Apple Reschedules Return-to-Office Deadline to September 5

Apple is once again asking corporate employees to return to offices for at least three days a week, this time starting September 5 — reports Bloomberg.

According to Apple insider Mark Gurman, the company notified employees of the deadline on Monday. Corporate employees are currently only required to be physically present at their offices two days a week.

Apple has been trying to get employees back into offices since at least June 2021. However, the iPhone maker’s plans have been repeatedly delayed by COVID-19 spikes — most recently in May.

This time around, Apple is aiming for employees to be in their offices on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and a third day that teams will be able to determine on their own. The company was previously targeting in-person attendance on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays.

Apple’s new return-to-office policy will be implemented first at its Apple Park campus in Cupertino, California, before spreading to other offices.

The tech giant has been relaxing COVID-19 regulations as of late. Only a few weeks ago, Apple dropped its mask mandate in common areas across all offices. Apple in June also allowed in-person attendees at one of its events for the first time since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Cupertino has been pretty insistent on employees eventually coming back into offices, much to workers’ chagrin. Apple employees even petitioned upper management to work remotely after they were asked to come back to the office in September of last year.

Meanwhile, other tech companies like Google, Microsoft, and Amazon have been more receptive to remote work.

Apple is heading into its busiest months of the year as it gears up to unveil the iPhone 14 and new Apple Watch models next month. The company is reportedly also readying new iPads and Macs for an October launch event.