Global spread of virus has made work at Apple flexible

Relaxed rules also apply to iPhone maker’s 5,000 India staff

March 14, 2020 10:21 pm | Updated 10:49 pm IST - Bengaluru

Apple CEO Tim Cook speaks during an event to announce new products Tuesday Oct. 30, 2018, in the Brooklyn borough of New York. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews)

Apple CEO Tim Cook speaks during an event to announce new products Tuesday Oct. 30, 2018, in the Brooklyn borough of New York. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews)

The global spread of Covid-19 has steered Apple towards flexible work arrangements worldwide outside of Greater China, said Apple CEO Tim Cook in a statement.

“There is no mistaking the challenge of this moment,” Mr. Cook said, addressing employees and customers.

As per the new arrangement at Apple, all team members are asked to work remotely if their job allows, and those whose work requires them to be onsite should follow guidance to maximise interpersonal space. “Extensive, deep cleaning will continue at all sites. In all our offices, we are rolling out new health screenings and temperature checks,” he said.

Apple has 5,000 employees in India, including contract workers. A majority of its staff are located in its Hyderabad development centre, while a small number is in Bengaluru to support sales and marketing.

 

“We have expanded our leave policies to accommodate personal or family health circumstances created by Covid-19, including recovering from an illness, caring for a sick loved one, mandatory quarantining, or childcare challenges due to school closures.”

The Apple chief also announced that all Apple retail stores outside of Greater China would remain closed until March 27.

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.