Apple Sets April 11 Deadline for U.S. Employees to Return to Office

Apple has set an April 11 deadline for corporate employees in the U.S. to return to offices like Apple Park, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.

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Apple is planning for a hybrid in-office and at-home work schedule going forward. The report states that Apple employees will be required to work from the office at least one day per week by April 11, at least two days per week by May 2, and at least three days per week by May 23. Those three days would be Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays, with most employees having the option to work remotely on Wednesdays and Fridays.

"For many of you, I know that returning to the office represents a long-awaited milestone and a positive sign that we can engage more fully with the colleagues who play such an important role in our lives," said Apple CEO Tim Cook, in a memo to employees obtained by Bloomberg. "For others, it may also be an unsettling change."

Apple originally aimed for employees to return to the office in February, but the plans were delayed indefinitely due to rising COVID-19 cases. With reported cases having since declined in the U.S., Apple is once again attempting a return to in-person work.

Apple's corporate employees have largely been working from home since the start of the pandemic. Apple executives have routinely made it clear that employees would eventually need to return to the office once it is safer to do so, despite some employees objecting.

"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," Cook said in a June 2021 memo to employees. "Video conference calling has narrowed the distance between us, to be sure, but there are things it simply cannot replicate."

Apple's decision comes just a few days after Google said that its employees would need to return to offices starting April 4.

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Top Rated Comments

Nick A Avatar
34 months ago
If the same work is capable of being completed remotely there’s absolutely no reason for staff to return to in-person work 100% of the time.

A hybrid work environment is the future and any company or business who doesn’t get on board is stuck in the past.
Score: 49 Votes (Like | Disagree)
MallardDuck Avatar
34 months ago
Regardless of feelings about the pandemic, this is a mistake from a recruiting strategy. flexible work in tech is becoming a must have in order to get the best talent, especially with people not wanting to live in high cost states. They're cutting themselves off from the bulk of the potential employee pool.
Score: 35 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Jim Lahey Avatar
34 months ago
Good. Hopefully now the teams can start communicating again. There are so many poor and inconsistent design choices across their platforms it's getting beyond a joke. Why is 'Open in new tab' on Mac Safari now 'Open in background' on iPad? Just one tiny but irritating example. Of more immediate concern is the absolutely disastrous and user hostile sidebars in both versions. Maybe if people are actually banging heads together in real life then things might get done. Right now it feels like their developer teams are working on different sides of the galaxy from each other while their bosses are on the golf course in another universe.

ETA: Many thanks to @kalafalas for setting me straight on the open in new tab thing.
Score: 35 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Rudy69 Avatar
34 months ago
Pandemic or not for a lot of programmer working remotely is vastly superior. I've been working from home for 10 years and you couldn't pay me enough to go back to an office.
Score: 34 Votes (Like | Disagree)
AmazeSE Avatar
34 months ago

This is great news! I hope the date does not change again. I can't wait for Apple to hold its in-person Apple events later this year.
I kinda like the virtual events more. We get cool transitions and music and no applause every 10 mins.
Score: 20 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Kylo83 Avatar
34 months ago
Should of been ages ago
Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)