Apple is delaying its office return by at least a month because of rising COVID-19 cases, report says
- Apple is delaying its office return by at least one month, to October, Bloomberg reports.
- Apple announced in June it wanted staff in the office three days a week from September.
- Sources told Bloomberg Apple was delaying the office return because of rising COVID-19 cases.
Apple is delaying its office return by at least a month, sources told Bloomberg.
Apple plans for staff to return to the office in October at the earliest, rather than September, following an increase in COVID-19 cases, an undisclosed number of people familiar with the matter told Bloomberg.
COVID-19 cases have spiked in the US, particularly in states with low vaccination rates. CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said Friday that cases were up about 70% compared to the previous week. According to the World Health Organization, as of July 12 confirmed COVID-19 cases worldwide were up nearly 12% in compared to the previous week.
In June, Apple announced a September return date for its staff, and said it would adopt a hybrid-work model requiring employees to come in at least three days per week. This set it apart from other Silicon Valley companies such as Twitter and Facebook, which have both told staff they can work from home indefinitely.
Apple did not immediately respond when contacted by Insider for comment.
Apple's three-day model has worried some staffers. A group of 80 employees sent a letter to CEO Tim Cook in June calling for a more flexible approach, but the company did not change its policy.
Earlier in July, The Verge viewed an internal Apple Slack channel where some employees said they would quit the company because of the work model. Some staffers discussed the possibility of taking legal action against the company, per the report.