Apple Employees Launch Petition Against Return-to-Office Order — Here’s What You Need To Know

Apple workers objected to a proposed policy that would have required them to come into the office three days a week beginning in early September, according to an internal memo that The Verge received months ago.

The staff calls for a flexible approach that allows people who choose to work remotely to do so.

The decision was made after Apple CEO Tim Cook informed staff members that they would need to return to work on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays beginning in the fall. Subject to manager approval, they can also work remotely for up to two weeks each year.

According to the letter, over the previous year, Apple employees frequently felt not just overlooked but also openly disregarded. They emphasized that, despite Apple not seeking their consent, the company presumed that employees wanted to meet up in person with their coworkers back at the office.

The assertion, according to the letter (via The Verge), directly contradicts the employees' sentiments of being dismissed and invalidated.

Apple Employees Launched a Petition To Push Back Return-to-Office Order

According to the Financial Times (via Appleinsider), the employee group Apple Together began internally circulating a petition on Sunday. A number of requests are made in the petition to maintain the option for employees to work from home or any other location.

You can have the link to the petition in the tweet below:

What Does the Petition Entails

A memo from Cook to all employees stating that starting in September, employees would need to be in the office for at least three days a week triggered the petition, as per the news story of The Guardian.

This comprises Tuesdays, Thursdays, and one additional day that will be decided by each team.

The memo, which was issued on Aug. 15, implied that the proposal is less restrictive than the earlier plan, which would have required workers to report every Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday.

The group's demands include allowing Apple employees to discuss their working arrangements directly with their "immediate manager" rather than having to go through "high-level approvals" and "complex procedures," the news outlet reported.

A week of signature gathering is expected to precede verification and delivery of the petition to executives. Because of retail union busting and recent revelations of charges of HR retaliation, an employee who is helping to organize the initiative says she does not intend to give executives or the public access to specific names.

The petition's potential impact on executive decisions is unknown, although it appears that most employees would prefer to keep the flexibility.

The Guardian also said that a high-level employee at least left the company as a result of Apple's policy.

Ian Goodfellow, director of machine learning at Apple, informed his colleagues in May that he was heading to Google in part because of the company's more adaptable work environment.

According to reports, Goodfellow addressed staff members, "I believe strongly that more flexibility would have been the best policy for my team."