Apple 'Tracking Employee Attendance' in Crackdown on Remote Working

[ipponrg]

Even more productive: Working without interruptions

It's a silly idea that upper management knows better what work environment makes employees productive than the teams and employees themselves.

Agreed with working without interruptions, but there is a grey area here. If you are a tech lead or above, I think it’s expected to handle interruptions.

I think people generally need to manage both up and down. If your manager doesn’t feel you are as effective wfh vs in office, there may be an issue managing up. There is also another grey area here where some folks feel they are very productive at wfh when they really aren’t. Not saying that it applies to everyone, but I think the situation is anything but binary

 

[coffeemilktea]

This is meant to be a serious issue, yet I just can't shake the mental image of Tim Cook personally duct-taping AirTags onto every single employee to keep track of them. 🤭

 

[foobarbaz]

iOS 15 brought focus mode and iPad widgets while iOS 16 got us a very buggy stage manager and external monitor support was delayed till the end of last year.

Not saying iOS has always been bug free, but you don’t think the last 2 years have been more lacklustre than usual? There also appears to be a pattern where purely software-based features (like focus mode) seem to roll out okay, while those that are dependent on hardware (like universal control) seemed to face more delays. That’s possibly also one limitation of working from home where you may have direct access to the hardware you are working on.

That's just recency bias, because it's easy to forget all the delays and bugs once they ship and are fixed.

People have been saying "Apple software used to be great, but recently …" for as long as I can remember.

I mean, look at this semi-famous blog post from 2015: https://marco.org/2015/01/04/apple-lost-functional-high-ground

 

[smaffei]

if apple are interested in cost cutting where possible then they should encourage more work from home as it'll be cheaper in the long run for them. the facilities management costs would be lower the more people don't need a physical office.

The work-at-home is not saving Apple money, though. They spent billions on that corporate campus that is being completely underutilized. That's how Apple's management sees it. Can't blame them, really.

 

[chenks]

wtf? We are talking about their HQ, which has ALWAYS been called the spaceship. Geez... Picking small things aren't we? I guess if people are gunna hate, they are gunna hate.

yes and to call it that means you have lost focus on reality, whatever keeps you happy though

it's actually called "Apple Park", but you keep believing.

 

[DelayedGratificationGene]

says who? you have proven evidence to back your claim up i presume?

i can tell you that being in the office was a physical distraction due to people always coming up to ask you a question, stopping your thought process in what you were actually doing.

Helping out a co worker right away is very productive. Helping them can ignite a whole chain of productivity. Being at home you’ll get to it eventually(after folding laundry) and possibly holding up a nice multiple employee domino effect productivity surge.

 

[chenks]

The work-at-home is not saving Apple money, though. They spent billions on that corporate campus that is being completely underutilized. That's how Apple's management sees it. Can't blame them, really.

maybe they shouldn't have blown billions into a vanity project.

shock horror @steve09090 dislikes my post, who would have thought

 

[steve09090]

The work-at-home is not saving Apple money, though. They spent billions on that corporate campus that is being completely underutilized. That's how Apple's management sees it. Can't blame them, really.

Totally agree. And whether it works or not, it is designed for collaboration. If working from home full time was a good idea, they would do it.

 

[GizmoDVD]

Awwwww poor babies. I hope going to work isn't too hard for them.

 

[chenks]

Helping out a co worker right away is very productive. Helping them can ignite a whole chain of productivity. Being at home you’ll get to it eventually(after folding laundry) and possibly holding up a nice multiple employee domino effect productivity surge.

only if the right way to help them was for them to come up to your desk and interrupt what you were supposed to be doing. losing focus on your task is not productive at all.

 

[smaffei]

I understand people's desire to continue working at home in California. Most of Apple's workers live nowhere close to work (they can't afford to live in the Valley even with making 6 figures) and the commute is a nerve wracking nightmare.

I think the line really should be drawn at: If you came to work before the pandemic, then you should return for the 3 days a week. If you were hired as remote during the pandemic and performed well, then you shouldn't be required to be in-person.

 

[steve09090]

yes and to call it that means you have lost focus on reality, whatever keeps you happy though

it's actually called "Apple Park", but you keep believing.

Seriously? The big issues huh?

 

[steve09090]

only if they right way to help them was for them to come up to your desk and interrupt what you were supposed to be doing. losing focus on your task is not productive at all.

That's not true though is it, when it comes to creativity? I guess when we work in silos or don't know how to collaborate, or not prepared to, that could be true.

 

[GizmoDVD]

Recent studies in Australia and the UK show that 4 days a week (32 hours) is more productive and better value. Even paying the full 40-hour pay. And that's generally for people going into the office, not skiving off at home!

Who doesn't want to get 1 free paid day off a week?!?

 

[jlc1978]

maybe in "good ole" america, but employment rights are pretty strong elsewhere.

True, but they also result in actins such as only hiring on short term contracts to make it easier to reduce staff or get rid of people.

 

[smaffei]

It is not unreasonable for a company to expect people to show up in an office three days a week. If the employee doesn’t want an in person job, they should find one that says 100% virtual in their offer letter.

Employees shouldn’t want all of these tech companies to be 100% virtual. Their jobs would be shipped outside the US.

I say try and ship the jobs overseas.

I've seen the code generated in other countries. It's bad. And, after a while, it comes back to US shores because the product quality slips. Seen it happen with companies I was in that have outsourced to India and Vietnam.

 

[chenks]

Who doesn't want to get 1 free paid day off a week?!?

apple probably think you already get 2 days off per week (sat and sun) so you already get enough

 

[chenks]

True, but they also result in actins such as only hiring on short term contracts to make it easier to reduce staff or get rid of people.

that only tends to happen if it's for a specific project, doesn't tend to happen for general employment.

 

[steve09090]

Who doesn't want to get 1 free paid day off a week?!?

Very true. But the actual studies show higher productivity and less burnout. Less sick days (which on its own pays for itself). The Queensland Study in Australia shows some of the direct benefits.

“Forty-six per cent of participating employers said their business productivity had remained roughly the same, while 34 per cent said it had improved slightly and 15 per cent said it had improved significantly,” he says.​

​

This means 95% say they are better off, or simply the same. But like wfh, there are savings in not having people in the office, plus you consider the benefits of a more engaged, happier or commited workforce, plus the lack of sick days, then there are still major wins.

 

[Lihp8270]

Apple's productivity stats = how buggy their software is.

iOS 16 has been pretty darn buggy if you ask me.

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How would working in an office improve this?

 

[smaffei]

With job cuts in the tech industry, I wonder how this will affect the ones that are resisting coming back in. I would say it may not bode well if their job is easily replaceable.

This. There were over 120,000 jobs cut in the Tech Industry in just if the first two months of this year. I agree, rocking the boat right now may not be prudent.

 

[chenks]

There were over 120,000 jobs cut in the Tech Industry in just if the first two months of this year.

how many of those were due to Elon going a power trip?

 

[jlc1978]

yes and to call it that means you have lost focus on reality, whatever keeps you happy though

it's actually called "Apple Park", but you keep believing.

Spaceship is the informal name given it; something employees at various companies do to work locations or even teh company name.

that only tends to happen if it's for a specific project, doesn't tend to happen for general employment.

It depends on the EU country and industry. In some areas it is quite common in the service industry, for example. Overall, it appears to sit at about 10% of the workforce.

 

[foobarbaz]

Helping out a co worker right away is very productive. Helping them can ignite a whole chain of productivity. Being at home you’ll get to it eventually(after folding laundry) and possibly holding up a nice multiple employee domino effect productivity surge.

It can be productive. It can be a real blocker.

But most of the time, it's just easier to ask than to look into it.
Sure have been guilty of this myself, if I know the person next to me can answer in 5 seconds what would take me minutes to figure out. But if it breaks their concentration and flow, I don't see the damage it does.

If anyone on the team is so important that regularly work truly stalls without their immediate input, that's a a big antipattern. Time to improve documentation, or spread knowledge and responsibilities. I mean, what if they're sick, on vacation or quit? Ouch …

 

[StudioMacs]

yes and to call it that means you have lost focus on reality, whatever keeps you happy though

it's actually called "Apple Park", but you keep believing.

When Steve Jobs pitched the idea to the city council during one of his last public appearances, he referred to the building as looking like a spaceship had landed.

If you don’t understand the affection Apple fans have for Steve, using his phrase to describe the campus, I question why you are so involved in this thread while repeatedly offering uniquely misguided takes.