Apple is changing the way it hires much of its security staff, San Jose Mercury News reports. Apple will begin to directly employe most of its security offers rather than contracting staff out.
The change is especially notable as it means Apple will be providing benefits including health insurance and retirement options to its security staff.
An Apple spokesperson told the newspaper that it will be working with the existing contractor that handles security staffing for the company to transition employees to officially work for Apple. The process will involve existing security officers to apply for newly created security positions at Apple, although the company will still use contracted officers to fill temporary positions around events.
The changes come amid the greater picture of Apple CEO Tim Cook putting a new face on the company in recent years. Shortly after his tenure begin, Cook announced an employee donation matching program, for instance, and last year the company announced several enhancements to employee benefits.
Activist Jesse Jackson has publicly called for Tim Cook to take the lead in offering low-paid contractors better compensation as recently as late last year, which led to a meeting between the Apple CEO meeting and the civil rights leader.
