Apple employees have expressed their thoughts about the company's tight restrictions on setting up work from domestic.
A group of employees sent a letter to company executives to express their dissatisfaction with the new office-restricting work rules, which prevent them from working remotely for more than two days each week.
Ahead of the tech giant's expected return to office work later this month, a group of Apple employees is demanding more flexibility from the company.
In an open letter, the organization, called Apple Together, claims that the company's plan for numerous employees to be in the office three days a week offers virtually no flexibility whatsoever and may be detrimental to the company's commitment to diversity.
Work guide from Apple
Apple said in March that company employees would be back in the office and that they would be required to be there at least two days a week by May 2. Starting May 23, the company will transition to a hybrid work pilot mannequin, with mandatory work days on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays moreover to regular business hours.
As Engadget reported, Apple CEO Tim Cook said the benefits of in-person collaboration are irreplaceable, and the company's leadership team discussed the value of serendipity that comes from tripping over colleagues at work while exchanging email.
However, Apple employees seem to disagree with the new policies in place, saying they are not promoting any form of flexibility for them.
The letter reads: “We are not asking that everyone be forced to work from domestic. We ask that we decide for ourselves, along with our teams and our line manager, what type of arrangement is best for each of us, whether it's an office, work from home or a hybrid approach.”
Feelings of Apple employees
Apple employees have stated that working from domestic has become easier over the past two years because of Slack. Notwithstanding, employees also expressed frustration with the company's Slack policy, which hinders direct communication between employees.
Remote work has made it easy to connect with colleagues in remote offices and from different countries. For example, an American team member could meet with a colleague from the UK in the morning and a Japanese colleague in the afternoon. This enabled new levels of international collaboration, allowing staff from 'remote' regions to participate as much as colleagues from our leading offices, and no longer feeling like second-rate participants in meetings.
In the announcement from Tim Cook, he highlighted that those employees who wish to extend time working from home will be approved on a case-by-case basis. However, many departments did not allow an exception for one last year, despite the fact that numerous employees were approved to work remotely in the years main up to the pandemic.
The letter states that "a hybrid business mannequin is not an increase in flexibility, and is often a step back in flexibility for many of our teams."
Apple employees have stated that the company will almost certainly always find people who are willing to work for them. However, it will change the nature of our workforce.
