Apple 'Tracking Employee Attendance' in Crackdown on Remote Working

Apple is tracking the attendance of its employees at offices using badge records in order to ensure they are coming in at least three times a week, according to Platformer's Zoë Schiffer.

apple park at night 1
Since April 2022, Apple employees have been operating on a hybrid home/office work policy as part of a gradual return strategy following the pandemic, with staff required to work from the office at least three days per week.

Employees are required to be in the office on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays, with most able to work remotely on Wednesdays and Fridays. However, it appears that Apple is doubling down on this strategy as it looks for ways across the company to cut costs.

In a post on Twitter, Schiffer said that Apple is now actively tracking in-person attendance using badge records and will give employees "escalating warnings" if they don't come in the required three times per week.

According to Schiffer, some Apple offices have even warned staff that failure to comply could result in job termination, although that "doesn't appear to be a company-wide policy."

The development follows a recent report by Bloomberg's Mark Gurman in which he outlined several cost-cutting measures being newly enacted by Apple, including managers becoming "as strict as ever" about office attendance, with some staff believing it to be a harbinger of Apple firing employees who don't meet the requirement.

In this regard, Gurman has also reported an overlap in retail stores, with Apple taking a closer look at work attendance and hours, and the company ditching its "special sick time" for time missed due to Covid, asking staff to use their normal sick time instead.

According to the report, Apple isn't always filling positions when employees leave, suggesting the crackdown on staff who do not fulfill the in-person work requirements is at least in part one aspect of its wider strategy to cut costs while avoiding the sort of mass layoffs that have recently befallen other tech giants, including Meta, Microsoft, Google, and Amazon.

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.

Top Rated Comments

neuropsychguy Avatar
13 months ago
That’s fair to do if it is a job requirement to be in the office 3 days a week. I’m not sure what’s controversial about tracking badge swipes.
Score: 73 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ericwn Avatar
13 months ago
Certainly not the only company that checks if employees show up for work. But sure, we’ll see some wonderful triggered comments on wfh from our armchair coaches in a few moments.
Score: 60 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Krizoitz Avatar
13 months ago

Not saying Apple is wrong to do this (after all, their corporate culture relies largely on in-person collaboration), but it's always problematic to force people into something they don't want to do. It creates resistance and resentment that corrode culture from within.

I do wonder if paying a bonus for employees who show up at the office would have had a more desirable effect on overall morale...
I mean very few people WANT to work. We do it because we need to in order to make money. Seems pretty reasonable for a company to require it’s employees to you know show up. This was the norm pre pandemic across industries. Apple isn’t doing anything outside the ordinary here don’t see why it’s news.
Score: 49 Votes (Like | Disagree)
nwcs Avatar
13 months ago

Not saying Apple is wrong to do this (after all, their corporate culture relies largely on in-person collaboration), but it's always problematic to force people into something they don't want to do. It creates resistance and resentment that corrode culture from within.

I do wonder if paying a bonus for employees who show up at the office would have had a more desirable effect on overall morale...
That would be a bad precedent. You shouldn't need to bribe employees to do the job they already agreed to do for the compensation they are getting. I agree it's problematic to force people to do something they aren't wanting to do however the fix is simple: find another job which has the terms you're looking for. I suspect there are other out of work people who would jump at the chance to take their place under the existing terms.
Score: 44 Votes (Like | Disagree)
wxnats Avatar
13 months ago

Not saying Apple is wrong to do this (after all, their corporate culture relies largely on in-person collaboration), but it's always problematic to force people into something they don't want to do. It creates resistance and resentment that corrode culture from within.

I do wonder if paying a bonus for employees who show up at the office would have had a more desirable effect on overall morale...
It is not unreasonable for a company to expect people to show up in an office three days a week. If the employee doesn’t want an in person job, they should find one that says 100% virtual in their offer letter.

Employees shouldn’t want all of these tech companies to be 100% virtual. Their jobs would be shipped outside the US.
Score: 23 Votes (Like | Disagree)
wanha Avatar
13 months ago

That would be a bad precedent. You shouldn't need to bribe employees to do the job they already agreed to do for the compensation they are getting. I agree it's problematic to force people to do something they aren't wanting to do however the fix is simple: find another job which has the terms you're looking for. I suspect there are other out of work people who would jump at the chance to take their place under the existing terms.
I get the philosophy you state and it's probably how Apple views it too, but times they are a-changin - after COVID, remote work is seen as normal and in some cases, even as a right.

As is often the case, when there is coercion and discontentment, the people with the best job options are likely to leave (usually your best employees).

Those with less options (usually not your best employees) will reluctantly stay.

The net effect is that you replace your best employees with average or good employees, while continuing to fester a growing sense of resentment toward the employer.
Score: 22 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iPhone 16 Camera Lozenge 2 Perspective Gray

Five Key Upgrades Coming to iPhone 16

Friday March 15, 2024 1:45 pm PDT by
The iPhone is Apple's top-selling product, and it gets an update every year. In 2024, we're expecting the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro lineup, with an arguably more interesting feature set than we got with the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Capture Button All four iPhone 16 models are set to get a whole new button, which will be...
iphone se 4 modified flag edges

iPhone SE 4 Expected to Depreciate Heavily

Tuesday March 12, 2024 9:04 am PDT by
Resale value trends suggest the iPhone SE 4 may not hold its value as well as Apple's flagship models, according to SellCell. According to the report, Apple's iPhone SE models have historically depreciated much more rapidly than the company's more premium offerings. The third-generation iPhone SE, which launched in March 2022, experienced a significant drop in resale value, losing 42.6%...
apple wallet drivers license feature

Apple Said iPhone Driver's Licenses Would Expand to These 8 U.S. States… Two Years Ago

Thursday March 14, 2024 7:33 am PDT by
In just four U.S. states, residents can add their driver's license or ID to the Apple Wallet app on the iPhone and Apple Watch, providing a convenient and contactless way to display proof of identity or age at select airports, businesses, and venues. Adoption of the feature has been slow since Apple first announced it in September 2021, with IDs in the Wallet app only available in Arizona,...
airpods 3 orange

Two New AirPods 4 Models Expected to Launch in September or October

Sunday March 17, 2024 7:56 am PDT by
Apple suppliers will begin production of two new fourth-generation AirPods models in May, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Based on this production timeframe, he expects the headphones to be released in September or October. Gurman expects both fourth-generation AirPods models to feature a new design with better fit, improved sound quality, and an updated charging case with a USB-C...
When To Expect New iPads Feature 1

Apple to Announce New iPads on March 26, Rumors Claim

Monday March 18, 2024 4:02 am PDT by
Apple is widely expected to release new iPad Air and OLED iPad Pro models in the next few weeks. According to new rumors coming out of Asia, the company will announce its new iPads on Tuesday, March 26. Chinese leaker Instant Digital on Weibo this morning 日发布%23">claimed that the date will see some sort of announcement from Apple related to new iPads, but stopped short of calling it an...
OLED iPad Air

iPad Air Next on Apple's OLED Tablet Roadmap Following iPad Pro

Friday March 15, 2024 3:30 am PDT by
The iPad Air will be the next Apple tablet to adopt OLED display panel technology following its upcoming OLED iPad Pro models, according to an updated forecast from research firm Omdia (via The Elec). "In 2028, we expect the iPad Air to go OLED as well, with the iPad Air using single-stack and the iPad Pro using two-stack tandem OLEDs," said Omdia researcher Kang Min-soo, speaking on...
Walmart MacBook Air M1

Walmart Begins Selling MacBook Air With M1 Chip for $699 in U.S.

Friday March 15, 2024 6:57 am PDT by
Walmart today announced that it has started selling the MacBook Air with the M1 chip in the U.S., with pricing set at a very reasonable $699. The laptop can be ordered now on Walmart.com, and it will be available soon at select Walmart stores. This is the first time that customers can purchase a Mac that is sold directly by Walmart, the company said in a press release. Some other retailers...