Apple 'Tracking Employee Attendance' in Crackdown on Remote Working

[MacRumors]

Apple is tracking the attendance of its employees at offices using badge records in order to ensure they are coming in at least three times a week, according to Platformer's Zoë Schiffer.

Since April 2022, Apple employees have been operating on a hybrid home/office work policy as part of a gradual return strategy following the pandemic, with staff required to work from the office at least three days per week.

Employees are required to be in the office on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays, with most able to work remotely on Wednesdays and Fridays. However, it appears that Apple is doubling down on this strategy as it looks for ways across the company to cut costs.

In a post on Twitter, Schiffer said that Apple is now actively tracking in-person attendance using badge records and will give employees "escalating warnings" if they don't come in the required three times per week.

According to Schiffer, some Apple offices have even warned staff that failure to comply could result in job termination, although that "doesn't appear to be a company-wide policy."

The development follows a recent report by Bloomberg's Mark Gurman in which he outlined several cost-cutting measures being newly enacted by Apple, including managers becoming "as strict as ever" about office attendance, with some staff believing it to be a harbinger of Apple firing employees who don't meet the requirement.

In this regard, Gurman has also reported an overlap in retail stores, with Apple taking a closer look at work attendance and hours, and the company ditching its "special sick time" for time missed due to Covid, asking staff to use their normal sick time instead.

According to the report, Apple isn't always filling positions when employees leave, suggesting the crackdown on staff who do not fulfill the in-person work requirements is at least in part one aspect of its wider strategy to cut costs while avoiding the sort of mass layoffs that have recently befallen other tech giants, including Meta, Microsoft, Google, and Amazon.

Article Link: Apple 'Tracking Employee Attendance' in Crackdown on Remote Working

 

[neuropsychguy]

That’s fair to do if it is a job requirement to be in the office 3 days a week. I’m not sure what’s controversial about tracking badge swipes.

 

[ericwn]

Certainly not the only company that checks if employees show up for work. But sure, we’ll see some wonderful triggered comments on wfh from our armchair coaches in a few moments.

 

[jonnysods]

With job cuts in the tech industry, I wonder how this will affect the ones that are resisting coming back in. I would say it may not bode well if their job is easily replaceable.

 

[wanha]

Not saying Apple is wrong to do this (after all, their corporate culture relies largely on in-person collaboration), but it's always problematic to force people into something they don't want to do. It creates resistance and resentment that corrode culture from within.

I do wonder if paying a bonus for employees who show up at the office would have had a more desirable effect on overall morale...

 

[Krizoitz]

Not saying Apple is wrong to do this (after all, their corporate culture relies largely on in-person collaboration), but it's always problematic to force people into something they don't want to do. It creates resistance and resentment that corrode culture from within.

I do wonder if paying a bonus for employees who show up at the office would have had a more desirable effect on overall morale...

I mean very few people WANT to work. We do it because we need to in order to make money. Seems pretty reasonable for a company to require it’s employees to you know show up. This was the norm pre pandemic across industries. Apple isn’t doing anything outside the ordinary here don’t see why it’s news.

 

[nwcs]

Not saying Apple is wrong to do this (after all, their corporate culture relies largely on in-person collaboration), but it's always problematic to force people into something they don't want to do. It creates resistance and resentment that corrode culture from within.

I do wonder if paying a bonus for employees who show up at the office would have had a more desirable effect on overall morale...

That would be a bad precedent. You shouldn't need to bribe employees to do the job they already agreed to do for the compensation they are getting. I agree it's problematic to force people to do something they aren't wanting to do however the fix is simple: find another job which has the terms you're looking for. I suspect there are other out of work people who would jump at the chance to take their place under the existing terms.

 

[chenks]

if apple are interested in cost cutting where possible then they should encourage more work from home as it'll be cheaper in the long run for them. the facilities management costs would be lower the more people don't need a physical office.

 

[sinoka56]

if apple are interested in cost cutting where possible then they should encourage more work from home as it'll be cheaper in the long run for them. the facilities management costs would be lower the more people don't need a physical office.

Unless they have an agreement with the city to make sure % works in person in the spaceship to get tax cuts.

As usual, (tax) money trumps environment savings of WFH because the rich don't want their real estate to lose value.

 

[MVMNT]

Any else have to double take "Apple" and "cost cutting" in the same report?

 

[chenks]

Unless they have an agreement with the city to make sure % works in person in the spaceship to get tax cuts.

that's a business issue though, not an employee issue.

 

[wanha]

I mean very few people WANT to work. We do it because we need to in order to make money. Seems pretty reasonable for a company to require it’s employees to you know show up. This was the norm pre pandemic across industries. Apple isn’t doing anything outside the ordinary here don’t see why it’s news.

Would you say you perform your best when coerced?

 

[sw1tcher]

Having to be in-office 3 days a week isn't asking much. It's not as if the company is asking employees to be in the office at least 40 hours/5 days a week or that they need to be working “extremely hardcore” while logging “long hours at high intensity.”

 

[chenks]

would be interested to see productivity stats for when someone is in the office or at home.
i can tell you that i'm way more productive since i've been working from home since March 2020.
less distractions, can focus more, no travel time etc etc.

the reasons why some companies and governments want people back in the office is solely to support the surrounding businesses that benefit from having people in that location - local shops/coffee houses, public transport etc etc

 

[I7guy]

The pendulum has swung the other way. But companies didn’t want to come down hard. It was a tough period for all.

Face to face meetings are more productive than zoom.

 

[wanha]

That would be a bad precedent. You shouldn't need to bribe employees to do the job they already agreed to do for the compensation they are getting. I agree it's problematic to force people to do something they aren't wanting to do however the fix is simple: find another job which has the terms you're looking for. I suspect there are other out of work people who would jump at the chance to take their place under the existing terms.

I get the philosophy you state and it's probably how Apple views it too, but times they are a-changin - after COVID, remote work is seen as normal and in some cases, even as a right.

As is often the case, when there is coercion and discontentment, the people with the best job options are likely to leave (usually your best employees).

Those with less options (usually not your best employees) will reluctantly stay.

The net effect is that you replace your best employees with average or good employees, while continuing to fester a growing sense of resentment toward the employer.

 

[BellSystem]

if apple are interested in cost cutting where possible then they should encourage more work from home as it'll be cheaper in the long run for them. the facilities management costs would be lower the more people don't need a physical office.

Facility costs wouldn’t be impacted at the scale of their footprint. They would have to drop full buildings. Even if you saved a few hours on maintenance people, you’re likely to pay more on repairs because nobody is paying attention to small problems until they are big problems. An example is a small roof leak in an abandoned office that isn’t seen until it’s a much bigger issue. Bottom line it’s a waste to pay for square footage that goes unused and if Apple wants its people at the office, they need to go or find new work. Apple can do whatever it wants to do and doesn’t need to answer to employees that can be easily replaced at this point. If Apple thought productivity was better with wfh I am sure they would have continued it. But the reality is not everyone is productive at home and Apple wants its people working to the bone. That’s what these people signed up for. They are free to find wfh jobs elsewhere…they would probably be better off…Apple sucks to work for.

 

[sw1tcher]

would be interested to see productivity stats for when someone is in the office or at home.
i can tell you that i'm way more productive since i've been working from home since March 2020.
less distractions, can focus more, no travel time etc etc.

Apple's productivity stats = how buggy their software is.

iOS 16 has been pretty darn buggy if you ask me.

Rumor: iOS 16 public beta 1 expected later than usual - 9to5Mac

A new report from Mark Gurman claims that iOS 16 public beta 1 will come later than usual due to "buggy" software.

9to5mac.com

iPhone Owners Report More Serious iOS 16 Problems

Apple iOS 16.1 is causing serious WiFi problems...

www.forbes.com

Some iOS 16 Users Continue to Face Unaddressed Bugs and Battery Drain Two Weeks After Launch

Today marks exactly two weeks since Apple released iOS 16 to the public. Besides the personalized Lock Screen, major changes in Messages, and new...

www.macrumors.com

Some iOS 16 Users Continue to Report Plethora of Bugs Months After Launch

Four months after launch, iOS 16 users continue to report experiencing a plethora of bugs, ranging from slow keyboard pop-ups, random rebooting, UI...

www.macrumors.com

Glacially slow iOS 16 adoption shows Apple has a trust problem

Most iPhone users have finally gotten on the iOS 16 bandwagon, according to a tracking company. Adoption passed 70% last week, almost four months after it

www.cultofmac.com

 

[contacos]

The whole „sick time“ is so wild to me like if I am sick I am sick 🤷🏽‍♂️

 

[randian]

Face to face meetings are more productive than zoom.

Are they? That depends on what the meeting is for, as meetings are a big drain on productivity, and are best avoided entirely. This rule by Apple smacks of corporate executives thinking that what works for their job is best for everybody. The decision as to remote or not should have been left to team managers.

 

[wxnats]

Not saying Apple is wrong to do this (after all, their corporate culture relies largely on in-person collaboration), but it's always problematic to force people into something they don't want to do. It creates resistance and resentment that corrode culture from within.

I do wonder if paying a bonus for employees who show up at the office would have had a more desirable effect on overall morale...

It is not unreasonable for a company to expect people to show up in an office three days a week. If the employee doesn’t want an in person job, they should find one that says 100% virtual in their offer letter.

Employees shouldn’t want all of these tech companies to be 100% virtual. Their jobs would be shipped outside the US.

 

[Abazigal]

The pendulum has swung the other way. But companies didn’t want to come down hard. It was a tough period for all.

Face to face meetings are more productive than zoom.

Frankly, I will say both are a waste of time. The main advantage with zoom is that I can be doing something else offscreen like marking my books or playing slay the spire on my iPad.

 

[newyorksole]

easy. go to the office, swipe your badge and then leave after lunch to work from home.

and if they aren’t looking at the time you came in— work from home in the morning and go in at lunch.

companies (mine included) were extremely productive and successful WFH during the pandemic.

I do understand the desire to have people go in though.

 

[cmcbhi]

"with some staff believing it to be a harbinger of Apple firing employees who don't meet the requirement."
Well, if ya don't come to work, ya might expect to be fired.

 

[Abazigal]

would be interested to see productivity stats for when someone is in the office or at home.
i can tell you that i'm way more productive since i've been working from home since March 2020.
less distractions, can focus more, no travel time etc etc.

the reasons why some companies and governments want people back in the office is solely to support the surrounding businesses that benefit from having people in that location - local shops/coffee houses, public transport etc etc

Well, people here have been complaining about how buggy Apple software has been of late. You know, the period when Apple employees have been working away from campus…