Apple to give retail, hourly workers with coronavirus symptoms unlimited sick leave
As part of continuing efforts to stop the spread of COVID-19, Apple is offering hourly workers and retail employees unlimited sick leave if they exhibit symptoms of the virus, according to a report on Monday.
According to 9to5Mac, workers suffering from symptoms indicative of the new coronavirus are able to take leave without providing the usual doctor's note to management. Whether the policy applies worldwide or is restricted to U.S. operations is unknown.
In any case, the decision to keep employees out of the office or Apple Stores, with pay, is a deft move that enables Apple to protect both its customers and workers during the fast-moving crisis.
For now, Apple's retail locations in the U.S. will remain open, though the company on Monday canceled upcoming Today at Apple sessions in the San Francisco Bay Area and Seattle. Similar action was taken in Italy last week following store closures in China.
In addition to closing retail outlets and offices in heavily impacted areas, Apple over the weekend began to encourage employees based in San Francisco, as well as France, Germany, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Switzerland and the UK, to work from home as an "extra precaution." Last Thursday, the County of Santa Clara's public health department issued new guidance concerning COVID-19 and urged tech giants in Silicon Valley to suspend nonessential employee travel, minimize close employee contact at work, cancel large meetings and conferences, and urge employees to stay home when they are sick.
For its part, Apple early this month restricted travel to South Korea and Italy. The company also pulled out of the now-canceled SXSW festival, where it was slated to premiere three new Apple TV+ originals.
According to 9to5Mac, workers suffering from symptoms indicative of the new coronavirus are able to take leave without providing the usual doctor's note to management. Whether the policy applies worldwide or is restricted to U.S. operations is unknown.
In any case, the decision to keep employees out of the office or Apple Stores, with pay, is a deft move that enables Apple to protect both its customers and workers during the fast-moving crisis.
For now, Apple's retail locations in the U.S. will remain open, though the company on Monday canceled upcoming Today at Apple sessions in the San Francisco Bay Area and Seattle. Similar action was taken in Italy last week following store closures in China.
In addition to closing retail outlets and offices in heavily impacted areas, Apple over the weekend began to encourage employees based in San Francisco, as well as France, Germany, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Switzerland and the UK, to work from home as an "extra precaution." Last Thursday, the County of Santa Clara's public health department issued new guidance concerning COVID-19 and urged tech giants in Silicon Valley to suspend nonessential employee travel, minimize close employee contact at work, cancel large meetings and conferences, and urge employees to stay home when they are sick.
For its part, Apple early this month restricted travel to South Korea and Italy. The company also pulled out of the now-canceled SXSW festival, where it was slated to premiere three new Apple TV+ originals.
Comments
Hopefully other big corps will follow suit. A friend of mine lives in Milano and she has women who cleans her apartment. The women came this week in tears because my friend is her only customer who will let her work during this pandemic. Workers like this women who many people depend upon will be hit the hardest during this disaster so please stop complaining your Apple stock took a hit, it will recover while some people will have nothing to feed their families.
Why don't you volunteer to visit their homes to make sure they are sick. What no? Then keep your nonsense to yourself.
I don't believe that verifying somebody's claims can be called nonsense. There are always scrupulous people who will take advantage of any situation and with all of the hysteria going around and an easily manipulated and gullible population, I believe that my concerns are valid.
Incredible. And at the same time, utterly unsurprising, coming from you.
The fact that Apple is still happy to pay them proves to me that this company is run by long-term strategists and not right-wing nutjobs (as if that was ever in doubt).
What Apple has realised is what anyone with common sense can see straight away: people on low incomes will carry on working if they're not getting paid while showing symptoms of the virus. These people work in hospitals, care homes, retail ... all the places where they'll come in contact with people (many of them for whom the virus could be a serious problem).
Rather than being concerned over short-term profits, Apple has focused on the long-term effect of having sick workers interacting with the general public.
Will my Apple shares take a hit? Yes.
Am I concerned? Yes. (Well, not really, no, but I probably should be)
Am I panicking? No
Would I rather take a hit than watch more people fall sick and possibly die because Apple is being greedy? Hell yes, I'll take the hit. Nothing to do with politics, more to do with thinking long-term. The more people who survive the virus then the more customers are left for Apple.
Remember that this is the company that started opening retail stores when everyone else was closing them down. Think different, think long-term.
I have been following experiments where countries give people a free monthly income, no strings attached. Now imagine that a low income worker receives an extra that will help keep his head above water while he's recovering from a viral infection. He's less likely to try to carry on working and spreading the virus.
An employer that asks sick people to stay home will have more healthy workers. It's how smart businesses work.
Call the kettle black much. People with your opinion are helping the virus spread, bet you're proud of that.
LabCorp in the US is now performing tests.
https://www.labcorp.com/information-labcorp-about-coronavirus-disease-2019-covid-19