Apple asks employees to return to office from Feb 1

San Francisco: Apple has set February 1, 2022, as the return date to office for its employees worldwide, as the tech giant prepares for a hybrid workplace next year.

According to a report in The Information, Apple will let employees work for up to four weeks remotely each year.

Referring to an internal memo sent to staff by CEO Tim Cook, the report said late on Thursday that Apple wants staff to return to offices on February 1 to begin a “hybrid work pilot”, under which employees will work out of the office for one or two days each week.

Apple had earlier offered two weeks of remote work per year but added two more weeks to give “more opportunity to travel, be closer to your loved ones, or simply shake up your routines”, according to the internal memo.

The employees will come to the office on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday and they’ll be able to work from home on Wednesdays and Fridays.

“Some employees may be asked to come into the office four or five days a week if their roles require more time in the office,” according to the memo.

Apple had earlier delayed return to office until at least January 2022, as the US witnessed a surge in cases of the Delta variant of Covid-19.

The iPhone maker said in August that the employees would get a month’s notice before they rejoin work in-person.

In June, the Apple CEO had said that employees would need to return to offices three days a week starting in early September. That date was then moved to October, and then to early 2022.

Some employees even pushed back against Apple’s hybrid model at work.