Sam Amico
After so much time away, Apple workers are fighting the idea of returning to office life, launching a petition for the right to work from home.
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For now, San Francisco-based Apple employees are expected to go back to work in an office setting, starting in September. This was revealed in a memo from CEO Tim Cook and obtained by The Verge.
The memo said Apple employees will be expected to return to the office three days a week — Tuesdays and Thursdays, and a third day to be determined by individual teams.
Return to Office Petition
That petition was shared on social media by Apple Together, which describes itself as “a global solidarity union made up of workers from all parts of Apple organizing for a say in our workplace.”
The petition is making the rounds and alleges several issues with returning to an office setting, even on a “hybrid” basis.
“Are you an office-based Apple employee? Are you less than thrilled with the RTO mandate? Sign the petition, lets stand together,” it reads.
“For the past 2+ years, Apple’s formerly office-based employees have performed exceptional work, flexibly, both outside and inside traditional office environments. However, Apple leadership recently announced they require a general return to office starting the week of Sept 5 (Labor Day).
Apple Workers on Strike
“This uniform mandate from senior leadership does not consider the unique demands of each job role nor 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.”
It continued on, suggesting that Apple needs to adjust to the times and its employees’ needs.
“We believe that Apple should encourage, not prohibit, flexible work to build a more diverse and successful company where we can feel comfortable to ‘think different’ together,” it read.
Other big tech companies, such as Facebook and Twitter, continue to allow employees to work from home. On the other hand, Apple has always signaled that workers will eventually return to the office.
Right now, the workers are pushing back. But it remains to be seen if it will actually make a difference.
