Apple’s 3-day Work from Office policy upsets section of ‘employees’: Report

The decision of Apple Inc. to call its employees to office at least three days a week has triggered protests where some sections of Apple employees have started a petition in demand of a more flexible working environment, The Wall Street Journal reported.

The petitioner group, Apple Together, claims to be a global solidarity union of Apple workers. They have launched the petition, being vexed by Apple's decision of mandating a general return to office starting the week of Sept 5. The petition has about 850 signatories till the time of publication, although it is unclear how many of them are actual Apple employees, as the petition page does not apply any such checks.

The petition says that the Apple leadership is ignorant of the unique demands of each job role and the diversity of individuals. “Those asking for more flexible arrangements have many compelling reasons and circumstances: from disabilities (visible or not); family care; safety, health, and environmental concerns; financial considerations; to just plain being happier and more productive,” the petition reads.

Their demands include that the leadership pull back the uniform mandate and let the immediate managers figure out the working arrangements they want for the employees working under them. They also demand that work from home (WFH) arrangements should not involve higher-level approvals or complex procedures. The WFH arrangements must not infringe their privacy by asking for private information.

The petitioners argue that the office-bound work is a technology from the last century. They say that now with the advancement in technology, the future is about connecting when it makes sense, with people who have relevant input, no matter where they are based. “For the past 2+ years, Apple’s formerly office-based employees have performed exceptional work, flexibly, both outside and inside traditional office environments,” the petition reads.

The last month data of the Cupertino-based tech giant's quarterly results indicate the company performing effectively. Although the profits had fallen down by 11% because of high inflation and other economic pressures, the company is better placed than its tech counterparts. Even the sales of the iPhone have grown in the last month.

Prior to this announcement, Apple workers had been working from home since 2020, when the COVID-19 first began to spread. Although the company made several efforts over these couple of years to have employees back in place, it got delayed by the subsequent waves of the pandemic.