After several months of allowing employees to continue working from home amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Apple has set an April 11 deadline for employees to return to offices in the US.

Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reports that Apple hoped to summon staffers to office in February after several previous attempts. However, the plans were put on hold due to surging COVID-19 cases in the US. Now infections are declining again, and the company is eager to work from offices.

Now on @TheTerminal: Apple sets April 11 return to office deadline for U.S. corporate employees.

— Mark Gurman (@markgurman) March 4, 2022

Based on information in a memo from CEO Tim Cook, 9to5Mac reports Apple employees would have to work from the office on at least one day every week, starting April 11. Three weeks after that, the minimum will be bumped up to two days per week, and from May 23, employees will have to report to the office at least thrice every week on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays.

Apple reportedly plans to use a hybrid work plan initially, named “pilot” by Cook. Most employees would be required to report to offices on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays. Working remotely on Wednesdays and Fridays will also be optional, so in theory, employees could report to the workplace every day of the week if they chose to. That said, several divisions of the Cupertino-based company have been working from office premises every now and then, even during the pandemic. In his memo, Cook cited several benefits of working from offices, such as in-personal collaboration and more engagement with colleagues.

“For many of you, I know that returning to the office represents a long-awaited milestone and a positive sign that we can engage more fully with the colleagues who play such an important role in our lives,” Cook said. “For others, it may also be an unsettling change.”

In the coming weeks and months, we have an opportunity to combine the best of what we have learned about working remotely with the irreplaceable benefits of in-person collaboration,” Cook said in the memo. “It is as important as ever that we support each other through this transition, through the challenges we face as a team and around the world.”

In related news, Apple has also done away with the mask mandate for its corporate employees and customers in retail stores. Retail employees in some locations can also report to work without face masks. Do you think Apple will be able to ease into pre-pandemic work culture, or is the work-from-home culture here to stay? Tell us what you think in the comments section below.