Apple’s Obstinance Against Remote Work

[djlythium]

I would imagine we all might’ve heard about the employee petitions within Apple to allow more flexibility for remote work, to not force employees back into the office*, even for three days / week, yeah?

Even MR has a couple of articles on the issue.

Vox Recode has a good summarization of the issue.

My suspicions about Apple’s stubbornness with remote work is two-fold:
1. They just spent Ginormous™️ amounts of money on a brand-spanking new office, so, they want to realize their investment by filling it with warm bodies.
2. It‘s easier to watch everyone, and control leaks, when everyone is centralized.

BUT let’s not forget Apple’s inclusion on the pledge to take care of employees. Remember that? I’ll bet they wish we didn’t!

So, what do you think? Should Apple allow employees to work remotely if it better suits their own life circumstances? TAKE THE POLL, and let’s discuss various stances on how we, the Consumers, APPLE’S MAJOR BENEFACTORS, many of whom are Apple’s own employees, THEIR MAJOR STAKEHOLDERS, want Apple to uphold their pledge to take care of employees!


To the Apple Spy reading this thread: Feel free to spread this around internally! You won’t be in trouble for leaking any internal dialogue because it’s already been leaked. 😄


*Seems like employee sentiment understands that retail employees have to be in-store to perform their specific job duties. These petitions are more aimed at non-retail employees.

 

[ApfelKuchen]

If you're not personally affected, why should you care?

Every large company has a wide range of job functions, and some job functions are less suitable to full-time remote work than others.

Apple spent loads of money on Apple Park, but its approx. 5,000 employee capacity is a small fraction of Apple's workforce. In Silicon Valley alone there are far more Apple workers in other office complexes than there are at Apple Park. Worldwide? Apple Park is a drop in the bucket. So no, the money spent on Apple Park isn't the issue.

Everyone who works in an Apple Store? If they'd rather work from home, they've taken the wrong job.

Altogether, this is a pointless poll. Among the huge Apple workforce, a minority are doing jobs where permanent work from home is practical. If management determines that a particular job role requires face-time (rather than FaceTime or Zoom), then face-time it will be. If some workers have the power/leverage to negotiate a better arrangement than initially offered, good for them. However, most workers, at any company, don't have that kind of leverage unless they unionize.

The pandemic has taught many individuals and companies that work-from-home is more practical than they may have once thought. But there's a difference between sending workers home during an emergency and permanently running a business on an all-remote basis. Work from home will never be a one-size-fits-all solution, but when practical it certainly has some benefits.

My thoughts? I've worked in traditional workplaces and from home. I grew up in family where the family business was in our basement). I've also run my own business from home, and I've also worked remotely for others. As nice as work-from-home can be, when I have worked from home I occasionally yearn for the face-to-face social interaction of a traditional workplace. I also resent how you can never quite leave the office behind so long as you're at home. Leaving home to get a break from the office goes against the idea of home-as-refuge. But I love the "commute," having a bathroom I can call my own, a refrigerator that doesn't get raided by co-workers... In the end, my ideal job would be hybrid - some time in the traditional workplace, some time at home. However, "ideal jobs" are rare. The jobs we have... well, in the end it's all about earning a living. To earn a living we often have to do things we don't like.