What you need to know
- Apple has once again delayed plans to bring staff back to its corporate offices.
- Staff were supposed to return in September on a hybrid scheme, a move that was pushed back to October.
- Now, Apple is reportedly telling staff they won't be back until at least January.
A new report says Apple has told corporate staff they won't be coming back to the office until at least January 2022.
According to Bloomberg:
Apple Inc. is delaying its return to corporate offices from October until January at the earliest because of surging Covid-19 cases and new variants, according to a memo sent to employees on Thursday.The company told staff it would confirm the re-opening timeline one month before employees are required to return to the office. Apple had previously aimed to require all staff to return to corporate offices by early September before delaying that until October. When employees are required to return, they will be expected to work at the office at least three days a week -- Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays -- with remote work on Wednesday and Friday available.
As Gurman notes, a planned September return had already been delayed until October:
Apple has reportedly decided to delay the date that it expects its employees to be back in the office as a result of surging COVID-19 cases around the world. Apple had initially told employees that they would need to be back at their desks in September.
The company's plans to bring staff back to places like Apple Park on a hybrid model, where they work from home two days a week, has proven controversial with some staff. Apple employees have written two letters to Tim Cook asking for more flexibility with its plans, and some staff have reportedly quit the company because of the move. There has also been some internal controversy about employee proposals of pay cuts for staff who remain fully remote, and the company has reportedly been struggling to keep a handle on internal Slack channels advocating remote work, one of which reportedly has 6,000 members.
