Apple has once again delayed the return of its employees to the office until January next year. The company previously wanted its employees to come to the office at least three days a week starting September, but later delayed it until October due to the rising COVID-19 cases.

With COVID cases still rising due to the Delta strain of the virus, Apple has again pushed back the return date of its employees to the office. In an internal memo, Apple’s head of human resources and retail, Deirdre O’Brien, also confirmed that Apple will inform its employees at least a month before they are required to return to the office.

Apple has not yet made it mandatory for its employees to get vaccinated, but it does strongly encourage them to do so. Apple’s retail stores will continue to remain open, with Apple ramping up the testing of its retail staff to at least three days a week for their and everyone’s safety.

Apple first announced its hybrid work model in September. The company wanted its employees to come to the office on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays. In the internal memo, Deirdre O’Brien had said that “in-person collaboration is essential to our culture and our future.”

However, Apple employees were not happy with this move as the company was not offering a remote work option contrary to other tech giants like Twitter, Microsoft, and Google. This led many Apple employees to quit the company and look for other opportunities or make their displeasure very clear.