For the fourth time the Cupertino-based tech giant is delaying its back to office plans. According to its plans, Apple was supposed to bring its employees back to office from February 1, 2022. Since the new Omicron Covid-19 variant is spreading across the world, Apple is once again pushing back the idea.

The company is giving employees $1,000 bonus, which they can spend on their work from home systems. Apple has informed employees that it will give them a month’s notice before determining the actual date to get back to its offices.

Apple had intended to start its fusion work plans in June this year expecting employees to come back to office three days a week. With Covid-19 showing little signs of slowing down, Apple delayed that plan to September, with that also being delayed and now a new date has not been determined.

On September 23rd this year, the company has decided to give $1000 for retail staff who were hired before March 31 and while anyone who joined after the date will receive $500. New workers for the holiday shopping season can get $200. The pay-outs are also applicable for AppleCare and online sales workers.

Kate Lister, President of research and consulting, Google Workplace Analytics adds ”a bit odd, not in terms of the frequency of remote work but in the fact that they are specifying the ins office days as Monday, Tuesday and Thursday on ac company wide basis.

Apple closed three retail stores across Miami, Maryland and Ottawa temporarily in the US as there has been a surge in Covid-19 cases. It has brought the mandatory mask in its US stores as well. The mask mandate which had been lifted for customers is now back, at almost half of Apple Stores in the US were not required for customers to wear masks. Apple says that masks are once again mandatory to support the well being of customers and employees. “Amid rising cases in many communities, we now require that all customers join our team members in wearing masks while visiting our stores.”