Apple employees demand more flexibility after returning to office

Earlier this month, Apple had employees return to work at the corporate office in a hybrid format. The process has been gradual. They’re currently in the office one day per week, but according to company policy, by May 23 employees will need to be in office at least three days per week.

However, some employees have not warmed up to the idea of returning to the office. Organizing under a new group called “Apple Together,” these individuals are advocating for employees’ well-being and rights. In a letter addressed to company leadership on Apple Together’s website Friday, these employees push leadership for increased flexibility.

The letter provides multiple reasons why the employees of Apple Together believe remote work should still be an option.

We tell all of our customers how great our products are for remote work, yet, we ourselves, cannot use them to work remotely? How can we expect our customers to take that seriously? How can we understand what problems of remote work need solving in our products, if we don’t live it?

It goes on to state how commuting is “a huge waste of time as well as both mental and physical resources.” There’s also the argument of how this hybrid model affects the diversity of the company’s workforce. “It will make Apple younger, whiter, more male-dominated” and will lead to “privileges deciding who can work for Apple, not who’d be the best fit.”

The final paragraph says it all:

Or as Steve said: “It doesn’t make sense to hire smart people and then tell them what to do. We hire smart people so they can tell us what to do.” Here we are, the smart people that you hired, and we are telling you what to do: Please get out of our way, there is no one-size-fits-all solution, let us decide how we work best, and let us do the best work of our lives.