// Apple workers stand against the iphone maker’s return to office mandate by signing a petition
// Petition organisers Apple Together argue greater workplace flexibility would promote diversity and improve productivity at Apple
Staff at Apple have hit back at the tech giant‘s return-to-office orders, and kicked off a petition saying the business is putting diversity and staff wellbeing at risk by restricting their ability to work remotely.
The petition is in response to an all-employee memo from the Apple boss Tim Cook, who told staff last week that they must return to the office for at least three days a week next month as it clamps down on remote working.
The memo stated that compulsory days will be Tuesdays, Thursdays and a third day to be determined by individual teams.
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While the plan is looser than previous proposals that would have forced staff to return every Monday, Tuesday and Thursday, employees operating under the name Apple Together have circulated a petition pushing back against Cook’s orders, saying greater flexibility would promote diversity within the business.
“We believe that Apple should encourage, not prohibit, flexible work to build a more diverse and successful company where we can feel comfortable to ‘think different’ together,” the Apple petition said, according to the Financial Times.
The petition added that the mandate failed to acknowledge that staff were “happier and more productive” with more flexible working arrangements.
“Are you an office-based Apple employee? Are you less than thrilled with the RTO [return to office] mandate? Sign the petition, lets stand together,” the group said in a tweet linked to the petition on Monday.
Apple Together is planning on collecting signatures this week before verifying them and sending them to the iPhone owner’s executives.
In contrast to Apple, fellow tech giants Twitter and Facebook introduced policies at the start of the pandemic enabling workers to work from home permanently.
