After making the transition to working from home earlier this year, Tim Cook has revealed that Apple employees won’t be returning to the office anytime soon.
As first reported by Bloomberg, Cook said in a recent virtual town hall meeting that it “seems likely” that the majority of the company’s teams will continue to work remotely until June of next year.
This will likely present challenges for Apple as it has historically had a very office-centric culture. However, in his speech to employees, Cook implied that the company’s success during the pandemic could open up more remote working opportunities for its staff when they do return to the office in 2021.
No replacement
Unlike other tech companies such as Twitter which have announced that they will allow their employees to work from home indefinitely, Tim Cook has been vocal about his desire for Apple staff to return to the office. However, he did acknowledge the progress the company and its employees have made when it comes to working remotely in his virtual town hall speech, saying:
“There’s no replacement for face-to-face collaboration, but we have also learned a great deal about how we can get our work done outside of the office without sacrificing productivity or results. All of these learnings are important. When we’re on the other side of this pandemic, we will preserve everything that is great about Apple while incorporating the best of our transformations this year.”
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella also isn’t a big fan of remote working due to the fact that online meetings using video conferencing software just aren’t as engaging as in-person meetings.
The transition to working from home has been quite difficult for some employees which is why Apple and even Google will be giving their staff an additional paid holiday in January.
Via Bloomberg
