American global technology giant Apple Inc. has introduced an April 11 deadline for its corporate employees to return to in-person work, across all its corporate offices. The Cupertino-based company will be opening its offices nearly two years since the first cases of the coronavirus outbreak were discovered.
Apple had pitched the idea of asking employees to return to offices several times in the past year but had to shift forward the idea due to a sharp rise in cases and the discovery of a new Covid-19 variant Omicron.
According to the memo shared by CEO Tim Cook on Friday, all employees will now have to report to offices at least once a week by April 11. By three weeks after the April 11 deadline, employees will be required to come to the offices twice a week and by May 23rd, all employees will come to the office on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays, with flexibility on Wednesdays and Fridays.
Cook also added that masks will also be optional at most U.S. sites and retail stores in the upcoming weeks, stating that “we will continue monitoring local conditions and are prepared to adjust our protocols as necessary for the health of our teams and communities.”
With the introduction of this pilot, Tim Cook hoped that all employees look forward to “learning as we go and adjusting where we need to, all in service of fostering a really collaborative and flexible approach to our work together.” He also acknowledged that for most employees “returning to the office represents a long-awaited milestone”, while it also might be “an unsettling change” for several employees adding that Apple will be “deeply committed to giving you the support and flexibility that you need in this next phase” to all its employees.
Read the full memo below:
Team,
As our response to Covid-19 continues to evolve, I’d like to share an update on our plans to return to our offices.
In many locations, officials have started lifting pandemic restrictions in accordance with the guidance of public health experts. And based on the latest data, we are optimistic that this progress will continue into the spring.
While many of you have been coming in regularly for quite some time, we are now looking forward to welcoming those of you who shifted to working remotely back to our corporate offices. In the United States, beginning on April 11, we’ll begin the phased approach to the hybrid pilot, with teams returning to the office initially one day a week, and then, beginning in the third week, two days a week. This transitional period will now be extended from four to six weeks.
We will then begin the hybrid pilot in full on May 23, with people coming to the office three days a week — on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday — and working flexibly on Wednesday and Friday if you wish.
Though the timing may vary to some degree in different countries/sites based on local conditions, we will follow the same process wherever we are not yet back in the office. You’ll hear more details from your local teams on specific timing as it applies to your location.
As a reminder, our offices and many services like Caffè Macs and our espresso bars are currently open and many people are already coming in each week. Between now and April 11, I encourage you to join them, whether it’s to grab coffee with a colleague, check out your workspace or hold a team meeting.
Due to the decline in active cases, most, if not all of Apple’s U.S. sites will revert to being mask-optional over the next few weeks. As always, we will continue monitoring local conditions and are prepared to adjust our protocols as necessary for the health of our teams and communities. I also want to make clear that you are always welcome to wear a mask and you should feel comfortable doing so. And I want to reiterate the vital importance of getting the vaccine and a booster if you are able to. You can always find the latest on our protocols on Welcome Forward.
For many of you, I know that returning to the office represents a long-awaited milestone and a positive sign that we can engage more fully with the colleagues who play such an important role in our lives. For others, it may also be an unsettling change. I want you to know that we are deeply committed to giving you the support and flexibility that you need in this next phase — a commitment that begins with this gradual introduction of our hybrid pilot and includes the option to work remotely for up to four weeks a year. If you have any questions, you can find more details on the People site.
As we begin this pilot, we are looking forward to learning as we go and adjusting where we need to, all in service of fostering a really collaborative and flexible approach to our work together.
In the meantime, I can’t tell you how much I am looking forward to being together again. And I want to thank each and every one of you. Whether you’ve been working from home or coming into our stores, labs or offices, you have been an essential part of this incredible team, and I am so grateful for all that you bring to Apple.
In the coming weeks and months, we have an opportunity to combine the best of what we have learned about working remotely with the irreplaceable benefits of in-person collaboration. It is as important as ever that we support each other through this transition, through the challenges we face as a team and around the world. I look forward to being together and to learning together during this pilot as we continue to build on the culture that makes Apple such an incredible place.
Tim
Other tech giants like Google have also floated plans of hybrid work starting from April 4th, and Twitter CEO Parag Agarwal stated that the microblogging platform will also open its offices from March 15th.
