same as easy nor does it imply easy.

 

[ceriess]

I manage a remote team, and I have two words why it doesn't work:

WORK AVOIDANCE

 

[seadragon]

I manage a remote team, and I have two words why it doesn't work:

WORK AVOIDANCE

Then you have a poorly managed team… and that’s on you.

 

[hatchettjack]

Tim, can the crybabies! ill be there 24 7 hmu

 

[GrumpyCoder]

I manage a remote team, and I have two words why it doesn't work:

WORK AVOIDANCE

Are you saying the people you manage are not doing a good job WFH? Sounds like the people are not very qualified or maybe a case of bad management? 😉

 

[antiprotest]

The second quote doesn't say it was easy. It says we succeeded. That is not the same as easy nor does it imply easy.

First quote, "unprecedented challenge" because they had to work remotely,

second quote, "best work" because they could work remotely.

Technically, you can say nothing is "easy". But it was a contradiction in the way they expressed it.

 

[Apple_Robert]

You‘ll make a fine exhibit at Jurassic Park with all your fellow dinosaurs.

If us old fashioned, work hard guys are gonna be put in an exhibit, I want top billing

 

[Tech198]

it will be difficult for many companies to find the right balance - not just Apple.

They are all trying their best..

But it ofte seems when they reach that point, someone pulls them down again

 

[triptolemus]

If us old fashioned, work hard guys are gonna be put in an exhibit, I want top billing

Hey, there's a spot in that multi-billion dollar spaceship just for you! Won't be long now!

 

[Apple_Robert]

Hey, there's a spot in that multi-billion dollar spaceship just for you! Won't be long now!

That is good news.

 

[9927036]

Smally, even if the 80 people who wrote the letter quit because of this, they have thousands of employees at other sites around Silicon Valley who would love to be moved to the mothership.

It's Smalltalk not Smally, thank you. What you seem to have missed is that many other employees support the sentiments expressed.

 

[Abazigal]

Please, in extreme detail, break down the job requirements of these positions and explain why they are not irreplaceable? You’ve clearly done exhaustive research on these employees, their education, and their skill sets.

The argument goes both ways. We have no idea who the people writing the letter are, much less what roles they hold in Apple. Yet so many people are making them sound like they are all Scott Forstalls and the departure of even one of them would lead to Apple not being able to function at all.

My theory is that because Apple is a company which relies on close collaboration between the various departments to create much of their products, these people are possibly not involved with product design, if they claim to be able to still perform their job just as well without actually being on site.

I won’t go so far as to say that their roles are not important, but they likely could be replaced and it would have fairly minimal impact on Apple’s daily operations.

We will also need more information on their reasons for preferring to WFH. For example, if one of them had previously been living closer to Apple headquarters, then proceed to move to another location or state after shifting to a WFH paradigm, this would mean that their reasons are more self-serving than they are letting on (eg: they are now living too far away to commute). They chose to relocate, and their problems should not become Apple’s problems.

I am willing to go out on a limb and wager that WFH will not be the dramatic revolution in the way the corporate world does business that everyone is making it out to be. It’s an emergency bandaid designed to combat the pandemic, nothing more. You lose out on a great deal of face-to-face employee communication, which I maintain is virtual for creative endeavours, and which is difficult to impossible to recreate in an online setting.

As vaccination rates improve, we will see increasing momentum for removing WFH, and for companies not built to succeed with a decentralised employee structure (like Apple), the faster we can get employees back at the workplace, the better.

This isn’t a slight against Apple. It is what it is, and as the employer, Apple ultimately has the right to decide how it wants its employees to work so long as it does not place them in physical harm (eg: working at a construction site without safety gear on). The rest are really personal issues.

 

[9927036]

30% of basecamp’s workforce quit in response to the founders’ new policy on not discussing politics at work. Today, they have found replacements for those positions and are doing better than ever.

Either way, the first people I would let go at a company are those who are a threat to corporate culture, no matter how good they are (eg: Scott Forstall). It will also send a strong message that no one is truly indispensable, and not to overestimate their worth.

Apple will survive their departure.

I agree. All employees should be interrogated and if they are deemed to be a threat to the corporate culture, they should be terminated immediately.

 

[Tech198]

What a bunch of BS. Get back to work or step aside. There are plenty of other people willing to work for a paycheck. What a world we live in today. 🤪

Apple btw breeds this insanity with some of their messaging trying to be woke.

We can only say this because unlike other businesses, Apple keeps going through a COVID crisis.

Apple stores may have and closed and reopened, but Apple is still making iPhones. We should be thankfuul they don't close down at all like other businesses have. Apple is only pushing this, becuse they are the ones that have stayed afloat.

 

[9927036]

Some of the entitlement displayed in these threads is astounding. If I worked for a company that:
1. Supported me through the pandemic
2. Gave some form of extra remuneration to help me through it
3. Didn’t fire me
4. Gave me a raise/bonus as if nothing has happened
5. I’m basically whole in June 2021 while plenty of people had terrible circumstances…

I would be like: “what do you want me to do?” Not making the employer out to be the bad guy.

Do you think companies did this because they are charities? No, they did this out of self interest.