After Apple has asked its employees to join the office physically at least thrice a week, the employees of the tech giant are miffed at the direction. The staff said the company is risking stifling diversity and staff wellbeing by restricting their ability to work remotely. Through an all-employee memo last week, Apple CEO Tim Cook has asked workers to come to the office for at least three days a week from September.
“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,”the Apple petition said, according to a Financial Times report. The report also said the mandate failed to acknowledge that the staff was “happier and more productive” with less traditional working arrangements.
The three days on which the company has asked its employees to come physically are: Tuesdays and Thursdays and a third day that will be decided based on the individual teams.
The petition by employees said greater flexibility will promote diversity within the company. The plan is looser than previous proposals that would have forced staff to return every Monday, Tuesday and Thursday, with Cook saying it would “enhance” the company’s ability to work flexibly, “while preserving the in-person collaboration that is so essential to our culture”.
The employees said, “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”. The petition also said the mandate failed to acknowledge that staff was “happier and more productive” with less traditional working arrangements.
“Are you an office-based Apple employee? Are you less than thrilled with the RTO (return to office) mandate? Sign the petition, let’s stand together,” a group of its employees, Apple Together, said in a tweet linked to the petition on Monday.
The petition said the employees have shown over the past two years that they can do “exceptional work” from home.
It added, “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). This uniform mandate from senior leadership does not consider the unique demands of each job role nor the diversity of individuals.”
The petition also said the one thing we all have in common is wanting to do the best work of our lives for a company whose official stance is to do what’s right rather than what’s easy.
“We demand that: Apple allows each of us to work directly with our immediate manager to figure out what kind of flexible work arrangements are best for each of us and for Apple. These work arrangements should not require higher-level approvals, complex procedures, or providing private information,” it said.
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