Apple Delays Work-From-Office Policy Amidst Rising COVID Cases

Apple isn’t rushing the return to work policy for its employees. Earlier, the company wanted employees to work from the office on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday. But in light of new COVID infections, the company wants to delay the work-from-office routine.

It is a sigh of relief for Apple employees who wanted indefinite work from home. Now, they can happily work from home and limit their office exposure if they want to.

Apple’s New Memo

The Verge obtained a new memo shared by Apple which highlights the current proposal for the hybrid working model at the company. Apple wants the employees to work only two days a week from the office. Employees can work from home for the rest of the three days.

Moreover, employees who have opted for the two-days pilot can go back to the work-from-home schedule if they want. Apple also added that employees need to follow all the COVID safety measures while working in the office.

They need to wear masks in all the common areas like elevators, meeting rooms, etc. The company didn’t issue any warning regarding the vaccination policy for employees. Apple said that these new rules are for a particular location only and will change to incorporate more locations.

Why did Apple delay the Work-From-Office routine?

Apple is concerned by the rise in COVID infections in the last few weeks. It continues to monitor the infection rates in the nearby locations and thus decided to delay the Work-From-Office routine.

Apple employees protested about the forced work from office routine last year when the CEO Tim Cook asked everyone to return to the office. Apple faced huge backlash over its decision after which it introduced the new hybrid working policy.

In the new work regime, employees need to work two days at the office. But the recent rise in COVID infections delayed the proposal further. Apple employees can rejoice now because the company is slowly accepting remote work culture.

However, it is nowhere close to the operating style of Facebook which offers a completely remote work plan. In other news, Apple will fight a lawsuit that claims that Apple AirPods ruptured a child’s eardrums.

What do you think of Apple’s decision to delay Work-From-Office routine? Will Apple ever offer a fully remote work profile for employees? Share your thoughts in the comments.