Apple employees issue petition to keep working at home

Aug. 22 (UPI) -- Apple employees are pushing back on a demand by CEO Tim Cook ordering all San Francisco Bay Area workers back into the office for at least three days a week starting Sept. 5 with a petition.

Last week, Cook said the move to was needed to restore "in-person collaboration" at Apple. Cook said employees should expect to be in the office on Tuesdays and Thursdays with the third day being flexible depending on the teams they work with.

"We are excited to move forward with the pilot and believe that this revised framework will enhance our ability to work flexibly while preserving the in-person collaboration that is so essential to our culture," Cook said in a memo, according to The Guardian.

The petition touted the work remote Apple employees have performed while away from the office and that the new edict "does not consider the unique demands of each job role nor the diversity of individuals."

The petition said continued flexible arrangements are needed for those with disabilities, the need for family care, along with safety, health, environmental and financial concerns.

"To just plain being happier and more productive," the petition said. "The one thing we all have in common is wanting to do the best work of our lives for a company whose official stance is to do what's right rather than what's easy."

The petition asks for Apple to allow employees to work directly with their immediate manager to figure out working arrangements, have that decisions not be made by higher-level management and for the company to encourage, not move away from, flexible working environments.

The petition had gathered more than 140 of the 200 signatures it is seeking.