Apple has given pay hikes to retail employees who joined the company before the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak in 2020. People familiar with the matter told Bloomberg that the pay hike was during store briefings and individual meetings and are designed to match the pay of older hires with that of recent hires.
Apple gives 2% to 10% raises to select salespeople, Genius Bar technical staff, and senior hourly workers
As per the report, salespeople, Genuis Bar technical support staff, and senior hourly workers will get a 2% to 10% pay increase depending on their store location and role, and it does not apply to all employees and stores. The pay jump will go into effect this month, it will be separate from Apple’s annual raises.
With the new raises, one salesperson saw compensation rise by about $2 to $25 an hour. Another worker who handles repairs saw an increase of about $3 to $24 per hour.
Recently, it was reported that Apple also plans to introduce new incentives for all retail employees in the U.S. which include more paid sick days, annual vacations, and more for part-time and full-time staff members.
These efforts by the tech giant are designed to retain employees in a stifling labor market due to COVID-19 pandemic financial pressure.
Businesses across the U.S. have struggled to find workers as the economy rebounds from the pandemic. Inflation has added more pressure. The government’s consumer price index rose 7.5% in January, the fastest annual pace since 1982. In Apple’s case, some retail employees have complained about the world’s most valuable company — with a cash hoard of more than $200 billion — being slow to boost its compensation.
The changes might also be pushed by retail employees’ complaints about workplace conditions, their deteriorating mental health, and stagnant careers. After an employee committed suicide, his colleagues blamed the workplace’s culture for his death which make them feel like their careers are in the hands of biased store managers and filing complaints is pointless.
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