In addition to cutting costs and retaining employees in the process, Apple is striking down hard on in-person attendance, as it likely wants to increase productivity from the existing headcount. Attendance of these employees is said to be tracked through badge records, suggesting that it will be difficult for workers to miss on-site interactions.
Apple reportedly terminating the employment of those not following the company’s policy, but the rules are apparently not consistent in every division
A Twitter post from the Platformer’s Managing Editor Zoë Schiffer mentions Apple giving ‘escalating warnings’ to employees who continue to miss office attendance. According to the information that Schiffer likely received through an anonymous tip, Apple employees are required to come in three times a week. Schiffer has not mentioned why the technology giant is adamant about requiring employees to work on-site.
It could be due to the aggressive deadlines Apple needs to meet as far as product launches go. Going by the rumors, there are quite a few hardware releases in tow, including the highly ambitious AR headset. One former company engineer stated that Apple is under immense pressure to launch the mixed-reality headset this year, despite the design team warning that the device is not ready. A minimum in-person attendance of three days per week can allow employees to speed things up since remote work has its drawbacks, especially when it comes to timely coordination.
NEW: Apple is tracking employee attendance (via badge records) and will give employees escalating warnings if they don't come in 3x per week.
ALSO: Elon Musk sent Twitter employees an email at 2:30am saying the "office is not optional" and noting SF was half empty yesterday.
— Zoë Schiffer (@ZoeSchiffer) March 22, 2023
To ensure that employees are following Apple’s work policy, the technology giant has started issuing ‘escalated warnings,’ and those who do not comply will likely face termination. Seeing as how companies like Google, Meta, Facebook, and others have executed mass layoffs due to a slowing economy and other factors, the last thing any employee needs right now is severing their source of income due to their inability to follow the rules.
Apple CEO Tim Cook said during the firm’s previous earnings calls that they are doing everything in their power to prevent layoffs and that such a measure will be seen as a last resort. However, the Chief Executive has little to no power in exercising the employee’s working habits, but the fear of termination in a dwindling economy can help mend their ways.
News Source: Zoë Schiffer
