Why Apple is Keeping Employees at Home

On December 16th, 2021, Apple announced delaying an entire office reopening and is giving every employee a bonus just to stay home. When will the return to the office happen? A report from The Verge says it is yet to be determined. 

According to CEO Tim Cook, Apple sent a letter to staff stating that the company’s return date was unknown. Next, he encouraged all employees to get the coronavirus vaccine and booster. 

The news, first reported by Bloomberg and NBC, included a $1000 stipend for workers to make their workspace at home best as you see fit. 

What Tim Cook Says About Apple’s Decision

“Our offices remain open and many of our colleagues are coming in regularly, including our teams in Greater China and elsewhere,” Cook wrote. “As we look forward to more of our teams being together again, we will continue to make decisions based on local conditions and will be sure to notify you at least four weeks before beginning the pilot.”

Who Gets to Stay at Home?

The stipend not only applies to the workers at home, but it also applies to every Apple employee, including retailers retail workers. As covid-19 cases rise with the latest variant, employers wonder whether it’s safe to return to work full force. In the tech world, most people permanently work from home. Comfort and costs are cut on both spectrums of the workplace.

The slow pace towards in-person work isn’t the first time a delay set Apple back recently. Because of the pandemic, Apple closed three retail stores this week due to the rise of covid-19 infections. On Tuesday, a mask mandate went into effect while inside the retail stores. 

At the end of a letter, Cook told workers that he was “grateful” for their flexibility during this time.

“You continue to prove how much we can accomplish when we take on our challenges with boldness, creativity and — most importantly — together,” Cook said.

The decision Apple made will ultimately ripple across the entire tech industry. The ability and willingness to adjust are on the business owner. There’s someone you can pay to handle the safety of having employees work from home during the holidays. 

One of them being a Managed IT Service Provider.

1R Technologies: Washington DC Managed IT Services, IT Support, IT Consulting, & Computer Services