Apple Employees Criticize Work-from-Home Policy in Open Letter

[Drip Bayless]

Remote with quarterly team building outings/office days
That’s all you need fr

 

[gho3st]

I’ll also add on that for early career/new grads, they’re definitely losing out with full remote. Rapport, visibility and mentorship (many people find mentors not on their direct team) are stifled for them. There is so much more information you pick up based on overhearing random conversations, lunch conversations or coffee runs, I’ve personally been invited to meetings that don’t directly have to do with my work when in office that gave me more insight or allowed me to learn a lot, quickly (particularly in new roles). Collaboration and brainstorming is easier when you can have an impromptu season with a handful of people and whiteboard together.

for new grads/early career - post college Social circles are often built at work, especially if you moved to a new area for a job - a lot of young employees have been complaining about this/feeling isolated because of an inability to build friendships in a remote world

does it need to happen M-F, nah, 2-3 days, cool

you work in HR?

 

[dora_da_destroyer]

you work in HR?

No, I’m in marketing, but I manage a team

edit: and as a black woman in tech, I found it immensely helpful to be in the office in my early days as finding advocates and mentors meant getting to know managers and execs that I would never interact with in my day to day work - which is all young employees are doing, attending the specific zoom meetings where they’re needed while not meeting people beyond their team or project

 

[Outlaw]

While plenty of teams work fine remote, I also don’t think it’s too much to ask people be in office 3 days a week. Apple was a very in-person culture before the pandemic, they have fukking shuttles so you don’t even need to drive. This just seems like entitled whining, companies did what they had to during the pandemic but that doesn’t mean it was how they wanted to operate. So you were productive the last 2 years, great, now come back to the office and be productive. Futhermore, you won’t find sympathy for tech workers making 200k-1M+ who also have the most state of the art offices and facilities, this ain’t some dundler and mifflin office in podunk Iowa.

I’d take issue with anyone demanding me to be in the office 5 days a week (solely because I haven’t had a job like that since 2013), but it’s 3 days…get over yourselves

Didn’t you say you missed going into the office during the pandemic because you missed the co-worker gossip?

 

[dora_da_destroyer]

Didn’t you say you missed going into the office during the pandemic because you missed the co-worker gossip?

Yes, I enjoy my coworkers, made lifelong friendships at 2 of my last 4 jobs. But I also miss the relationship building that makes my job as a product marketer easier - I deal with a lot of different departments and while it sucks, reality is those personal connections are how I get people to execute what I need from them.

that said, I’ve never advocated for 5 days/week as I’d never work that myself

 

[Wild self]

My team is full remote. We collaborate very effectively. The need to be 3 days on the office part to be collaborative is bullshyt

And everyone catching COVID like crazy.

 

[Wild self]

I’ll also add on that for early career/new grads, they’re definitely losing out with full remote. Rapport, visibility and mentorship (many people find mentors not on their direct team) are stifled for them. There is so much more information you pick up based on overhearing random conversations, lunch conversations or coffee runs, I’ve personally been invited to meetings that don’t directly have to do with my work when in office that gave me more insight or allowed me to learn a lot, quickly (particularly in new roles). Collaboration and brainstorming is easier when you can have an impromptu season with a handful of people and whiteboard together.

for new grads/early career - post college Social circles are often built at work, especially if you moved to a new area for a job - a lot of young employees have been complaining about this/feeling isolated because of an inability to build friendships in a remote world

does it need to happen M-F, nah, 2-3 days, cool

Just ignore COVID, huh?

In my job, the whole IT department got hit with COVID at the same time and everyone was forced to WFH for the next 2 weeks due to an outbreak.

 

[☑︎#VoteDemocrat]

Minorities can’t afford to work from home AND move up the ranks

 

[greenvale]

Just ignore COVID, huh?

In my job, the whole IT department got hit with COVID at the same time and everyone was forced to WFH for the next 2 weeks due to an outbreak.

Not that I disagree re: ignoring covid, but vast majority of people wanted to and choose to go to restaurants, sporting events, concerts etc. Are companies just supposed to watch that happen and say yeah it's cool y'all don't need to come back? Especially when some have special tax agreements contingent on having a certain % of their workforce in a location?


I would probably have sympathy for 90% of employees, but not tech workers that are highly compensated from salary, RSUs, brand recognition and benefits. And here's the thing most are gonna suck it up and return for the 3 days cause that's a better situation than most of the country.

 

[Wild self]

Not that I disagree re: ignoring covid, but vast majority of people wanted to and choose to go to restaurants, sporting events, concerts etc. Are companies just supposed to watch that happen and say yeah it's cool y'all don't need to come back? Especially when some have special tax agreements contingent on having a certain % of their workforce in a location?


I would probably have sympathy for 90% of employees, but not tech workers that are highly compensated from salary, RSUs, brand recognition and benefits. And here's the thing most are gonna suck it up and return for the 3 days cause that's a better situation than most of the country.

Do you go to concerts, restaurants, and so on for 5 days a week, 40 hours EVERY week?

Everyone around my way has caught COVID the last 10 days, trying to pretend that COVID is gone. One person in the IT department is now in the hospital, and he is fully vaccinated. They were forced to do WFH (again) due to safety reasons.

 

[greenvale]

Do you go to concerts, restaurants, and so on for 5 days a week, 40 hours EVERY week?

Everyone around my way has caught COVID the last 10 days, trying to pretend that COVID is gone. One person in the IT department is now in the hospital, and he is fully vaccinated. They were forced to do WFH (again) due to safety reasons.

Essential workers never stopped doing it.

I'm not arguing whether it's right, I clearly agree with you the pandemic isn't over and the 5 day in person work week is archaic. However, this is just three days for a wealth ass tech company. Additionally, when people had a chance to come together to demand better working conditions / an actual remote future, the vast majority of this country decided to cry about not being entertained.

It is what it is but I won't lose sleep over someone making 300k+ being mad they have to go in

 

[Wild self]

1. Essential workers never stopped doing it.
   
   I'm not arguing whether it's right, I clearly agree with you the pandemic isn't over and the 5 day in person work week is archaic. However, this is just three days for a wealth ass tech company. Additionally, when people had a chance to come together to demand better working conditions / an actual remote future, the vast majority of this country decided to cry about not being entertained.
   
   It is what it is but I won't lose sleep over someone making 300k+ being mad they have to go in

WFH is the future. People who hate it dont deserve the best workers. Or even decent ones.

 

[greenvale]

WFH is the future. People who hate it dont deserve the best workers. Or even decent ones.

Breh goldman sachs killed its remote work policy. I am 100% sure they are not starving for talent. This is apple we're talking about, people from all over the world want to work there. Apple will not crumble bc they want ppl in the office

 

[chineebai]

If you told someone before the pandemic that you can work from home 2x a week, everyone would sign up and think it's the greatest shyt ever. Now things are different. Especially a company like apple where theyve seen record profits all from working at home, it's hard to argue otherwise. My company has a go to work with purpose which means we're all still WFH all week long. I go in once every 2 weeks for the fukk of it.

My buddies at google goes in 3x a week. Most people I know go in like 2x a week at least.

 

[Pressure]

Not sure if it should be mandated but missing out on face time and building is hard to do at home.

I was just thinking how disconnected I've become from some of my work peers not on my team over the past 2 years