As the COVID-19 vaccination is progressing around the world, Apple is encouraging its employees to return to work in person. However, not everyone seems willing to return to the office, and now some employees are saying they will leave the company as it is denying requests for remote work.
In a new report from The Verge, it was revealed that Apple has been denying even more requests from employees who want to continue working from home instead of the new hybrid model. In a Slack channel with 6,000 members, employees argue that they will leave Apple if the company doesn’t change its decision.
Some employees who are “currently on an Americans with Disabilities Act accommodation” can work from home. However, if Apple decides to return to the office permanently, the accommodation will be denied. The company gives employees 30 days to find a new job if it denies medical accommodation.
While Apple historically discouraged employees from working from home, there were one-off exceptions to the rule, and some teams were more lenient than others. Now, employees say that even those exceptions are being denied. In a company Slack channel where employees advocate for remote work, roughly 10 people said they were resigning due to the hybrid work policy or knew others who’d been forced to quit.
The Verge was told that the company has been asking for medical records to decide if employees will be approved to work from home which, according to them, “made some people uncomfortable.”
Last month, an internal survey organized by Apple employees showed that at least 90% of employees want flexibility when it comes to working remotely, but the company argues that working in person is essential and expects everyone to be back in the office soon. Employees even sent a letter to Apple CEO Tim Cook asking for changes, but these requests were all denied.
Things I’d never sign: pic.twitter.com/4KUv2DVQTT
— Cher Scarlett (@cherthedev) July 15, 2021
Apple declined to comment on the report.
