Dec. 16, 2021
In this file photo, the Apple logo is seen outside the Apple Store in Washington, D.C., on July 9, 2019.
Alastair Pike/AFP via Getty Images
With anxieties over the omicron variant mounting, Apple has pushed back its in-person return to office to a date “yet to be determined,” reports Bloomberg and the Verge.
Apple CEO Tim Cook, once so adamant to return to the office that he announced a September return in June to internal backlash, announced the delay Wednesday to staff, noting “rising cases in many parts of the world and the emergence of a new strain of the virus,” according to a copy of a memo obtained by Bloomberg.
“As we look forward to more of our teams being together again, we will continue to make decisions based on local conditions and will be sure to notify you at least four weeks before beginning the pilot,” he said in a memo, according to the Verge.
Part of the deal also means that all Apple employees — including retail workers — will receive a $1,000 bonus to outfit their “home workspace.” The Verge reports some caveats to this bonus, however: It will be in their next paycheck, and subject to taxes and withholdings.
Before this week’s announcement, Apple was set to return to the workplace by February, but it appears to be following the trend of other tech companies, such as Google and Lyft, that have in recent weeks postponed returns planned for early 2021.
A spokesperson for Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment from SFGATE.