Days after Apple Inc. announced plans to set up a hybrid work model starting September, and asking employees to show up at the workplace at least three times a week, staff have come forward to call the company out for “not being flexible enough” regarding remote work.
For Your Employees, With Love
Some of the employees have even proceeded to write a letter to Apple, directly addressing addressing to CEO Tim Cook, claiming that all their attempts to carry out communications about the pros-to-cons ratio of in-person versus remote work during the last year have been thwarted by the firm turning a blind eye (and deaf ear) on them. This alleged “inflexibility” has even resulted in some workers quitting their jobs.
The letter reads, “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.” It further highlights how the real feelings that the staff at Apple harbour, are “directly contradictory” to the company’s claims that they are “eager to reconnect in person with their colleagues back in the office”. In fact, they hold that their rapport with their colleagues has improved and is now better than ever.
The Demands
The letter originated in a Slack channel, having some 2,800 members for “remote work advocates”. Some 80 people took part in actually writing the letter, as per reports from The Verge. Then, by Friday afternoon, it had been forwarded to Apple employees to ssign. The requests listed in the note include:
- A formal request for remote and location-flexible work decisions to be autonomous for the team to decide.
- Company-wide recurring short survey for clear communication and feedback.
- Addition of a question regarding employee churn during remote work to exit interviews.
- A transparent, clear plan of action to accommodate disabilities.
- Insight into environmental impact of returning to onsite/in-person work.