I completely agree and respect the fact that there are many people who strongly prefer to be in an office 5 days a week. And I don’t think Apple should close their offices - far from it. Offering remote positions does not preclude in-person positions at all.
And yes, for Apple even more than most companies, we have very little idea of what happened inside the company. But if they are so inflexible that the last year ended up being a complete disaster internally, I’d think that would be a huge signal that something about the company culture is in need of a serious change anyways, wouldn’t you agree? Any company that wants to survive more than the next 20 years has to have some flexibility built into it at the foundations.
And they are being flexible :) 2 days of remote work per week is way more than the 0 that used to exist.
I think people need to remember this is going to take time to slide into, and that WFH being a default option (because many people won't change from the default, due to inertia) isn't actually great either.
This is going to take time. You can force that for yourself, by quitting, but forcing it on every company is a battle you aren't going to win. That is going to take time and concerted effort to show that WFH isn't a detriment long-term. This is especially true since the pandemic has left a lot of managers and employees basically hating WFH, because this is what they think it means.
I say this, incidentally, while having direct reports of both kinds; some who loved WFH, and some who can't wait to get back into the office. They are all incredible, and I'd like to keep them. :) Our company is luckily being flexible, and allowing folks to pick, but the default is 3 days in the office. Anything else has to be manager-approved, but shouldn't be difficult (1-2 days, vs 5 days; the latter gets you a perma-desk, the former is hoteling).
And management is terrified of this arrangement; it's going to take time.
That’s interesting. At my job I’m low enough on the totem pole that I don’t get time with executives more than like once a quarter. But from what I can tell, both the executive team and my direct supervisors, are very supportive, and in many cases excited, of offering more remote and hybrid jobs. I think the executive team sees it as a way to both make the company more flexible in general, and to make the company more attractive to potential candidates.
And yes, for Apple even more than most companies, we have very little idea of what happened inside the company. But if they are so inflexible that the last year ended up being a complete disaster internally, I’d think that would be a huge signal that something about the company culture is in need of a serious change anyways, wouldn’t you agree? Any company that wants to survive more than the next 20 years has to have some flexibility built into it at the foundations.