Apple employees will return to their offices from February 1 as part of a hybrid work pilot program and will be able to work remotely for four weeks a year.
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According to The Information, employees learned the news on Thursday via an internal memo from CEO Tim Cook. The company previously offered two weeks of remote work per year, but added two more weeks to provide “more opportunities to travel, be closer to loved ones, or simply refresh your routines,” Cook’s memo said.
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The pilot will begin with employees initially coming into the office for one or two days. Then in March, employees will come into the office for work on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday. They will be able to work from home on Wednesday and Friday. 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.
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Cook first announced the hybrid work model in June, when the company was planning a return to the office in September, which was pushed back to October, then January, and now February. Some Apple employees have strongly pushed back on the hybrid model, writing in an internal letter to Cook that they wanted a more flexible policy that would allow anyone who wanted to work from home to do so.
Apple did not immediately respond to a request for more details about the return to the office. After extensive closures of Apple stores during the height of the pandemic in 2020, the company reopened retail stores earlier this year, with mask requirements.
