Apple's hard line on remote working is prompting some employees to quit and others to consider legal action against the company, The Verge reported.
Staff have been talking in an internal Slack channel about how the company appears to be cracking down on working from home ahead of its official office return in September, the report said.
Apple's tough stance on remote work is unusual among Silicon Valley companies. Twitter told employees in May 2020 they would be able to work from home permanently. Facebook followed suit in April of this year, saying staff could keep working remotely after the pandemic.
An internal employee Slack channel at Apple that is dedicated to advocacy for remote work comprises more than 6,000 employees, the report said. Ten people have said they're resigning because of Apple's hard-line stance on remote work, or they know someone else who quit, The Verge reported.
One employee in the Slack channel said they'd been denied the chance to work from home even though they were permitted to do so under the Americans With Disabilities Act, the report said. "I will be out of a job in September," the person wrote.
The Verge reported that employees in the Slack channel were now talking about how to force Apple to the negotiating table, discussing options such as writing another letter to leadership or even taking legal action.
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Apple announced in June that it would adopt a hybrid return-to-work model from September, requiring employees to come in three days a week. Following the announcement, 80 Apple staff members sent a letter to CEO Tim Cook expressing their frustration. In June an internal survey found that almost 90% of employees wanted to be able to work from home indefinitely.
Apple did not immediately respond when contacted by Insider for comment.
