- The delay comes just weeks after the Apple Inc asked employees to begin returning by February, a timeline that had already been pushed back several times
- Apple had previously delayed its office-return plans from June, September, October and January
- Apple Inc., facing a resurgence in Covid-19 cases and a fast-spreading new variant, is delaying its corporate return-to-office deadline from Feb. 1 to a “date yet to be determined.”The delay comes just weeks after the company asked employees to begin returning by February, a timeline that had already been pushed back several times. The lack of a firm date shows the struggle that companies face in trying to get their operations back to normal. Fellow tech giant Microsoft Corp. scrapped its return-to-work date in September.
“We are delaying the start of our hybrid work pilot to a date yet to be determined,” Cook said in the memo. “Our offices remain open and many of our colleagues are coming in regularly, including our teams in Greater China and elsewhere.”
He cited “rising cases in many parts of the world and the emergence of a new strain of the virus.” Cook also strongly encouraged employees to receive vaccinations and booster shots, saying “this is by far the best way to keep you and your community safe.”
Apple had previously delayed its office-return plans from June, September, October and January. The latest decision comes the same week that the company restored its mask mandate to all U.S. retail stores and temporarily shut three locations because of rising virus cases among employees.
In the memo, Cook also said the Cupertino, California-based company will provide each employee a $1,000 bonus that may be used for work-from-home needs, saying it’s “in support of our commitment to a more flexible environment.” That includes retail workers.
