Apple to delay office return until 2022

Tech giant previously slated office reopenings for October

Apple has told its staff that it won't be asking them back to offices until 2022 as Covid cases continue to rise due to the Delta variant.

In a memo sent to staff, seen by Bloomberg, Apple said that staff won't be invited back until January 2022 at the earliest. It added that it will give its employees one months' notice when a new timeline for returning to offices is decided.

The delay applies to all of Apple's corporate employees globally but its stores will remain open.

The memo, sent by Apple's head of HR Deirdre O'Brien, reads: "I know there are feelings of frustration that the pandemic is not yet behind us," she wrote. "For many colleagues around the world this period has been a time of great tragedy, suffering and heartbreak. Please know that we are all here to support one another and stand with one another during such challenging times."

Apple previously intended to begin a phased return to offices in October after it pushed back an original date slated for the beginning of September. Staff are expected to be in the office three days a week under Apple's remote working policy.

Other tech giants have put in place safety measures amid a spike in Covid cases in the US and globally. In line with Apple, Facebook and Amazon have also delayed a return to the office for employees until 2022.

Microsoft and Google recently pushed back their office reopening dates from September to October and made it mandatory for anyone using the office to provide proof that they are fully vaccinated against the virus.