Apple Employees Reportedly Petitioning Against Plan to Return to Office 3x Per Week

Apple employees are reportedly petitioning against the company's plan to require workers to return to in-person work at the office three days a week starting next month.

apple park at night 1
Earlier this month, Apple informed corporate employees that they must return to the office for three days a week starting early next month. The current plan will require staff to come to the office on Tuesday, Thursday, and a third day of the week that will vary by team.

According to a new report from the Financial Times, a growing number of employees at Apple are reportedly unhappy with the new plan, instead advocating for "location flexible work." The report cites a petition formed by the group "Apple Together" that's making its way around Apple and gaining signatures. Apple has been eager to get employees back to in-person work for some time. Apple's CEO, Tim Cook, has defended Apple's eagerness to return to the office to protect the "in-person collaboration that is so essential to our culture."

Apple Together counters that a "uniform mandate from senior leadership" fails to respect the "many compelling reasons" why some employees are "happier and more productive" working outside of traditional office arrangements.

The group is demanding that Apple allows employees to work with their "immediate manager" to decide their working arrangements, and that they should not be subject to "high-level approvals" and "complex procedures" or have to provide private information.

The petition says that Apple "should encourage, not prohibit, flexible work" where employees can "feel comfortable to 'think different' together." Apple's current plan to have employees working in-person at the office three days a week starts on September 5.

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Top Rated Comments

stocklen Avatar
29 months ago
I know this seems weirdly controversial now - and ive no idea why...

But this strikes me as utterly entitled and ridiculous behaviour.

Firstly..... 3 times a week? is that all?? more than generous of apple.
Secondly.... like it or not there are some roles where collaboration is needed, and not in zoom meetings and the like - theres no substitute to face to face interaction. I wonder out loud how much better iOS 15 could have been and iOS16 too.... (though I accept that might just be nonsense)

Thirdly, and HERES THE MAIN ONE...... Each and every employee went to a job interview..... and accepted the job based on where they lived, the commute, the office they were working in... etc etc. Just because its nicer and cheaper not to commute does not mean they now have the right to demand a change in their working conditions... THEY took the job on knowing full well what it entailed..... Covid was a temporary and unprecedented problem and its time to get back to normal like it or not.

The easy answer is if you dont like you job or working conditions (and only 3 days a week in the office which is much better than you had when you took the job on) then simply resign. Stop wasting time and energy with petitions etc - your employer is well within their rights to mandate working arrangements like this and if your office job requires you to be in the office then get in there or move aside and give one of the many thousands out there who would love your job the opportunity to do it and work from that amazing Apple Park location (id love to work there!).
Score: 97 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Sun Baked Avatar
29 months ago
OMG, the trauma of being forced to go back into work and possibly losing their full time side gig.
Score: 44 Votes (Like | Disagree)
TheYayAreaLiving ?️ Avatar
29 months ago
Honestly, I'm all up for coming back to work 3x per week. This is a fair deal.
Score: 42 Votes (Like | Disagree)
aloshka Avatar
29 months ago

To be fair though, who wouldn’t? I mean the place is virtually a mini city - has countless shops, leisure centres, it’s own forest and parks, there’s more places to sit with a drink than a Parisian backstreet.
If i lived close by, I'd go 7 times a week. Problem is, when it's an hour and a half drive, working from home is a better option. Or provide housing to avoid the commute. With gas prices, it's actually very expensive to work on-site.
Score: 39 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Le0M Avatar
29 months ago
Three days at work, four days at home.
I think that's a pretty good deal already.
Score: 37 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Mr. Dee Avatar
29 months ago
My conclusion at this point, if they are getting the work done at home, why ruin a good thing. The only folks who need to be on campus are those working on Stage Manager, they personally need to be supervised by a stage manager.
Score: 33 Votes (Like | Disagree)