Omicron threat makes Apple extend WFH, Google to fire unvaccinated employees

The Covid-19 era threw companies around the world in a perplexing situation. Work from home was hardly part of the work culture until Covid showed us that it can very well be. After nearly two years of chaos and work from home, the situation had just begun returning to some form of the (old) normal, when Omicron struck. The new Covid variant has pushed back companies, forcing them to redraw their strategy about return-to-office plans.

American multinational technology company Apple has decided to take back its order for employees to return to office by February 1, 2022, after fresh threats from Omicron. Apple is yet to announce a new return-to-office date for its employees.

On the other hand, Alphabet Inc. company, Google, has asked for the vaccination status of the employees by December 3 and decided to sack the ones who don’t comply with the company's vaccination rules, after January 18.

OMICRON LEAVES APPLE IN FRESH MESS

Apple had set February 1, 2022 as the deadline for its employees to return to office. However, the recent concerns around the new variant of Covid-19 have prompted the global giant to rethink its return-to-office policy. Since the new variant can evade vaccine immunity, and not much is known about it, apprehensions around it justify WFH/remote working for now.

As per Bloomberg, Apple CEO Tim Cook informed the employees about their new work from office plans via an email. He wrote, "We are delaying the start of our hybrid work pilot to a date yet to be determined. Our offices remain open and many of our colleagues are coming in regularly, including our teams in Greater China and elsewhere,” the CEO said.

In the email, the Cook mentioned that the new change in plans for the employees were taken in the light of fresh Covid cases around the world and the threat of the new Covid-19 variant, Omicron. He also encouraged the employees to get vaccinated against the disease becuase that is the only way to combat it.

In the memo, Cook also mentioned that the California based company will also provide employees with a bonus of USD 1,000 in support of work-from-home needs, reasoning that it is in support of the company’s commitment to a more flexible work environment.

This announcement comes just a week after Apple asked its employees to return to office by February 1.

GOOGLE TIGHTENS VACCINATION RULES

In an internal document obtained by CNBC, the company had asked employees to submit their vaccination details, and apply for medical or religious exemption by December 3. After that, the company would contact the employees who are not vaccinated and whose exemptions were not approved. If the employees are found to not follow vaccination rules after January 18, they will be sent on paid administrative leave for 30 days, followed by unpaid leave for six months, and then eventually terminated.

The memo read, “Anyone entering a Google building must be fully vaccinated or have an approved accommodation that allows them to work or come onsite”.

Earlier, Google had asked its employees to return to office by January 10 on a hybrid model, with 3 days of work from office. But fresh cases of Omicron and subsequent rise of cases around the world have now prompted the multinational company to delay the plan indefinitely.