After Covid-19 spikes repeatedly postponed its plans, Apple Inc. set a deadline of Sept. 5 for corporate staff to be in the office at least three days per week.
On Tuesdays, Thursdays, and a regular third day that will be decided by specific teams, the corporation will mandate that workers work from the office. Compared to Apple’s first strategy, which called for in-person work on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays, this is a change. On Monday, the business informed staff members of the new strategy.
Since announcing the three-day policy in June 2021, the Cupertino, California-based tech company has been striving to get its staff back in the office. However, virus outbreaks led the corporation to postpone deadlines, which left employees working just two days each week. The new rule will first go into force in Silicon Valley before being implemented in more workplaces.
Apple has also been modifying for Covid-19. A few weeks ago, the business abandoned its requirement that masks be worn in common areas of offices. At individual desks, Apple had already removed this restriction a few months prior.
In June, the business hosted a live event on-site at its headquarters to view a developers conference presentation. That was a first for Apple since 2019 and showed that things were slowly returning to normal.
Seven-day case averages and daily new Covid case counts in Santa Clara County, where many of Apple’s headquarters are located, have decreased since July but remain significantly higher than they were prior to the Omicron spikes earlier in 2022. Nevertheless, last week’s Covid-19 recommendations were loosened by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
According to Bloomberg News, the iPhone manufacturer has been one of the strictest technology corporations when it comes to forcing employees back into the office, which has irked some employees. In recent months, companies like Microsoft Corp., Amazon.com Inc., Google, and others have become increasingly accepting of remote labour.
Apple is currently quite active. In September, the business plans to hold an event to introduce the iPhone 14 and new watches. Updated Macs and iPads are also being prepared for release later this year.
