Apple Sunnyvale office described as 'black site' with tenuous work conditions
A new report gives a rare look into the Sunnyvale, Calif. Apple Maps satellite office on Hammerwood, where workers decry working conditions and describe it as a "black site."
Image Credit: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg
The site is so clandestine that managers tell staffers to walk several blocks away before calling for a ride home, according to Bloomberg sources. Its reception area is unpopulated, and the building lacks the sort of creature comforts Apple provides at Apple Park, to the point that there are lineups to use the men's bathrooms.
People assigned to the facility -- sometimes numbering 250 or more -- have contracts lasting 12 to 15 months and typically leave after that duration, the sources said. They're hired by Apex Systems, which staffs the Hammerwood building along with other Apple mapping offices.
"It was made pretty plain to us that we were at-will employees and they would fire us at any time," one contrator complained. "There was a culture of fear among the contractors which I got infected by and probably spread."
That situation is consistent with what an AppleInsider source experienced at another Apple Maps office in Austin, Tex.
After Bloomberg inquired about the Hammerwood location, Apple reportedly conducted a surprise audit and found conditions acceptable. "Like we do with other suppliers, we will work with Apex to review their management systems, including recruiting and termination protocols, to ensure the terms and conditions of employment are transparent and clearly communicated to workers in advance," a spokesperson said.
Apex's chief services officer and general counsel, Buddy Omohundro, insisted that his company "provides multiple avenues for employees to raise concerns, both directly and anonymously, and to have those concerns addressed."
Apple is said to be dependent on a global network of staffing firms, with other Apple Maps teams found in London, India, the Czech Republic, and other parts of Silicon Valley.
Some of the people hired by Apex said they joined with the hope of securing a full-time job at Apple, something Apex hyped, only to find the odds were slim. Apple is even said to be reducing the number of conversions to full-time as its profits take a hit, and discouraging people from listing the company by name on their resumes -- instead of "Apple via Apex Systems," LinkedIn profiles must allegedly say "A Major Tech Company Via Apex Systems."
Other problems under Apex are said to include high health insurance premiums, and sudden changes in employment terms, such as a reduction in annual paid sick time from 48 hours to 24 hours -- something workers were only warned about two days before the change took effect. In protest over a dozen staffers called in sick and left.
Contracts are said to include several weeks of training followed by a test, which if failed results in immediate termination -- a serious threat for people having to pay the high living expenses of California, and who may have made radical life changes on the assumption they had a stable job. Hammerwood wages are typically only $25 per hour, which would be generous in other states but in California are low enough that coworkers are sharing apartments and houses.
The firm is said to aggressively recruit people via LinkedIn, tracking down those with mapping-related skills and then messaging them "repeatedly." It doesn't initially mention the Apple connection, but when the name eventually drops, it may be a deciding factor for some hires.
The Hammerwood office is also home to a group of people who do work directly for Apple, but their exact role is unclear. It could be connected to the company's self-driving car project.
Image Credit: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg
The site is so clandestine that managers tell staffers to walk several blocks away before calling for a ride home, according to Bloomberg sources. Its reception area is unpopulated, and the building lacks the sort of creature comforts Apple provides at Apple Park, to the point that there are lineups to use the men's bathrooms.
People assigned to the facility -- sometimes numbering 250 or more -- have contracts lasting 12 to 15 months and typically leave after that duration, the sources said. They're hired by Apex Systems, which staffs the Hammerwood building along with other Apple mapping offices.
"It was made pretty plain to us that we were at-will employees and they would fire us at any time," one contrator complained. "There was a culture of fear among the contractors which I got infected by and probably spread."
That situation is consistent with what an AppleInsider source experienced at another Apple Maps office in Austin, Tex.
After Bloomberg inquired about the Hammerwood location, Apple reportedly conducted a surprise audit and found conditions acceptable. "Like we do with other suppliers, we will work with Apex to review their management systems, including recruiting and termination protocols, to ensure the terms and conditions of employment are transparent and clearly communicated to workers in advance," a spokesperson said.
Apex's chief services officer and general counsel, Buddy Omohundro, insisted that his company "provides multiple avenues for employees to raise concerns, both directly and anonymously, and to have those concerns addressed."
Apple is said to be dependent on a global network of staffing firms, with other Apple Maps teams found in London, India, the Czech Republic, and other parts of Silicon Valley.
Some of the people hired by Apex said they joined with the hope of securing a full-time job at Apple, something Apex hyped, only to find the odds were slim. Apple is even said to be reducing the number of conversions to full-time as its profits take a hit, and discouraging people from listing the company by name on their resumes -- instead of "Apple via Apex Systems," LinkedIn profiles must allegedly say "A Major Tech Company Via Apex Systems."
Other problems under Apex are said to include high health insurance premiums, and sudden changes in employment terms, such as a reduction in annual paid sick time from 48 hours to 24 hours -- something workers were only warned about two days before the change took effect. In protest over a dozen staffers called in sick and left.
Contracts are said to include several weeks of training followed by a test, which if failed results in immediate termination -- a serious threat for people having to pay the high living expenses of California, and who may have made radical life changes on the assumption they had a stable job. Hammerwood wages are typically only $25 per hour, which would be generous in other states but in California are low enough that coworkers are sharing apartments and houses.
The firm is said to aggressively recruit people via LinkedIn, tracking down those with mapping-related skills and then messaging them "repeatedly." It doesn't initially mention the Apple connection, but when the name eventually drops, it may be a deciding factor for some hires.
The Hammerwood office is also home to a group of people who do work directly for Apple, but their exact role is unclear. It could be connected to the company's self-driving car project.
Comments
The main thing i got from it is the Apple campus has lots of bathrooms.
i don’t care for the clear anti-workforce bias in this country.
Everything I’ve ever heard about and witnessed about Apple as an employer has made it clear to me that I will never work for them. It has nothing to do with my skill set and everything to do with my self-respect. I’ve been abused by employers before; there’s nothing more important than staying out from underfoot of a sociopathic organization.
BTW no company will allow you to list them are work experience if you work for a third party contracting service. Yes they works on Apple products, buy they do not work for Apple. I worked for companies who made product for all the major Telecom companies, but I can not say I worked for the major service providers just because I worked on product they used.
Why couldn't they?
Everyone has a higher moral standard for Apple. If this were Facebook or Google no one would give a shit.
Everyone is responsible to determine what is healthy and unhealthy for themselves and some people care more than others. The rule should always be look out for number one which is yourself and if you are not doing this and boss or company takes advantage of you, it is only you who you have to blame. I worked for a lots a big company and have been with them through the good and bad, and seen good environments turn toxic. Guess what when I decide I no longer wanted the company benefiting from my talents and skills I got the resume out and found someone else who was willing to pay me what I wanted and provide a better environment. I also been on the flip side when the company decide my value was more than they want to afford and show me the door, again I got that resume out and find a match.
Remember when you live in America, no one is forcing you to do anything and you have a whole country of choice.
I understand there may be benefits on the bottom line to Apple relegating certain tasks to situations that are less than luxurious, but that should be balanced against the adverse effects negative product impressions have on that same bottom line. Despite improvements over the years, Maps still has the lingering stigma of being a second-rate product to overcome. Maybe it and Siri are not places where Apple should be cutting corners on making workers happy.
The story is mainly about how Apex treats the employees, and that Apple signed off on it. To be fair, it's hard to say whether or not Apple was aware of Apex's treatment. But that doesn't prevent the casual reader from exercising their bias and making assumptions not based on fact.
Some things are perfectly normal for at-will contract employees, such as not being able to use the gym at Apple, and not being allowed to put Apple on a resume. Hint: don't list something on your resume that a previous employer will deny. 'No, he/she was not an Apple employee' is all they have to say. Then you've effectively lied on a resume. That can bite really hard.
The bathroom thing, if true, is a health issue. A call to OSHA might, might yield some action.
But all the restrictions and admonishments could be delivered with appropriate respect without depriving anyone of any dignity whatsoever. I've never been an at-will or contract employee, but I've worked in environments that did not hold employees in much if any regard. Fortunately, I found a career where I was valued and respected, doing a job I loved. Now retired, I look around and see how many people will not have one but several careers. And being seen as expendable generally means poor treatment by poorer management.
What a dumbass statement. You make a shitload of assumptions in order to further diatribe.
Equally ludicrous that someone would buy things like that having hundreds of employees park a few blocks away would somehow conceal the fact that they are walking to a location. Or leaving by the back door--Onion material for sure! It would have been more believable if they had said Apple built a secret underground tunnel and employees can only emerge from it during hours of darkness.
And one of the biggest giveaways that web sites were being pranked was the description of the "sweat shop" slave labor conditions evil Apple was having its contractors work in. "understocked vending machines" and ""recruiters repeated messaging candidates via LinkedIn," and expecting employees to be able to pass a competency test after training?" Oh, the inhumanity of it all! LOL. LOL. LOL.
Second, Apple is "sociopathic"? And every single thing you've heard has given you that impression? So when you read a story about the Apple annual beer bash, with big name performers, you think "sociopaths!" Frankly, I'm having a hard time thinking of any story that would give you that impression. Perhaps product secrecy?
"We care about privacy"
Yeah let's ignore Google and Facebook and bash Apple all day.
My goodness these articles.....
Just realized this. I feel stupid now. I took the bait.
P.S. this reminds me of the Foxconn articles that have idiots yelling "Apple hires slaves!!!"
Good thing to know that Apple treats their employees well.
The story doesn’t ‘smell’ right.