Apple 'Tracking Employee Attendance' in Crackdown on Remote Working

[PinkyMacGodess]

They thought of that.

"The Ring uses base isolation to protect against earthquakes. The isolation system consists of 692 large steel saucers located two stories underground. This system is a modified version of Japan's and will protect the campus from all but the most severe earthquakes."

I think much of their design is unique.

• Powered by 100% renewable energy
• Houses 12,000 employees
• Worlds largest panels of curved glass
• Largest naturally-ventilated building ever
• 17MW on-site solar power
• 9,000 drought-resistant trees
• 100,000-square-foot fitness center

I remember seeing Apple's old fitness center off Valley Green Drive. Nice place. I could live there...

 

[bluespark]

This is happening in many companies all over the country, and a 3-2 hybrid is vastly more worker-friendly than the (often enforced) 5-in requirement that was ubiquitous before the pandemic. Apple knows their culture and needs better than we do, but there are strong benefits to in-person collaboration that are certainly relevant here.

Given the layoffs happening elsewhere in the tech sector, this policy may also have another benefit in that some workers will self-select out. Apple no doubt understands that.

 

[fromgophonetoiphone]

I remember seeing Apple's old fitness center off Valley Green Drive. Nice place. I could live there...

And those are probably not even as nice as the ones in the spaceship! Those offices near Infinite Loop are all much older. They're probably all renovated as much as they can but also not really designed ground up to be a futuristic office.

 

[timber]

Well, at least they aren't putting AirTags on their people.

I interviewed at a large company, and I needed a badge to get into the restroom while waiting for an interview. Obviously they had the tech to monitor employee restroom usage, and that gave me the creeps. I didn't get the job, and that next Friday I was out with friends describing the freaky bizarre every door having an electric badge lock, and how they really could, and likely were monitoring loo access when someone at the bar appeared to take umbrage to my astonished comments and the jokes that were going on. I guess some people really buy into that level of surveillance. 😳

You remind me of an insurance company which I won't name but may have a logo with a lady you see in NYC.

They set up sliding glass doors in each floor so you could punch in (electronically) everyday. The thing is, every floor in the building had the stairs/elevators, then the bathrooms and finally a row of left and right offices.

Guess where did they put the sliding doors? After the bathrooms before the offices.

 

[fromgophonetoiphone]

This is happening in many companies all over the country, and a 3-2 hybrid is vastly more worker-friendly than the (often enforced) 5-in requirement that was ubiquitous before the pandemic. Apple knows their culture and needs better than we do, but there are strong benefits to in-person collaboration that are certainly relevant here.

Given the layoffs happening elsewhere in the tech sector, this policy may also have another benefit in that some workers will self-select out. Apple no doubt understands that.

I'm not a strong remote or in person advocate, but I do feel the people who struggle with remote work are either bad at using tools or have teams that are really bad at using tools.

For instance, I get a LOT of brainstorming happens at people's desks or watercooler chats. This happens in every company I've worked at. I've seen some remote companies do a real good job at using Teams/Slack to facilitate those discussions.

Apple from what I know is notorious for using iMessage to get work done. We had that at another company I worked at too where a lot of 1:1 chats was actually degrading collaboration. If you think about it, the open office, chatting by people's desks is actually more similar to using a Slack channel to communicate. If you can master that (it takes a bit of a mindset change in using collaboration tools), then you can get a lot of similar ideas flowing. It's very easy for people to go remote and work in a silo-ed format, which is probably what Apple is seeing and why it's requiring people to come back.

Many companies have been able to successfully go fully remote, but I see them as generally more young, homogeneous companies. For instance 200 people startups where you like 80% of your workforce is under 35 can probably manage that much easier than a company that has lifer dinosaurs who refuse to change. Personally I don't think using Slack / Teams effectively is a 100% replacement for in person discussions but you can get very close. The orgs who use it better can be a lot more productive compared to the ones that don't.I also see these collaboration tools as an equalizer. I guarantee you the people who do 5 days in person are way ahead of those who do 3 days only, and if those 2 extra days happens to involve managers and directors, you're going to be missing out on key opportunities to show off. If teams used collaboration tools better, it helps get everyone to participate. It ends up being a win IMO.

 

[Millah]

Would you say you perform your best when coerced?

Actually, yes I would. That’s typically what a normal work environment is. Employees want to maximize the ratio of compensation vs energy spent getting it, and employers want to maximize the ratio of productivity vs wages spent getting it.

Sometimes you need a little kick in the butt to get you working and staying on task. That’s the job of a manager. Even the best workers sometimes have that desire to slack off, and their boss keeps them moving towards the finish line.

That’s how jobs work for most people. Some people are lucky and genuinely love what they’re doing and working IS their hobby. Those people typically become bosses and leaders in an organization, keeping the rest of the workforce in check.

 

[maxoakland]

This is annoying. Apple has allowed their software quality to plummet and it has nothing to do with employees working from home. How do I know? The decline started a long time before the pandemic

Maybe the employees would be creating better code if they weren’t being harassed by stupid micromanagement policies like this

 

[maxoakland]

It’s not brain surgery here folks. You are more productive being at work. There are just way too many distractions at home. The only distractions at work are the occasional weekend warrior stories from a mildly annoying select few that only lasts about 5-10 minutes anyway then it’s back to your monitors.

The data shows otherwise. People are more productive when they’re at work but only when they work from home

Working from the office should include pay for the time it takes to get to the office among other expenses workers incur

 

[bodonnell202]

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.

Right? I know it doesn't work for all industries, but where I work profitability increased substantially during COVID as they were able to cut their office costs substantially (they were able to cut the amount of leased office space by half and reduce facilities management costs), without an impact on productivity.

 

[avz]

Let's hope this is not just a part of the "slow boiling process" in order to get people to accept their implanted chips which will also conveniently have CBDC info.

 

[maxoakland]

Recent studies in Australia and the UK show that 4 days a week (32 hours) is more productive and better value. Even paying the full 40-hour pay. And that's generally for people going into the office, not skiving off at home!

So I guess these companies that care so much about productivity like Apple will implement that right away. Because that’s the reason they’re giving for not allowing work from home

Otherwise it shows that they’re either afraid of change, obsessed with controlling their employees, or both

 

[Coleman2010]

If it wasn't for remote access, I couldn't bill two clients at once. I joke, slightly. Plus weekends, and evenings (back when people ran second and third shifts) I could often fix things without going to their site. It's a niche example, but I could do all kinds of things from almost literally anywhere on the planet! Reboot servers, install updates, reset passwords, etc... Remote access is a godsend. Remote meetings and actually remote tech support is time saving and a blessing (if I'm there to supervise. One vendor had someone remote in to one of our clients servers and they broke the software. It was done on a weekend too, with no advanced notice. Suspicious for sure, and I believe the tech was eventually fired. It took a few hours to get them back up and running. Double edge sword)

But 'remote working' is phenomenal. I could have worked from home decades ago when I was a programmer. Instead I had to wear a suit and tie (never saw clients, which got easier over the years, but good grief). I was a cubicle 'gopher' mushroom. That work could have been done anywhere, and was by some lucky few. *sigh*

I have a friend who has been working 2 full time fully remote positions at the same time for the last 2 years. He is making bank!

 

[bodonnell202]

It’s not brain surgery here folks. You are more productive being at work. There are just way too many distractions at home. The only distractions at work are the occasional weekend warrior stories from a mildly annoying select few that only lasts about 5-10 minutes anyway then it’s back to your monitors.

Honestly, I find the opposite is true. I'm highly productive at home and also end up putting in more time as I don't have 2 hours of commuting to deal with. The office is a distraction laden environment where people go to socialize... I generally get very little done at the office during my 1 day a week attendance for in person meetings and then have to work longer the next day when I'm doing actual work at home. That's just me though.

 

[VuvuzelaiPhone]

Show up for work = butts in seats. Good metric. Much success.

 

[Krizoitz]

Would you say you perform your best when coerced?

You need to look up what coerced means. Having to actual go to the job you are being paid to do is not coercion.

 

[StudioMacs]

The data shows otherwise. People are more productive when they’re at work but only when they work from home

Working from the office should include pay for the time it takes to get to the office among other expenses workers incur

Where is the data specifically showing working at Apple Park, designed to foster collaboration, is less productive than having employees and teams physically segregated from each other at home?

 

[SSDGUY]

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.

Yup, or their job position eliminated all together.

 

[I7guy]

This https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...starting-on-september-5.2354825/post-31339863 thread didn’t age well.

 

[wanha]

You need to look up what coerced means. Having to actual go to the job you are being paid to do is not coercion.

Hey brother, I'm not talking legalese here, I'm talking psychology.

When a human being is coerced, something valuable is lost. Like I said in my original post, I am not saying Apple is wrong to do what they do or that it doesn't make sense.

I am simply pointing out that there's a price to be paid that many may not be aware of.

 

[SSDGUY]

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.

I'm guessing they've already weighed this scenario, and are finding that too much WFH is affecting collaboration, productivity, outcomes, etc.?

 

[VuvuzelaiPhone]

I'm guessing they've already weighed this scenario, and are finding that too much WFH is affecting collaboration, productivity, outcomes, etc.?

That is between Apple and the employees. They should be able to discuss and hash it out.

Ultimately, Apple can do what they want. They'll have to live with whatever consequences.

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.

Sure, but these people are pretty employable. I'd take the severance and find something else if I was committed to remote work.

Really?!?! Having to do things you don’t want is “problematic” now? Adult life is full of things you don’t want to do. If that’s “problematic” then I have no hope for humanity.

How does the boot taste? Do you use condiments to make it go down easier?

 

[wanha]

Really?!?! Having to do things you don’t want is “problematic” now? Adult life is full of things you don’t want to do. If that’s “problematic” then I have no hope for humanity.

It comes down to expectations that new generations have for life.

Whether we want to admit or not, we are living in a time where many people are looking for ways of living where they don’t live this fragmented, abstract, work-life imbalance that is completely cut off from all the rest of their truly human associations.

And so we are facing a very big revolution in which our young people want to return to a more natural way of being.

 

[mxrider88]

Oh that’s what AirTags are for!

 

[Graham Caracas]

If you don't show up, you lose the job. There are plenty of others waiting in line. If you don't need to show up, your job is frivolous and will be absorbed elsewhere. There is a community factor here. Personal interaction is important in team environments.

 

[martint235]

So my employer decided hybrid working consisted of 2 days working in an office. The problem is though that office could belong to a supplier or a customer so tracking via badges doesn’t work. Managers have generally taken a “don’t care so long as results remain good” attitude. I know some of my team don’t go in twice a week

Me, I changed my contract to permanent home working. Everyone in the UK has a legal right to apply for flexible working and it’s up to the employer to evidence why it won’t work eg if you’re an airline pilot.