Apple reportedly delayed returning to the office in October

Apple has been a little more aggressive than most of the tech giants when it comes to getting back to the office. However, due to a further rise in covid-19 cases in the United States, it appears Apple is pushing back the start of its back-to-office schedule by at least a month.

According to sources who spoke to Bloomberg, Apple delayed the start of its return to office date until at least October or maybe even later, as Apple reacts to changing local infection rates and health restrictions. Previously, despite some complaints from its staff, Apple expected most of its employees to return to their offices at least three days a week starting in September, with some Apple employees having already stopped working remotely in spurts in early spring and summer.

But with the third wave of covid 19 infections (and maybe a fourth on the way) afflict parts of the country and force places like LA to reinstate mask warrants across county, it appears Apple has been forced to put its plans to return to the office on hold while the company reassesses the situation.

In contrast, some of Apple’s biggest rivals such as Google and Facebook have taken a somewhat different approach to work routines in response to the pandemic, with Facebook giving its employees the choice of continuing to work from home or commit to working in the office at around 50%. time in the future. And back in may, Google has made a more sustainable decision to allow its employees to continue working remotely for as long as they want, although Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google said he expects most workers to adopt a more hybrid work routine that requires them to work out of the office three days a week.

In addition to helping protect workers security, the push for extended hybrid work routines comes amid a greater desire by workers for increased flexibility, including the ability to live in locations outside of expensive metropolitan areas and more freedom to adjust their schedules far from a 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The big fear, however, is that with rising covid rates due to the spread of the more contagious delta variant, Apple could simply be the first in a larger chain of companies that will have to postpone their return plans. in the office.