Apple delays employees’ return to office until January

Apple is reportedly delaying its plans for employees to return to their offices until January, joining the growing list of companies adjusting return plans over concerns about COVID-19 cases and the highly contagious delta variant. 

Apple sent a memo to staff notifying them of the delay from a previously announced timeline to return in the fall, Bloomberg News reported. The delay was also confirmed by The Washington Post. 

A spokesperson for Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment. 

In the memo sent by human resources and retail head Deirdre O’Brien, staff are strongly encouraged to get vaccinated but the company has yet to require vaccinations or testing, according to the Bloomberg report. 

The latest delay comes roughly a month after Apple reportedly delayed its plans to return to office from September to October. 

Other tech giants have made similar adjustments, including Facebook, which announced last week that employees will not be required to return to offices until January based on rising COVID-19 cases and the delta variant. 

As part of reopening plans, Facebook and Google have both said they will require employees to be vaccinated.