Apple is apparently cracking down on remote work, employees say

Following the recent introduction of a new hybrid work policy, Apple employees are finding it more difficult to get their work from home requests approved by the company.

As reported by The Verge, some of the iPhone maker’s employees are considering leaving the company now that its new policy will require them to return to the office three days a week on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays beginning in September. However, they will still be able to work remotely on Wednesdays and Fridays.

According to a recent survey on remote work sent out by company employees on its Slack channel, more than a quarter (36.7%) of the 1,749 respondents said they were worried they would have to leave Apple due to the lack of flexibility surrounding the company’s work from home policies.

Although Apple employees are adamant about being able to continue to work from home, SVP of retail and people at the company Deidre O’Brien recently said that “in-person collaboration is essential” to both its culture and future. At the same time though, the company did spend a total of $5bn to purchase the land and build its new Apple Park headquarters in Cupertino, California which is likely another reason Apple wants its employees to return to the office.

Request denied

Although Apple has historically not been a proponent for remote work, it did allow some employees to work from home through exceptions though some teams have been more lenient than others. However, now employees say that even these exceptions are being denied.

For instance, one employee in Apple’s Slack channel recently revealed that although they currently have an Americans with Disabilities Act accommodation, they were told this accommodation would be denied when the company returns to the office in September.

According to The Verge, Apple normally provides employees with 30 days to find a new job within the company if their current team denies a medical accommodation. However, one employee said in Slack that there weren’t currently any open remote positions at the company.

While some employees were told that only those with documented medical conditions would be approved to work from home permanently, in order to get this approval they would have to release their medical records to the company which some people were uncomfortable with.

These Apple employees could soon find themselves looking for new positions and Twitter and Facebook may be a better fit for them as both tech giants have announced a permanent work from home policy.

Via The Verge