Image Courtesy: The Verge
According to an internal poll created by Apple workers, respondents desire the choice to work from home and are concerned that if the business pushes them back to the office, their colleagues would be forced to quit.
Nearly 90% of respondents in the poll, which was distributed in early June, indicated they “strongly agree” with the statement “location-flexible working choices are a very significant problem to me.” The question was answered by a total of 1,749 individuals. Employees described “location-flexible” as the ability to work from home on an endless basis.
The decision follows Tim Cook’s declaration that Apple will launch a new hybrid work arrangement in early September, requiring staff to return to the office three days a week. While the decision represents a significant shift for Apple, which has previously opposed remote work prior to the epidemic, it is still too stringent for some employees. They claim that if employees are not given the choice to work from home whenever they choose, some would be compelled to resign.
The poll was not scientific; it was distributed in a Slack channel for workers to discuss remote work, and only a small percentage of Apple’s 147,000-person staff was likely aware of its existence. The fact that over a thousand employees took part in a grassroots poll that was not sanctioned by Apple management, on the other hand, is noteworthy. It alludes to a change in Apple’s well-known hierarchical culture.
In response to the statement, “I am concerned that some of my colleagues will be forced to quit Apple owing to a lack of location-flexible job opportunities,” 58.5 percent indicated they “strongly agree.” The question was answered by 1,743 individuals. A lesser proportion, 36.7 percent, are concerned about having to quit owing to a lack of flexibility.
On June 14th, employees forwarded the survey findings to Cook and Deirdre O’Brien, senior vice president of retail and people. They added a film with personal stories from 24 Apple employees about the importance of remote working alternatives.
Two weeks later, Apple released a video reiterating its commitment to the hybrid approach, stating that “we think that in-person cooperation is important to our culture and our future.” Some employees were irritated with the video, believing that bosses had not listened to their concerns. Even workers who do not want to work from home indefinitely believe the firm should explore additional flexibility if the Delta variant continues to rise.
