After the Delays Caused by COVID, Apple Declares That September 5 Will Be the Return-To-Office Deadline

Apple Inc

Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) established a deadline of September 5 for the corporate staff to be in the office at least three days each week, marking its latest attempt to resume operations as Covid-19 spikes repeatedly delayed its plans.

Employees will be required to be in the office on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and a third day that will be set by specific teams. This is a change from Apple’s (NASDAQ:AAPL) original plan, which called for Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday in-person work. On Monday, the corporation informed the staff of the new approach.

Since at least June 2021, when it initially announced the three-day policy, the Cupertino, California-based tech giant has been attempting to bring its staff back to work. Virus outbreaks compelled the corporation to delay deadlines, placing employees on a two-day-per-week schedule. Silicon Valley will be the first location to implement the new policy, followed by other offices.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) has made more Covid-19 modifications. The new policy comes weeks after the business eliminated its mask requirement in shared office areas. Apple eliminated this requirement for individual workstations several months ago.

In June, the corporation hosted an event on its campus to view a presentation from a developers’ conference. This was the first time since 2019 that Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) has returned to normal operations.

In Santa Clara County, where many of Apple’s main headquarters are located, seven-day case averages and daily new Covid case counts have decreased since July, but are still noticeably higher compared to levels seen before the Omicron outbreaks that began in early 2022. Last week, however, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of the United States reduced their Covid-19 recommendations.

Staff not Pleased with Apple’s Decision

Bloomberg News reports that the iPhone manufacturer has been one of the strictest technology corporations in terms of forcing employees back into the office, which has angered some employees. In recent months, Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ:MSFT), Amazon.com Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN), Alphabet Inc.’s (NASDAQ:AAPL) Google, and others have become more receptive to remote labor.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) is experiencing a hectic period. The corporation is preparing for a September event where the iPhone 14 and new watches will be unveiled. Apple is also preparing to release upgraded Macs and iPads later this year.

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