Apple preps plan to let retail staffers work from home

Apple preps plan to let retail staffers work from home

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Periodically working from home could become a permanent part of Apple retail employees’ job.
Photo: Apple

Apple is reportedly going to test a program that will have its Apple Store retail employees work from home some of the time. And no, that won‘t involve customers shopping in employees’ living rooms.

A trial program called Retail Flex will have some employees working in Apple Stores part time but working remotely the rest of the time, according to Bloomberg. When not face-to-face with customers, they’ll do online customer service and technical support.

Whether they work in a store on online will supposedly depend how much demand there is for each. And the employees might find themselves working from home more and more. “Creating such a program is an acknowledgment that the trend of greater online shopping accelerated by COVID-19 may continue despite economic re-openings and vaccine availability in many parts of the world,” wrote Mark Gurman in the Bloomberg report.

Apple Store employees at home

Apple retail employees working from home is hardly a new thing. During the pandemic, Apple Stores were all shuttered and workers were asked to help with online customer support.

The difference is that Retail Flex is just getting started even as the COVID-19 pandemic is winding down in many areas. Apple Store employees should apparently expect it to become a permanent part of the job.