Apple corporate employees have been instructed to return to the office three days a week, starting in September. Apple CEO Tim Cook broke the news to employees on Wednesday via a memo seen by The Verge.
“For all that we’ve been able to achieve while many of us have been separated, the truth is that there has been something essential missing from this past year: each other,” Cook said in the memo. “Video conference calling has narrowed the distance between us, to be sure, but there are things it simply cannot replicate.”
Most employees will return to their offices on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays, and will be allowed the option of working remotely on Wednesdays and Fridays. Teams that require in-person work will return to the office four to five days a week.
Employees will be allowed to work remotely for up to two weeks every year, “to be closer to family and loved ones, find a change of scenery, manage unexpected travel, or a different reason all your own,” after receiving permission from their managers.
Cook told employees that he’s looking forward to seeing their faces around the office. “I know I’m not alone in missing the hum of activity, the energy, creativity, and collaboration of our in-person meetings, and the sense of community we’ve all built,” he wrote.
