Apple gives retail employees T-shirt, keepsake credo for holidays

Posted:
in General Discussion edited December 2016
Apple on Friday presented its retail workforce with the usual annual holiday gift, this year consisting of a special edition gray T-shirt and keepsake card onto which the company's corporate credo is printed.




On the front of the tee are two concentric circles made up of what looks to be a list of Apple's global brick-and-mortar store network, reports MacRumors.

Alongside the shirts, employees around the world received a copy of Apple's new six-stanza corporate credo printed on heavy card stock paper. The keepsake letter comes in its own protective envelope, itself emblazoned with an Apple logo.

The holiday gift giving exercise has become somewhat of a tradition at Apple. Last year, employees received a pair of urBeats headphones and a 9-month subscription to Apple Music, while previous holiday bonuses include Incase backpacks, sport bottles, blankets and other paraphernalia.

Apple is known to hold its retail workforce in high esteem, but the company was recently hit with a series of class-action lawsuits alleging mistreatment that resulted in lost wages. In 2009, for example, a group of California retail workers filed a class-action lawsuit arguing time spent complying with anti-theft measures, namely employee bag checks, is compensable under the Fair Labor Standards Act. A federal judge dismissed that case last year.

More recently, Apple this week was saddled with a $2 million penalty as part of a separate class-action suit that accused the company of running afoul of California's labor laws. Specifically, plaintiffs alleged Apple failed to compensate workers for missed meal and rest periods, furnish accurate itemized wage statements and pay out ending employment wages.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 58
    calicali Posts: 3,494member
    Can we see the credo?
  • Reply 2 of 58
    Those concentric circles are very likely the outline of Apple's new Headquarters opening in 2017
    stanhoperetrogustoicoco3
  • Reply 3 of 58
    JinTechJinTech Posts: 1,020member
    jleem said:
    Those concentric circles are very likely the outline of Apple's new Headquarters opening in 2017
    As a way of saying their retail headquarters is around the globe, which is also round. 
    StrangeDaysicoco3
  • Reply 4 of 58
    I think the concentric circles work better than having "I work for the largest company in the world and all I got was this lousy T shirt".
    baconstangmacseekermwhiteaknabipscooter63king editor the gratestanhopeParmisjSnivelydysamoria
  • Reply 5 of 58
    They should have gone with an iPod shuffle with the Credo recited by Tim (with massive Auto-Tune) at the top of the playlist.
    edited December 2016 ration alretrogustoicoco3
  • Reply 6 of 58
    bigpicsbigpics Posts: 1,397member
    I think the text is "I worked in an Apple Store for a whole year and all they brought me was this lousy T-shirt."

    (Or maybe it's not all? One would hope. I just wanted to say the above, lolz.)
    edited December 2016 boredumbzone
  • Reply 7 of 58
    Or how about, "Thank you for the TShirt and the Apple Credo". Also, "thank you for reminding me that I work for a wonderful company, with good ethics and that cares about all its employees. Thanks for all the other perks I get throughout the year. And, Apple I understand that you can't get extravagant with the gifts, considering you have tens of thousands of employees and a fiduciary responsibility to the investor/owners.
    And, especially, thanks for the job!".

    that would be my approach. 
    edited December 2016 baconstangstanthemanhike1272hike1272Parmisquadra 610duervoration almac_dogai46
  • Reply 8 of 58
    djsherlydjsherly Posts: 1,031member
    Or how about, "Thank you for the TShirt and the Apple Credo". Also, "thank you for reminding me that I work for a wonderful company, with good ethics and that cares about all its employees. Thanks for all the other perks I get throughout the year. And, Apple I understand that you can't get extravagant with the gifts, considering you have tens of thousands of employees and a fiduciary responsibility to the investor/owners.
    And, especially, thanks for the job!".

    that would be my approach.
    If you're going to give give gifts for Christmas, give gifts that have meaning. This is really insincere.

    I got a gift voucher which got me a really nice pair of shoes, a highly rated bottle of red wine and and a degustation at a highly regarded restaurant. Give gifts by all means, but a t shirt and a christmas card?
    edited December 2016 sirlance99rogifan_newboredumbbigpicsperkedeldysamoriaduervorobertwalterGeorgeBMacicoco3
  • Reply 9 of 58
    Or how about, "Thank you for the TShirt and the Apple Credo". Also, "thank you for reminding me that I work for a wonderful company, with good ethics and that cares about all its employees. Thanks for all the other perks I get throughout the year. And, Apple I understand that you can't get extravagant with the gifts, considering you have tens of thousands of employees and a fiduciary responsibility to the investor/owners.
    And, especially, thanks for the job!".

    that would be my approach.
    This is the biggest crock of BS I've read in a long time. It's a freaking stupid T-shirt and a card. "Thanks for the job" There are tons of jobs out there that are just as good and pay just as well. It's a corporate retail job. Nothing that special. What other perks? Other jobs give great perks as well. I get free dinner 3 times a week. Big freak whoop. 
    boredumbbobroobigpicsdysamoriaduervozonerobertwalterGeorgeBMac
  • Reply 10 of 58
    Or how about, "Thank you for the TShirt and the Apple Credo". Also, "thank you for reminding me that I work for a wonderful company, with good ethics and that cares about all its employees. Thanks for all the other perks I get throughout the year. And, Apple I understand that you can't get extravagant with the gifts, considering you have tens of thousands of employees and a fiduciary responsibility to the investor/owners.
    And, especially, thanks for the job!".

    that would be my approach. 
    although I understand what you are trying to say and in general I agree with you but this yet again shows how disconnected Tim Cook is. 

    The point of giving a gift is to show appreciation and how much they value you. Giving something that cost you a few cents to make in China is more of a slap in the face than anything. It would be the equivalent of your boss stopping you in the hall and giving you a penny and words of wisdom (don't eat yellow snow) then expecting you to be oh so appreciative.  I would rather them say "sorry, we aren't giving out Christmas bonuses any more" then this read between the lines message they just doled out to their employees.
    bigpicsperkedeldysamoriarobertwalterGeorgeBMactechprod1gy
  • Reply 11 of 58
    altivec88 said:
    Or how about, "Thank you for the TShirt and the Apple Credo". Also, "thank you for reminding me that I work for a wonderful company, with good ethics and that cares about all its employees. Thanks for all the other perks I get throughout the year. And, Apple I understand that you can't get extravagant with the gifts, considering you have tens of thousands of employees and a fiduciary responsibility to the investor/owners.
    And, especially, thanks for the job!".

    that would be my approach. 
    although I understand what you are trying to say and in general I agree with you but this yet again shows how disconnected Tim Cook is. 

    The point of giving a gift is to show appreciation and how much they value you. Giving something that cost you a few cents to make in China is more of a slap in the face than anything. It would be the equivalent of your boss stopping you in the hall and giving you a penny and words of wisdom (don't eat yellow snow) then expecting you to be oh so appreciative.  I would rather them say "sorry, we aren't giving out Christmas bonuses any more" then this read between the lines message they just doled out to their employees.
    It's got to especially suck if you remember how much dough is in Ireland
    bobroorobertwalterGeorgeBMac
  • Reply 12 of 58
    I too wonder about the credo:

    "Short term profit maximisation at the expense of the most loyal customer base on the planet"

    maybe?
    apple jockeydysamoriaai46
  • Reply 13 of 58
    Where I work employees don't get gifts for the holidays. I'd rather get nothing than a cheap t-shirt. I think last year Apple retail employees got Beats headphones.
    robertwalterGeorgeBMac
  • Reply 14 of 58
    edited December 2016 dysamoriaration al
  • Reply 15 of 58
    dachardachar Posts: 330member
    Christmas is a time for giving gifts and New Year for making resolutions. The credo should have been handed out in early January. In comparison with the previous year it appears all that the staff received for a year's hard work is just a t shirt. It is not even a jolly colour. This gives all the wrong messages. For such a succesful  and valuable company Apple appears to be undervaluing its retail staff. Or perhaps they got a bonus as well?
    robertwalterGeorgeBMac
  • Reply 16 of 58
    cali said:
    Can we see the credo?

    For any fans of British sci-fi comics.

    Nominal gifts like this so counterproductive and make people think even less of the company giving them but on the good side they will probably sell well on eBay.
    dysamoriabaconstangrobertwalterGeorgeBMac
  • Reply 17 of 58

    Mmm...


    Reminds me of this:



    apple jockeymessagepad2100
  • Reply 18 of 58
    Uh-oh, I think what we have here is a category 3 Rainbow Conundrum.   Can't complain about passioned adherence to a traditional custom if working so hard to promote the importance of infinite variety of beliefs.

    So I'm thinking Apple gets a multi-cultural pass here, and the people expecting a gift or one of a certain level are in the wrong.  Right?  

    Also Apple didn't have as good of a year compared to last, and haven't there been a few prominent Apple bloggers complaining about the retail store experience?  If Apple feels retail employees are lacking, why give them gifts?  Maybe a reminder of the bigger picture of the entire organization they work for on a shirt, and a refresher of the mission statement is a better message to your staff?

    But sure, give them all expensive gifts for Christmas regardless, because of that Christian message Apple routinely expounds... oh wait... 
    edited December 2016
  • Reply 19 of 58
    It's retail, you fools.

     :D 
  • Reply 20 of 58
    I think the concentric circles work better than having "I work for the largest company in the world and all I got was this lousy T shirt"


     
     I really don't expect anything from my employer but I did receive a $25.00 Target gift card.
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