Apple employees don’t want to go back

Without the implication that flexibility at work contributes, many of us feel we must choose between our families, our well-being and our promotion to do a good job, or to be part of Apple, employees write in a letter to Apple management.

The answer comes just two days after CEO Tim Cook sent a signed email to all employees they need to return to the office on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays, starting in the fall.

Despite everything we’ve been able to create over the past year, the truth is that there’s always been something missing: we’re together. In his letter to Apple employees last week, Tim Cook wrote that video conferencing has of course reduced the distance between us, but some things are irreplaceable.

2800 Slack members

The answer to Tim Cook and management, which is based on the Slack channel of 2,800 members written and edited by about 80 employees, is based primarily on the fact that many employees have felt left out in conversations about remote work. Examples were often raised from the management level of how many people missed coming to the office, while examples of those who appreciated the hybrid work situation were not given.

Apple had a fairly tough line that employees should be in the office before the pandemic, and unlike Facebook and Twitter, the company wants to bring its workforce back to its premises.

On the other hand, the authors of the letter believe that the adoption of remote work should be a top priority for the company.

For inclusion and diversity to work, we must remember how different we are all, and with those differences come different needs and ways to thrive and succeed, they write.

employee calls

Now they are urging Tim Cook and management to rethink some points.

• Decisions about working remotely and flexibly working in place should be left to each individual team, just as hiring new employees, as it is today.
• Insights into how travel to and from the office affects the climate and how lasting freedom of choice can reduce environmental impact.
• Frequent surveys at all levels in the company about the advantages and disadvantages of working remotely.