Apple’s stringent stance against remote work is not going down well with its employees. The company wants its employees to return to the office at least three days a week starting early September. The decision has led many employees to consider quitting the company if it does not change its stance.
Apple always discouraged its employees from working from home, even before COVID-19 struck. However, it did make some exceptions to the rule, and some teams were more lenient than others. However, Apple is now denying even those exceptions, including for employees with disabilities.
— Cher Scarlett (@cherthedev) July 15, 2021
Some employees say they were told only people with documented medical conditions would be approved for permanent remote work. But the form that Apple employees use to request such an accommodation asks them to release their medical records to the company, which made some people uncomfortable.
As The Verge reports, there’s an internal Slack channel at Apple with over 6,000 employees supporting remote work. 10 people from the channel said they have resigned from Apple due to the hybrid work policy or knew who were forced to quit.
Frustrated Apple employees are now looking to get the company’s attention, either by writing another letter or by taking legal action against it.
Apple asked its employees to return to the office starting in early September. The move was met with backlash, with Apple employees wanting a hybrid work model. Apple’s SVP of retail and people, Deirdre O’Brien, however, said that “in-person collaboration is essential to our culture and our future.”
One reason behind Apple’s stringent stance on work from home is that it can lead to security lapses and leaks. The company has come down heavily on leaks in recent times, which perhaps explains why it is against the hybrid work model. However, Apple’s stance is the complete opposite of other Silicon Valley tech giants like Twitter and Facebook, who are allowing their employees to work from home permanently.
[Via The Verge]
