Remote Work and Apple and Microsoft
Apple CEO Tim Cook participated in an interview as part of The Atlantic Festival on Monday, where he discussed a range of topics from climate change to remote work and the company's antitrust troubles.
Cook said he doesn’t believe Apple will “return to the way we were because we’ve found that there are some things that actually work really well virtually.”
Bloomberg’s headline is “Apple CEO Impressed by Remote Work, Sees Permanent Changes,” but it does not actually sound to me like Cook is changing much.
As for the shift to working from home for many Apple employees, Cook said “it’s not like being together physically” and that he can’t wait for “everybody to be able to come back,” confirming that Apple is not going to be one of those companies that lets employees work from home long term.
Microsoft is allowing some of its employees to work from home permanently. While the vast majority of Microsoft employees are still working from home during the ongoing pandemic, the software maker has unveiled “hybrid workplace” guidance internally to allow for far greater flexibility once US offices eventually reopen.
See also: 1Password (Hacker News).
Previously:
Update (2020-12-16): Juli Clover:
The majority of Apple employees likely won’t be returning to work at Apple’s Cupertino campuses before June 2021, Apple CEO Tim Cook said today at a town hall meeting, details of which were shared by Bloomberg.
Cook said that while face-to-face collaboration is important, Apple’s success amid the pandemic this year could potentially lead to the company being more flexible about remote work in the future.
Update (2021-06-04): Chance Miller (tweet, MacRumors):
Apple has laid out a formal plan to begin bringing all of its staff back to the office following more than a year of remote work prompted by the COVID-19 pandemic. In a memo sent to employees today, Tim Cook outlined that Apple expects staff to return to the office three days a week starting in early September. A hybrid approach will be taken until at least 2022.
Update (2021-06-05): Zoe Schiffer:
Apple employees are pushing back against a new policy that would require them to return to the office three days a week starting in early September. Staff members say they want a flexible approach where those who want to work remote can do so, according to an internal letter obtained by The Verge.
Update (2021-07-02): Zoe Schiffer (Hacker News):
Apple isn’t backing down from its hybrid work model that will require most employees to return to the office three days a week starting in early September. Fully remote positions will be extremely limited.
“We believe that in-person collaboration is essential to our culture and our future,” said Deirdre O’Brien, senior vice president of retail and people, in a video recording viewed by The Verge. “If we take a moment to reflect on our unbelievable product launches this past year, the products and the launch execution were built upon the base of years of work that we did when we were all together in-person.”
Update (2021-07-16): Zoe Schiffer (tweet, Hacker News):
One employee said they were currently on an Americans with Disabilities Act accommodation that allowed them to work from home, but were told that accommodation would be denied when the company went back to the office.
[…]
Some employees say they were told only people with documented medical conditions would be approved for permanent remote work. But the form that Apple employees use to request such an accommodation asks them to release their medical records to the company, which made some people uncomfortable.
Update (2021-07-28): Zoë Schiffer:
Apple’s internal debate about remote work is continuing to rage. Here’s a little thread with news that hasn’t been reported yet[…]
