Apple is bringing its employees back to the office starting in September

Apple Park photo of the side of the main building (Image credit: Apple)

What you need to know

Apple employees have been asked to return to the office for at least three days a week starting in September.
Employees can request to work two days a week from home.
Some employees may be asked to work four to five days a week in the office.

After more than a year working remote, Apple is finally starting to talk about coming back to the office.

As reported by The Verge, Tim Cook has sent an email to employees asking them to return to the office for at least three days a week starting in September. In addition to adopting a hybrid schedule, employees will also be able to work completely remote for up to two weeks every year.

"For all that we've been able to achieve while many of us have been separated, the truth is that there has been something essential missing from this past year: each other," he said. "Video conference calling has narrowed the distance between us, to be sure, but there are things it simply cannot replicate."Cook said that most employees will be asked to come in to the office on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays, with the option of working remotely on Wednesdays and Fridays. Teams that need to work in-person will return four to five days a week.Employees also have the chance to work remotely for up to two weeks a year, "to be closer to family and loved ones, find a change of scenery, manage unexpected travel, or a different reason all your own," according to the letter. Managers need to approve remote work requests.

Tim Cook has been a vocal proponent of coming back to the office once it was once again safe. Speaking of which, Cook also encouraged employees to get vaccinated.

In the letter Wednesday, Cook also encouraged all employees to get vaccinated."For now, let me simply say that I look forward to seeing your faces," he said in closing. "I know I'm not alone in missing the hum of activity, the energy, creativity and collaboration of our in-person meetings and the sense of community we've all built."

Apple has not yet responded to The Verge's request for comment about the change.

Joe Wituschek is a Contributor at iMore. With over ten years in the technology industry, one of them being at Apple, Joe now covers the company for the website. In addition to covering breaking news, Joe also writes editorials and reviews for a range of products. He fell in love with Apple products when he got an iPod nano for Christmas almost twenty years ago. Despite being considered a "heavy" user, he has always preferred the consumer-focused products like the MacBook Air, iPad mini, and iPhone 13 mini. He will fight to the death to keep a mini iPhone in the lineup. In his free time, Joe enjoys video games, movies, photography, running, and basically everything outdoors.