According to Platformer’s Zoe Schiffer, Apple is monitoring the attendance of its employees at offices using badge data to guarantee that they are coming in at least three times per week. This policy is in place to prevent employees from missing work.
As part of a delayed return strategy following the epidemic, Apple employees have been operating under a hybrid home/office work policy since April 2022. Staff members must work from the office at least three days per week.
Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays are the only days when employees can work from home. At the same time, Wednesdays and Fridays are mandatory office days. Despite this, Apple is doubling down on this strategy even as it searches for further ways to reduce expenses across the corporation.
In a post on Twitter, Schiffer stated that Apple is now actively tracking in-person attendance using badge records and that the company will provide staff with “escalating warnings” if they do not come in the required three times each week.
According to Schiffer, some Apple offices have even gone so far as to warn personnel that failing to comply may result in the termination of their employment. On the other hand, “it does not appear to be a policy that is implemented across the organization.”
A recent report by Bloomberg outlined several cost-cutting measures Apple is implementing. One of these measures includes managers becoming “as strict as ever” about office attendance, which has led some employees to believe that it is a precursor to Apple firing employees who do not meet the requirement. The new development follows in the footsteps of this recent report.
Gurman has also observed a similar phenomenon at Apple’s retail locations. The business reportedly keeps a closer eye on employee attendance. It has discontinued its “special sick time” policy for time off due to Covid, instead requiring employees to utilize it as their regular sick leave.
According to the report, Apple sometimes fills positions when employees leave the company. This suggests that the crackdown on staff who do not fulfill the in-person work requirements is in part one of Apple’s wider strategy to cut costs while avoiding mass layoffs that have recently occurred at other tech giants, such as Microsoft, Google, and Amazon. Specifically, the report states that Apple sometimes fills positions when employees leave the company.