Apple has recently contacted some of its retail employees in the U.S. with an opportunity to work from home as a support advisor on a temporary basis due to the ongoing pandemic, according to sources familiar with the matter.
Retail employees who accept this offer will receive the necessary equipment from Apple to offer support to customers by phone or online chat, as well as a small cash incentive, one source noted. It is unclear how long this at-home role will last, how many employees have been offered this opportunity, or if it is being offered in any other countries.
Jon Prosser of the YouTube channel Front Page Tech has also relayed this news today, noting that participating employees each receive an iMac.
To help with the launch, over the next two weeks, Apple is shipping iMacs to select retail employees who are being asked to work remotely. Those employees will be trained in order to offer sales and tech support online for customers. — Jon Prosser (@jon_prosser) March 31, 2020
With thousands of Apple retail employees that are already well experienced with sales and support currently sitting at home, this move makes sense, and will help alleviate the workload of Apple's existing at-home advisors.
Update: Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has confirmed this news, noting that employees in the program are not being asked to work beyond their regular hours.
Update 2: MacRumors has learned that the at-home work program appears to be available to all Apple retail employees, not just Geniuses and Technical Specialists. Participating employees must be able to accept delivery of a 27-inch iMac delivered by courier and are required to participate in virtual training.
