Apple wants to make a proper go at hybrid working

Aerial photo of Apple new campus building
(Image credit: Uladzik Kryhin / Shutterstock)

The days of working from home exclusively are coming to an end for Apple employees who will be required to return to the office on February 1 of next year.

According to a new report from The Information though, the iPhone maker will implement a new hybrid work pilot at that time which will allow employees to work remotely one or two days each week.

In March of next year, these employees will then work at the office on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday and from home on Wednesday and Friday. However, according to a memo sent out to staff by Apple CEO Tim Cook, there are a number of teams at the company that will not be able to participate in its hybrid work pilot as their roles require “a greater need to work in-person”.

A decent compromise

By implementing a new hybrid work pilot, Apple will be able to better cater to the needs of a number of its employees who went so far as to threaten to leave if forced back to the office.

Back in July, an internal survey at the company of 1,749 employees revealed that 36.7 percent of them said they were worried that they would have to resign if Apple didn't allow for location-flexible work options. The employees who participated in the survey then sent the results to Tim Cook and SVP of retail and people Deirdre O'Brien along with a video that included personal testimonies from 24 staff on why they believed remote working options are important to them. 

Now though with its new hybrid work pilot, Apple is taking a page out of Microsoft's book as the software giant sees the future of work as truly hybrid. However, the company still believes that “in-person collaboration is essential” to both its culture and future.

As part of its new hybrid work pilot, Apple employees will be able to work remotely for four weeks out of the year and according to Tim Cook, this will provide them with more opportunities to travel, be closer to their loved ones or just to shake up their routines.

We'll likely hear more about the results of Apple's new hybrid work pilot once it's implemented in February of next year.

We've also rounded up the best hybrid work tech and best video conferencing software

Via The Information

Anthony Spadafora

After working with the TechRadar Pro team for the last several years, Anthony is now the security and networking editor at Tom’s Guide where he covers everything from data breaches and ransomware gangs to the best way to cover your whole home or business with Wi-Fi. When not writing, you can find him tinkering with PCs and game consoles, managing cables and upgrading his smart home.