Apple Extends Remote Work Period for Employees–Stats Show Why It Better Be Made Permanent

Credit: lukasbieri

In light of the recent COVID-19 surge in the United States, Apple decided to pull back the adoption of its hybrid plan and extend the period for remote work. Apple CEO Tim Cook had intended for the company’s workforce to transition to hybrid on May 23, requiring employees to be in the office three days a week. In fact, Apple has already implemented a two-day-per-week arrangement during the pilot phase of this transition. Now, employees have the option to work purely remotely should they prefer to stay home. Those who plan to continue the two-day pilot are to wear masks inside office premises.

Prior to the hybrid pullback, a group of Apple workers, Apple Together, wrote a letter that criticizes the hybrid plan. It goes on to point out the inflexibility of the work arrangement, the rigors of the daily commute, and software solutions more than making up for the benefits of in-person collaborations.

“We tell all of our customers how great our products are for remote work, yet, we ourselves cannot use them to work remotely? How can we expect our customers to take that seriously?” the letter stated. As of this writing, it has amassed 3,184 signatures, of which 1,445 came from current and former employees.

Although Apple’s recent move was caused by the pandemic, not the letter, the employees ultimately got what they wanted for now. This springs up the question of how remote work stacks up against in-office work, to begin with.

Remote vs Hybrid vs Office Work

Following the outset of the pandemic in 2020, many companies were forced to adopt remote work policies. And many of these reforms persist until now and gave rise to the current trend: hybrid work. As such, there are enough remote work and telecommuting statistics to effectively compare the work arrangements.

A 2021 report by Owl Labs finds that 90% of employees are more productive or at least maintain the same level of productivity as in the office when doing remote work. Moreover, a study by Prodoscore furthered this when it found a 5% increase in productivity across the US during the work-from-home period at the height of the pandemic. Eighty-four percent of employees are also happier working remotely, with 46% even willing to take a 5% pay cut to maintain the arrangement.

Speaking of pay cuts, remote and hybrid work cost less than office work for both employers and employees. Employees, as stated by the Apple Together letter, need not spend on transportation, on top of proximity-related retail. On the other hand, employers will deal with lower utility expenses and won’t need to build a lot of workstations to accommodate the entire workforce.

In terms of employee engagement, hybrid workers have an edge over the other two. Eighty-one percent of hybrid employees admit to being highly engaged at work, compared to 78% for remote workers and 72% for office workers. Hybrid work does have the advantage of breaking the monotony that comes with the two other arrangements. After all, seeing office friends in person every once in a while makes remote workers feel part of the realm outside their rooms.

Meanwhile, 55% of employees report an increase in working hours when working remotely. This, again, points to the boost in productivity when working away from the office. Furthermore, 1 in 3 employees would consider quitting their job if they cannot work remotely after the pandemic. But it doesn’t have to be fully remote since 71% prefer either a remote or hybrid arrangement.

All told, both Apple and its employees are on to something, given the high engagement of a hybrid model and the productivity of a remote model. As long as Apple does not mandate a bigger share of in-office work than remote work per week, it would benefit from a happier and more productive workforce.