Amid another rise in COVID-19 cases and continued concerns from employees about Apple's stated plan to start bringing many employees back into the office three days a week starting in September, Apple has delayed its plans until at least October, reports Bloomberg.
The report suggests that Apple will continue to monitor the situation and will give employees at least a month's notice before requiring workers to return to their offices.
The iPhone maker becomes one of the first U.S. tech giants to delay plans for a return to normality as Covid persists and cases involving a highly transmissible variant increase. Apple will give its employees at least a month’s warning before mandating a return to offices, the people said, asking not to be identified discussing internal policy.
After over a year of remote work, many employees at not only Apple but many other companies have expressed interest in continuing their remote work arrangements, seeking increased flexibility and in some cases an escape from high housing prices near many corporate headquarters in Silicon Valley and beyond.
While some companies have embraced the move, Apple has so far attempted to take a hybrid approach, arguing that in-person collaboration is essential to the company's culture and future. So while Apple may have delayed its plans to return to at least some in-person work for most employees, it remains to be seen how things will shake out over the long term.
