Apple Employees Tracked Through Badge Records, Issued 'Escalating Warnings' Amid Strict 'Return-To-Office' Policy Enforcement: Report

Apple Inc. AAPL has had issues in the past with bringing people back to the office following the COVID-19 lockdowns. Now, it appears that Cupertino may be serious about strictly enforcing its “return-to-office” policy.

What Happened: Apple is tracking employee attendance through badge records and will issue "escalating warnings" to employees if they do not come to the office three times a week, said Platformer Managing Editor Zoe Schiffer.

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Within Apple, some divisions are looking to terminate employees if they fail to comply with this mandate, although it doesn’t appear to be a company-wide policy, she added.

She also stated in the tweet that Twitter CEO Elon Musk sent the employees of the social media platform an email early Wednesday, stating that “office is not optional.” He also reportedly noted that the San Francisco office was half empty on Tuesday.

Why It’s Important: Apple’s rumored clampdown doesn’t come as a surprise as ever since the lockdown restrictions were removed in 2021, the company has been prodding employees to make it to the office. This is despite resistance among the employees to turn up.

Bloomberg columnist Mark Gurman said in his latest instalment of the weekly “Power On” newsletter that Cupertino defied the urge to lay off employees on a large scale with its prudent policies and efficiency drive.

One of the measures that were part of the company’s efficiency drive was having strict managerial supervision of office attendance.

“Employees are typically expected to come in on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays — and some workers believe this is a harbinger to the company firing employees who don’t meet the requirement,” Gurman said.

Price Action: Apple shares closed Wednesday’s session down 0.91%, at $157.83, according to Benzinga Pro data.

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