Apple once again pushed back its timeline for requiring its employees to return to work. The tech giant told its worldwide workforce that they won’t be required to return to their respective offices until January—or even later. The decision was based upon concerns over the sudden surge of the Delta variant.
The tech company never fully enthusiastically embraced remote work—unlike its counterparts in Silicon Valley. Tim Cook, the CEO of Apple, previously told his global workforce of 137,000 employees that they’d have to return to the office beginning early September. Cook expected that employees would spend about three days a week at the office and the other two at home or remotely.
At the time, his decision did not go over well with workers. In an open letter to Cook, about 80 employees of Apple vocalized their displeasure in being told to return to work, stating, “We feel like the current policy is not sufficient in addressing many of our needs.” The letter pointed out that workers delivered “the same quality of products and services that Apple is known for, all while working almost completely remotely.”
There was concern for losing talent due to the requirement of going back to an office. “Apple’s remote/location-flexible work policy, and the communication around it, have already forced some of our colleagues to quit.” It forces people “to choose between either a combination of our families, our well-being and being empowered to do our best work, or being a part of Apple.”
Now, ironically, due to the new virus stain, Apple workers can continue working remotely. Some employees of the company may not be in the office for about two years. It’s understandable why Apple changed its plans. Corporate executives are obligated to look after the health and safety of their staff. If Cook pushed too hard to bring back workers and people contracted Covid-19, the company would be open to both potential litigation and negative publicity. It would also further ignite tensions of employees who had requested remote-work options.
Apple isn’t the only company that has delayed its return-to-the-office plans. Amazon announced that it intended to delay reopening its offices until January 3. The online-retailing juggernaut was previously prepared to have its white-collar office staff return by September 7. Beth Galetti, Amazon chief human resources officer, said the company will “closely watch conditions related to Covid-19.”
The majority of workers won’t be heartbroken by the decision. In a Seattle Times survey, around 92% of Amazon employees responded that they’d like to continue working remotely, at least some days of the week. This postponement relates to about 60,000 office personnel. The overwhelming number of Amazon’s 1.2 million-person global workforce is still expected to show up for work at Amazon warehouses and fulfillment centers.
Another Seattle-based company, Microsoft, also delayed its plans for returning to the office and said it will require workers to be vaccinated. The tech company will delay the full reopening of its offices for in-person work to October 4, after originally setting September 7 as its return date. According to a statement from the company, Microsoft will also lay out accommodations for workers with medical conditions or who have a religious reason for not being vaccinated.
Large money manager firm BlackRock, insurance company Prudential, Google, Facebook and Twitter have all moved back their plans about a month.
In a company blog post, Google and Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai laid out his revised return-to-work plans with a call for vaccinations, in light of the recent surge of the Delta variant. “Getting vaccinated is one of the most important ways to keep ourselves and our communities healthy in the months ahead,” he said in the memo, and added “we are extending our global voluntary work-from-home policy through October 18.”
Wells Fargo, one of America’s largest banks, hoped to bring its workers back to the office after the long Labor Day weekend holiday on September 6. It will now be postponed until October 4, “given rising Covid-19 case rates around the U.S.,” Wells Fargo said in a memo to staff. “This postponement applies to U.S. employees who are currently working from home, and does not affect employees currently reporting to work in-person or participating in voluntary early returns.” The bank asked its workers to “take advantage of the extra time off that Wells Fargo offers for you to get vaccinated.”
Investment banks based in New York City, such as Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley and JPMorgan, told their people to return to their offices, and may have to reconsider their plans. The Big Apple was the epicenter of Covid-19 during the early dark days of the outbreak. It doesn’t seem likely that workers will commute back to the City if there is a renewed health threat.
Regarding Apple retail stores, human resources and retail head Deirdre O’Brien said that the company doesn’t have immediate plans to shut down its stores. O’Brien encouraged the retail workers to get vaccinated. In a memo, she wrote, “I know there are feelings of frustration that the pandemic is not yet behind us. For many colleagues around the world, this period has been a time of great tragedy, suffering and heartbreak. Please know that we are all here to support one another and stand with one another during such challenging times.”
Source: Forbes
