Apple employees have launched a petition against the tech giant’s return to office plans, saying a recent order for many workers to return to the office at least three days a week starting in early September could negatively affect workers’ wellbeing.
The petition comes after Apple chief executive Tim Cook reportedly issued a memo saying starting Sept. 5, workers in the Bay Area would be expected to report to the office three days a week. Employees will be expected to be in the office Tuesdays and Thursdays, as well as on a third day left to be determined by individual teams, according to The Verge, which published the contents of the memo online. The memo said other offices would “hear more details shortly,” the report said.
The petition was shared online by Apple Together, which identifies itself as a global solidarity union made up of workers from across the company.
“Are you an office-based Apple employee? Are you less than thrilled with the RTO mandate? Sign the petition, lets stand together,” the call to action, which was published overnight, said.
“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 states. “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 argues. “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.”
“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 said.
It was unclear as of early Monday how many verified Apple workers had signed the petition. Apple Together did not immediately respond to an overnight request for comment.
Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The pushback against Apple’s return to office plans comes as other tech companies, including Facebook and Twitter, have rolled out policies allowing staff to work from home for the long term. Apple has long signaled that employees would be expected to return to the office.
Apple has previously repeatedly pushed back its return to office plans due to developments in the coronavirus pandemic.
Source: | This article originally belongs to Nbcnews.com
