Apple Staff Start Petition Following Post-Labor Day Office Return Mandate

After Apple employees in the Bay Area were told to return to the office three days a week following Labor Day weekend, staffers are making their discontent known.  

Workers at Apple have started a petition, stating that the required three days a week could have a negative impact on employee wellbeing.   

According to the internal memo from CEO Tim Cook, workers will be required to be in the office Tuesdays, Thursdays and a third day that will be decided by individual teams. It also added that other offices can expect to see more details about their return soon.   

The technology giant has made concerted efforts to bring employees back into the office since the initial stages of the pandemic. While spikes in Covid-19 cases caused continuous delays, it appears that the company is finally ready to usher in a grand office return. 

“Are you an office-based Apple employee? Are you less than thrilled with the RTO mandate? Sign the petition, let’s stand together,” the petition by Apple Together reads. 

The petition argues that Apple needs to do more to support flexibility, rather than setting specified days that employees should be in the office. 

“For the past 2+ years, Apple’s formerly office-based employees have performed exceptional work, flexibly, both outside and inside traditional office environments,” the petition says.  

“Those asking for more flexible arrangements have many compelling reasons and circumstances: from disabilities (visible or not); family care; safety, health, and environmental concerns; financial considerations; to just plain being happier and more productive.”   

While it is unclear how many people have signed the petition, this isn’t the first time employees at Apple have shared their distaste for the employer’s intentions. Just months ago, the company’s chief of machine learning resigned because he wanted more flexibility within his team.