Apple delays return to office for workers and keeps masks for staff in stores

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Apple is reportedly delaying the return of staff to its offices by at least a month as coronavirus continues to spread.

Workers were expected to be back behind their desks for three days a week from September, but this has now been pushed back to October at the earliest, according to Bloomberg.

Staff working in the iPhone-maker’s retail stores are also being asked to begin wearing face coverings again, the news agency added.

The Independent has contacted Apple for comment.

Apple Inc chief executive Tim Cook faced a backlash last month after sending a note to staff saying they would be asked to come to the office on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays, with the option for remote working on Wednesdays and Fridays.

About 80 employees wrote to the boss saying they felt “unheard” and “actively ignored” at times during the pandemic.

“Messages like ‘we know many of you are eager to reconnect in person with your colleagues back in the office’ with no messaging acknowledging that there are directly contradictory feelings amongst us feels dismissive and invalidating,” they said in the letter, adding: “It feels like there is a disconnect between how the executive team thinks about remote/location-flexible work and the lived experiences of many of Apple’s employees.”

At the time, Mr Cook said remote working could take place for up to two weeks a year for staff to be “closer to family and loved ones, find a change of scenery, manage unexpected travel, or a different reason all your own”.