Apple remote working proving vital in China despite US return to office policy
Apple remote working has been a bone of contention for many US workers, after the company insisted that almost everyone should return to the office at least three days a week. But there is one US team who is making extensive use of remote working: US engineers managing production in China.
Apple engineers are said to be using a combination of live-streaming video and augmented reality, with iPads the main device in use …
Background
During the peak of the pandemic most Apple employees worked from home. Many people found they felt happier working from home and were more productive, however Apple insists that everyone must return to work.
In April the minimum requirement was two days per week. This month, it is three days. There are possibilities for more.
Starting on May 23, employees will need to be in the office three days per week. This is the start of Apple’s so-called “hybrid” work plan. Apple does not yet know how long this hybrid plan will last, but Tim Cook described it as a pilot. This suggests that the company may change it at some point and could require full-time employees to resume work.
Many employees felt unhappy about this. One common factor cited was a better work-life balance by eliminating commuting, which for many amounted to two or more hours a day – time they have been instead able to spend with their families. They accused Apple of hypocricy.
We tell our customers about how amazing our products can be for remote work but we cannot.
While Apple seems to have adopted a ‘our way or highway’ strategy, it may lose significant talent. Yesterday, we were informed that Apple’s Director of Machine Learning resigned due to the policy. He had apparently been denied the ability to give remote access to his team.
Apple remote working proving vital in China
The WSJ reports that remote working is being used extensively by US engineers responsible for overseeing operations by Apple’s manufacturing partners in China.
They would spend most of their time in China, however strict travel restrictions have prevented them from visiting China over the past two decades. A month-long lockdown in Shanghai has prevented even those who are allowed to travel to Shanghai, home of many Apple manufacturing facilities.
That has led to a new approach of remote working.
The iPhone maker also uses live streaming technology to allow staff at Cupertino headquarters, Calif. to remotely monitor what is happening in China’s factories, according the people. Apple has used iPads to communicate and augmented-reality tools to help technical experts in Cupertino check factory issues, one of the people said […]
Apple used to book 50 business-class seats daily between San Francisco and Shanghai’s Pudong airport, according to posters from United Airlines Holdings Inc. that circulated on Twitter in 2019 and were confirmed by the carrier at the time. The route accounted for $35 million of United’s annual revenue.
But after Covid-19 broke out in early 2020, Apple gave up sending in battalions of engineers. That year’s new iPhone models came out a month to two months later than usual.
The report lacks detail but states that the video-based method was used by US engineers to remote guide contractors in the assembly of prototype iPhones.
Apple gradually gave greater power to Chinese managers. This allowed them to go beyond reporting to Cupertino about problems and to propose solutions, though the final decision was still taken in the USA.
Source: 9to5mac.com
