Apple Delays Office Return to at Least January Due to Surge in COVID 3640a 19 Cases, Internal Memo Shows

Apple told staff it would confirm the re-opening timeline one month before employees are required to return to the office. 3m6h2q

By Mark Gurman, Bloomberg | Updated: 20 August 2021 17:14 IST

Apple Delays Office Return to at Least January Due to Surge in COVID-19 Cases, Internal Memo Shows

Apple recently launched a program to let some retail staff work from home by assisting people online 6r6k24

Highlights

Apple reinstated the mask policy last month after dropping it in June
Upon return, employees will be expected to work 3 days a week
Apple recently closed a retail store after many employees tested positive

ment

Apple is delaying its return to corporate offices from October until January at the earliest because of surging COVID-19 cases and new variants, according to a memo sent to employees on Thursday.

The company told staff it would confirm the re-opening timeline one month before employees are required to return to the office. Apple had previously aimed to require all staff to return to corporate offices by early September before delaying that until October. When employees are required to return, they will be expected to work at the office at least three days a week — Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays — with remote work on Wednesday and Friday available.

The memo to staff, sent by human resources and retail head Deirdre O'Brien, added that the company does not currently expect to shutter its offices or retail stores. But she strongly encouraged staff to get vaccinated. The company is yet to require vaccinations or testing, though it is upping its testing program to as many as three at-home coronavirus tests per week. An Apple spokeswoman declined to comment on the memo.

Amazon Delays Office Return Till January as COVID-19 Cases Surge

The COVID-19 and highly transmissible variants began to spread during the summer. Now, the emergence of the Delta variant around the world is forcing a rethink among America's largest corporations, even as infection rates are still about a quarter what they were at their peak.

After dropping its mask requirement in June, Apple reinstated the policy last month. The company also nixed a plan to reboot in-store classes after less than a day.

Earlier on Thursday, Apple closed a retail store in South Carolina after more than 20 employees either tested positive for or were exposed to COVID-19. The company has also reduced operating hours at some retail locations due, in part, to employees missing work because of the virus.

Twitter Closes Re-Opened US Offices Due to Surge in COVID-19 Delta Cases

Apple is the latest corporation to delay its office return until 2022, following Facebook, among others. A January 2022 return would mean that Apple employees will have gone nearly two years without being required to enter corporate premises, since the start of the virus surge in the US in March 2020.

Apple recently launched a program to let some retail staff work from home by assisting people online. Its physical stores will play a critical role in the coming months as the company launches new Mac models.

Is HomePod mini the best smart speaker under Rs. 10,000? We discussed this on Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Orbital is available on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, and wherever you get your podcasts.

links may be automatically generated - see our ethics statement for details.

Comments

For the latest reviews, follow Gadgets 360 on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News. For the latest videos on gadgets and tech, subscribe to our YouTube channel. If you want to know everything about top influencers, follow our in-house Who'sThat360 on Instagram and YouTube.