Apple Requiring Employees to Return to Office 3x Per Week Starting on September 5

Apple today informed corporate employees that they must return to the office for three days starting the week of Monday, September 5, reports Bloomberg. Apple will require employees work in-person on Tuesday, Thursday, and a third day that will vary by team as part of a hybrid return-to-work plan.

apple park sunset
Apple initially planned to require employees to return to the office three days a week in May, but that timeline was delayed due to a spike in COVID-19 cases. For the last several months, Apple employees have been working in the office for two days per week, but the company is now implementing its full return schedule.

Employees were initially going to be required to work on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday, but Bloomberg says Apple has changed the plan. All employees will need to be in-office on Tuesday and Thursday, but the third day will be set by team leaders and will vary from team to team. On other days, most employees will be able to work from home. It's worth noting that Monday, September 5 is a holiday, so employees will need to work Tuesday, Thursday, and one other day that week.

Many tech companies implemented permanent work from home policies for employees due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but Apple did not. Throughout the global crisis, Apple has made it clear that employees would need to return to in-person work and collaboration.

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

Note: Due to the political or social nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Political News forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.

Popular Stories

iOS 26

15 New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 26.2

Friday December 5, 2025 9:40 am PST by
Apple is about to release iOS 26.2, the second major point update for iPhones since iOS 26 was rolled out in September, and there are at least 15 notable changes and improvements worth checking out. We've rounded them up below. Apple is expected to roll out iOS 26.2 to compatible devices sometime between December 8 and December 16. When the update drops, you can check Apple's servers for the ...
ios 18 to ios 26 upgrade

Apple Pushes iPhone Users Still on iOS 18 to Upgrade to iOS 26

Tuesday December 2, 2025 11:09 am PST by
Apple is encouraging iPhone users who are still running iOS 18 to upgrade to iOS 26 by making the iOS 26 software upgrade option more prominent. Since iOS 26 launched in September, it has been displayed as an optional upgrade at the bottom of the Software Update interface in the Settings app. iOS 18 has been the default operating system option, and users running iOS 18 have seen iOS 18...
iOS 26

Apple Seeds iOS 26.2 and iPadOS 26.2 Release Candidates to Developers and Public Beta Testers

Wednesday December 3, 2025 10:33 am PST by
Apple today seeded the release candidate versions of upcoming iOS 26.2 and iPadOS 26.2 updates to developers and public beta testers, with the software coming two weeks after Apple seeded the third betas. The release candidates represent the final versions of iOS 26.2 and iPadOS 26.2 that will be provided to the public if no further bugs are found during this final week of testing....
Photos App Icon Liquid Glass

John Gruber Shares Scathing Commentary About Apple's Departing Software Design Chief

Thursday December 4, 2025 9:30 am PST by
In a statement shared with Bloomberg on Wednesday, Apple confirmed that its software design chief Alan Dye will be leaving. Apple said Dye will be succeeded by Stephen Lemay, who has been a software designer at the company since 1999. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced that Dye will lead a new creative studio within the company's AR/VR division Reality Labs. On his blog Daring Fireball,...
iOS 26

When Will Apple Release iOS 26.2?

Monday December 1, 2025 4:37 pm PST by
We're getting closer to the launch of the final major iOS update of the year, with Apple set to release iOS 26.2 in December. We've had three betas so far and are expecting a fourth beta or a release candidate this week, so a launch could follow as soon as next week. Past Launch Dates Apple's past iOS x.2 updates from the last few years have all happened right around the middle of the...
Intel Inside iPhone Feature

Apple's Return to Intel Rumored to Extend to iPhone

Friday December 5, 2025 10:08 am PST by
Intel is expected to begin supplying some Mac and iPad chips in a few years, and the latest rumor claims the partnership might extend to the iPhone. In a research note with investment firm GF Securities this week, obtained by MacRumors, analyst Jeff Pu said he and his colleagues "now expect" Intel to reach a supply deal with Apple for at least some non-pro iPhone chips starting in 2028....
maxresdefault

iPhone Fold: Launch, Pricing, and What to Expect From Apple's Foldable

Monday December 1, 2025 3:00 am PST by
Apple is expected to launch a new foldable iPhone next year, based on multiple rumors and credible sources. The long-awaited device has been rumored for years now, but signs increasingly suggest that 2026 could indeed be the year that Apple releases its first foldable device. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Below, we've collated an updated set of key details that ...
ive and altman

Jony Ive's OpenAI Device Barred From Using 'io' Name

Friday December 5, 2025 6:22 am PST by
A U.S. appeals court has upheld a temporary restraining order that prevents OpenAI and Jony Ive's new hardware venture from using the name "io" for products similar to those planned by AI audio startup iyO, Bloomberg Law reports. iyO sued OpenAI earlier this year after the latter announced its partnership with Ive's new firm, arguing that OpenAI's planned "io" branding was too close to its...
iphone air camera

iPhone Air's Resale Value Has Dropped Dramatically, Data Shows

Thursday December 4, 2025 5:27 am PST by
The iPhone Air has recorded the steepest early resale value drop of any iPhone model in years, with new data showing that several configurations have lost almost 50% of their value within ten weeks of launch. According to a ten-week analysis published by SellCell, Apple's latest lineup is showing a pronounced split in resale performance between the iPhone 17 models and the iPhone Air....
iPhone 17 Pro Cosmic Orange

iPhone 17 Pro Lost a Camera Feature Pro Models Have Had Since 2020

Thursday December 4, 2025 5:18 am PST by
iPhone 17 Pro models, it turns out, can't take photos in Night mode when Portrait mode is selected in the Camera app – a capability that's been available on Apple's Pro devices since the iPhone 12 Pro in 2020. If you're an iPhone 17 Pro or iPhone 17 Pro Max owner, try it for yourself: Open the Camera app with Photo selected in the carousel, then cover the rear lenses with your hand to...

Top Rated Comments

iObama Avatar
43 months ago
I don't understand why people on this forum are so against people wanting to work from home. Okay, so you wouldn't do it, but why make fun of others wanting to do it and why belittle it?

I legitimately did the best work of my life during WFH. I miss it.

I think most of those that don't either a) are people who enjoy going into the office for the social aspect or b) are managers who are resistant to change.
Score: 59 Votes (Like | Disagree)
spazzcat Avatar
43 months ago

I found more productivity and collaboration working in the office even though WFH is quite comfortable. I guess those who advocate against WFH work simple jobs and would rather work 2-3 hours at home and spend the rest chilling. Those with more demanding jobs require close collaboration with teammates to maximize efficiency and productivity.
The team I work on consists of people that live in Illinois, Ohio, Tennessee, Alabama, Michigan, Canada, and Ecuador... We have a huge workload, and somehow we are massively productive without ever going into an office.
Score: 48 Votes (Like | Disagree)
rwilliams Avatar
43 months ago

Get these cry babies back to work. Enough of this work from home. 3 days is more than generous. They went to the office before COVID they can do it again. If they don’t like it they can quit.
The problem is, the pandemic illustrated how much time and money people saved by not commuting every day. That’s extremely hard to give up. So yeah, there will probably be people who choose to leave instead of doing this.
Score: 46 Votes (Like | Disagree)
levitynyc Avatar
43 months ago
Forcing people back to the office is a much cheaper and slimier way to announce layoffs.
Score: 37 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Spike1999 Avatar
43 months ago

Sounds fair. Two days to be lazy and not have to drive into the office? I could do the same set up at my job, but I choose to drive in daily because I've found that working from home taints my home space with work vibes, and I don't want to think about the job while home.
its fair enough WFH doesn’t work for everyone and flexibility is a good thing, but please don’t assume not being in the office is being lazy, not driving in is a godsend considering the fuel prices or the train services being on strikes lately.
Score: 36 Votes (Like | Disagree)
GizmoDVD Avatar
43 months ago
Just gonna grab some popcorn so I can read how amazing people who WFM are and how productive they are and they never do anything but work
Score: 35 Votes (Like | Disagree)