Apple Changing Work Policies for Retail Employees in Canada, Says Memo

Apple Store Pacific Centre

Last June, Apple started a pilot project in the U.S. to improve working conditions for retail employees, as unionization efforts were underway at select locations amid worker discontent.

Now, Apple will bring new changes to work hours and policies at its Apple Stores in Canada and the U.S., beginning on April 29, according to an internal memo seen by Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman.

The memo says for the roughly 300 Apple Stores in the U.S. and Canada, scheduling changes are coming in regard to hours required for both part-time and full-time retail employees.

The big changes are as follows, according to the Apple memo:

• Maximum consecutive workdays: 5 (down from 6)
• Part-time employees get more weekends off
• Full-time employees to get consistent weekend workdays or days off
• Time off requests: must be made 4 weeks in advance (was 3 weeks)
• Some stores: new requirement to work weekends

The requirement by some store managers to now have employees work weekends is a concern for some part-time staff, as they apparently fear being fired if they don’t agree, says Gurman.

Some other part-time Apple Store employees, they are also reportedly being asked to work some more hours per week versus before.

These new changes won’t apply during busy shopping periods, such as during new iPhone launches, or during all-hands meetings, says Gurman.