Apple employees express concern over returning to office in September, demand flexible approach

Apple employees have written an email to the company asking them to reconsider the three-day work from office policy which will be rolled out in September. As per the recently announced work policy by CEO Tim Cook, Apple employees were required to start working from the office for at least three days a week starting from September. However, the employees have express concern over the same and demanded a flexible approach.

"We would like to take the opportunity to communicate a growing concern among our colleagues. That Apple's remote/location-flexible work policy, and the communication around it, have already forced some of our colleagues to quit. Without the inclusivity that flexibility brings, many of us feel we have to choose between either a combination of our families, our well-being, and being empowered to do our best work, or being a part of Apple," the letter obtained by The Verge reads.

Tim Cook in an email to his employees had asked them to return to the office on Mondays, Tuesday and Thursdays. He had said that the employees can work from home on the remaining days. However, the teams that need to work from the office were asked to return to the office five days a week. Apart from this, the company had said that it would allow its employees to work remotely for up to two weeks per year.

Apple employees in their letter addressed to Tim Cook have said that they have often felt not just unheard and at times actively ignored. "Messages like, 'we know many of you are eager to reconnect in person with your colleagues back in the office,' with no messaging acknowledging that there are directly contradictory feelings amongst us feels dismissive and invalidating. Not only do many of us already feel well-connected with our colleagues worldwide, but better connected now than ever. We've come to look forward to working as we are now, without the daily need to return to the office. It feels like there is a disconnect between how the executive team thinks about remote / location-flexible work and the lived experiences of many of Apple's employees," the letter reads.

The employees have credited the work from home culture for a successful year. They have said that they could work more efficiently because they were unconstrained by the daily commutes to offices.