TABLE OF CONTENT

1. Introduction ...................................................................................................................................... 3

2. Work environment ........................................................................................................................... 3

2.1 Physical environment ................................................................................................................ 3

2.2 Company Culture ...................................................................................................................... 4

3. Pros and Cons ................................................................................................................................... 5

3.1/ Advantages............................................................................................................................... 5

3.1.1/ Culture of innovation............................................................................................................ 5

3.1.2/ Collaboration and team-work ............................................................................................... 5

3.1.3/ Good treatment from company ............................................................................................. 6

3.2/ Disadvantages ......................................................................................................................... 6

3.2.1/ Discrimination ...................................................................................................................... 6

3.2.2/ Lack of Work-Life balance .................................................................................................. 7

4. Solutions ............................................................................................................................................ 7

4.1 Creating a healthy Work-Life balance…………………………………………………………8

4.2 Recruiting more staff ................................................................................................................ 8

5. Conclusion ......................................................................................................................................... 9

6. References ......................................................................................................................................... 9

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1. Introduction
Apple is one of the largest technology companies in the world and has a well-known reputation for its

innovative products and sleek design. Back then, in 1976, Apple was founded by Steve Wozniak, Steve Jobs

and Ronald Wayne to develop and sell personal computers (Levy, 2022). Throughout the century, Apple began

to invent music players (Ipod), smartphones (Iphone), tablets (ipad),etc. Apple’s targeted consumers are those

who have a handsome income and willing to pay to be up-to-date with the latest technology. Moreover, Apple’s

Co-Founder - Steve Jobs had an incredible business philosophy which is “THINK DIFFERENT” and all

products of Apple must be perfect or else they will not sell those products (Marketing, 2011).The company’s

management and working environment are both major contributors to its success. In this essay, we will analyze

Apple’s management process and its working environment.

2. Work environment

2.1 Physical environment

Apple is known for its innovative products, but the company also invests heavily in creating a work

environment that promotes efficiency and productivity. Apple recognizes that its staff is the greatest asset and

therefore it is committed to ensuring that they have the resources and facilities necessary to perform their jobs

effectively. One of the ways that Apple supports its staff is by providing them with the latest technology,

software and discounts when buying the products of the company (PerkUp, 2022). As a technology company,

Apple believes that its employees should have access to the same technology that they are creating for their

customers. This will help them to have a better understanding about the products that their company is

providing to buyers. This investment ensures that employees have the tools they need to work efficiently and

effectively and enables them to stay up-to-date with the latest technology trends. Another way that Apple

invests in its staff is through training and development programs. Apple provides its employees with a great

variety of training opportunities to enhance their skills and knowledge such as technical training, leadership

development programs and mentorship programs (Apple Newsroom, 2022). These training programs help

employees to stay current with the latest technologies and best practices and it also provides them with a clear

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career path within the company. Besides, Apple also pays great attention to the health and wellness of its staff

when it provides the employees with comprehensive health and benefits, including medical, dental and vision

coverage (PerkUp, 2022). Meanwhile, the company aims to promote a healthy and productive work

environment so the staff have full access to all the mental health resources and wellness programs at the fitness

centers or healthy meals on campus. Furthermore, there is no denying the fact that Apple has an extraordinary

facility when all the departments are well designed to promote sustainability and environmental responsibility.

For instance, Apple’s headquarters in Cupertino is powered entirely by renewable energy (Wigness, 2017). By

investing in a green environment, Apple generates a refreshing and relaxing atmosphere for employees and

becomes a pioneer company heading to a sustainable working environment. Apple set its own goal of making

all of its facilities 100% carbon neutral by 2030 to promote a greener future and setting an example for other

companies to follow (Apple, 2020)

2.2 Company Culture

Apple products are known for their sleek and modern design and this is reflected in the culture of the company.

Its employees are encouraged to think creatively and come up with new ideas that are not only functional but

also aesthetically pleasing. Working culture of this company is also characterized by a strong sense of

teamwork (Morton, 2015). Apple employees work collaboratively to develop new products and improve

existing ones. This company also promotes an open and transparent communication style to foster trust and

respect among team members. This communication style encourages employees to provide feedback to each

other, which helps to improve the quality of work and outcomes. Moreover, Apple has a unique team structure

that contributes to its success. The company uses cross-functional teams that are responsible for different

aspects of a product such as design, engineering or marketing (InformIT, 2015). This structure enables teams

to work together closely and ensures that each team member has a clear understanding of the goals and

objectives of the project. This structure will considerably increase innovation and creativity when each team

is given the freedom to experiment with new ideas and approaches. Another crucial role in the company culture

of Apple is the leadership. That is to say, the leader set a strong example for the rest of the organization by

promoting a culture of collaboration and respect. They provide clear direction, guidance for the team to work

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towards a common goal. Besides, the company values diversity and encourages employees from different

backgrounds and experiences to work together and set up an innovative and inclusive workplace

(BrandCulture, 2018).

3. Pros and Cons

3.1 Advantages

3.1.1/ Culture of innovation

Apple has a creative innovation workplace culture. The company's cultural values focus on maintaining a high

level of creative thinking that incorporates workers' creativity and a mindset that challenges conventions and

standards, such as in consumer electronics design.

Tim Cook said, "it's never been stronger. Innovation is so deeply embedded in Apple's culture. The boldness,

ambition, belief there aren't limits, a desire to make the very best products in the world. It's the strongest ever.

It's in the DNA of the company.""If you look at some essentials, there's no formula. If there was a formula, a

lot of companies would have bought their ability to innovate". (Appleinsider, 2013)

3.1.2/ Collaboration and team-work

Apple believes in the power of collaboration and how it boosts productivity. Apple's organizational structure

is identical to that of a start-up, with no committees and distinct executives for different departments and

products.

Apple staff meet for a three-hour meeting every week to review objectives and progress. Employees rely on

one another to do high-quality job on time and with little oversight. Steve Jobs guarantees that the organization

is operated on ideas rather than hierarchy, which encourages people to be creative.

Steve Jobs, former Apple CEO, described teamwork as, “Teamwork is dependent on trusting the other folks

to come through with their part without watching them all the time”. This belief by Steve Jobs helped to

establish the importance and foundation of teamwork in Apple. (carolinealbanesesit, 2016)

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3.1.3/ Good treatment from company

Apple really treats its employees extremely well. Becoming an Apple’s employees can bring you a lot of

benefits, such as a high salary, mature workplace environment, healthcare and discounts. Thus, it is a dream

job for most people.

Apple said: “ We see the whole you. At Apple, we approach everything we do with a deeper level of care and

respect for your personal experience. You can sense it in our products, our stores, and also the ways we invest

in our employees. It’s a recognition of us all as individuals, who thrive when we have the resources that meet

our own unique needs. That’s why Apple offers all kinds of ways to experience well-being, confidence, and

satisfaction. Because when you feel good, you feel like you can do your best work and live your best life.”

(Apple.com)

3.2 Disadvantages

Despite many good points in the company culture, Apple still remains some dark sides of their working

environment.

3.2.1/ Discrimination

For instance, there is a movement called #AppleToo raising attention to racism, sexism, inequality inside

Apple. According to the group, the main thread connecting "hundreds of stories of racism, sexism,

discrimination, retaliation, bullying, sexual and other forms of harassment, and sexual assault" is that these

reports were allegedly ignored by the firm's human resources representatives (AppleInsider,2021).

This movement has shown several civil issues of Apple. In fact, many employees complain that they don’t

receive equal pay for their work. This isn't just dissatisfaction among well-paid corporate employees; in fact,

not all corporate workers are “well-paid”. Besides, it seems to be hard for black employees to be promoted to

important positions in the company.

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3.2.2/ Lack of Work-Life balance

Working at Apple sounds like a dream job for a lot of people with a high salary and great opportunities.

However, researchers show that one of the biggest problems of Apple is the low rates of work-life balance for

the employee.

In

addition, current and former Apple employees have complained of a poor work-life balance compared to other

companies such as Microsoft (Indeed.com).

Some employees have admitted that, depending on your role at Apple, the long working hours have affected

their life. It is common that people often burn out while working at Apple. Thus, work-life balance was “non-

existent” (Business Insider,2015).

4. Solutions

4.1 Creating a healthy work-life balance

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“Work/life programs have the potential to significantly improve employee morale, reduce absenteeism, and

retain organizational knowledge, particularly during difficult economic times. In today’s global marketplace,

as companies aim to reduce costs, it falls to the human resource professional to understand the critical issues

of work/life balance and champion work/life programs. Be it employees whose family members and/or friends

are called to serve their country, single mothers who are trying to raise their children and make a living,

Generation X and Y employees who value their personal time, couples struggling to manage dual-career

marriages, or companies losing critical knowledge when employees leave for other opportunities, work/life

programs offer a win-win situation for employers and employees” (StuDocu,2003). In Apple’s case, employees

work many hours, and they lack time for their family and personal life. So creating a healthy work-life balance

schedule should address this problem. Having a healthy work-life balance helps improving employees’ mental

health, consequently increasing their work efficiency.

4.2 Recruiting more staff

“Job insecurity, financial problems and the competitive job market may force employees to take on heavy

workloads and make compromises. Furthermore, working long hours is associated with loyalty and

commitment in many organizations. It's not uncommon to see employers who require their staff to work until

late at night or cancel their plans at the last minute. This leads to stress and burnout in the long run. A stressed

workforce can have detrimental effects on your organization as a whole. Your employees may lose their

motivation, engage in conflicts and have a difficult time completing their tasks. Poor mental focus, sleep

deprivation, fatigue and psychosomatic disorders are all common side effects of work-related stress. Studies

conducted over the years indicate a direct link between workload and exhaustion. Job burnout contributes to

diminished performance, high blood pressure and digestive disorders. The effect of workload on employee

performance should not be underestimated. According to the American Institute of Stress, 46 percent of

workers cite unmanageable workloads as a major stressor. Approximately 26 percent of employees are often

or very often burned out on the job. A heavy workload causes stress and anxiety, which in turn may lead to

accidents, injuries, conflicts, health issues, and poor overall performance” (Picincu,2019).

In Apple’s case, its high workload and pressure can be attributed to the company's focus on innovation and

product development. Apple is known for pushing the boundaries of technology and creating products that are

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ahead of their time. This requires a lot of research and development. Apple is known for pushing the boundaries

of technology and creating products that are ahead of their time. This requires a lot of research and

development, which can be time-consuming and stressful for employees.

In addition to the high workload, Apple is also known for having a demanding work culture. The company

expects a lot from its employees and holds them to high standards. This will create a lot of pressure for

employees and the company.

Furthermore, Apple is a highly competitive company that is constantly striving to stay ahead of its rivals. This

means that employees are under pressure to deliver results quickly and efficiently, which can create a stressful

work environment.

5. Conclusion
To sum up, when combining all the information above, people can easily see an overview of the work

environment and the management process of Apple. From studying and researching, we notice that there are

some advantages when working at Apple that can be noticed such as the innovation, collaboration and

subsidization while it also have some disadvantages as discrimination of shortage of work-life balance.To

address these problems, the company can consider to change the working policy and recruit more staff.

6. References
Levy, S. (2022). Apple Inc. In: Encyclopedia Britannica. [online] Available at:

https://www.britannica.com/topic/Apple-Inc.

Marketing, O. (n.d.). The Real Story Behind Apple’s ‘Think Different’ Campaign. [online] Forbes. Available

at: https://www.forbes.com/sites/onmarketing/2011/12/14/the-real-story-behind-apples-think-different-

campaign/.

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www.perkupapp.com. (n.d.). 9 Stand Out Apple Employee Benefits Its Workforce Loves | PerkUp. [online]

Available at: https://www.perkupapp.com/post/9-stand-out-apple-employee-benefits-its-workforce-

loves#:~:text=Health%20and%20Wellness

Apple Newsroom. (n.d.). Apple introduces new professional training to support growing IT workforce. [online]

Available at: https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2022/05/apple-introduces-new-professional-training-to-

support-growing-it-workforce/.

Apple (2020). Apple commits to be 100 percent carbon neutral for its supply chain and products by 2030.

[online] Apple Newsroom. Available at: https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2020/07/apple-commits-to-be-

100-percent-carbon-neutral-for-its-supply-chain-and-products-by-2030/.

Wigness, S. (2017). Apple’s New Campus Hosts the Country’s Largest Solar Commercial Project. [online]

Solar.com. Available at: https://www.solar.com/learn/apples-new-campus-country-largest-solar-commercial-

project/#:~:text=Apple%20has%20already%20proclaimed%20that

Morton, B. (2015). 7 Teamwork Lessons from Apple. [online] www.linkedin.com. Available at:

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/7-teamwork-lessons-from-apple-ben-morton-chartered-mcipd/.

www.informit.com. (n.d.). 5.4 Cross-functional Teams | Tips for Team Design in Agile IT Organizations |

InformIT. [online] Available at: https://www.informit.com/articles/article.aspx?p=2417352&seqNum=4.

BrandCulture (2018). Discover how Apple has used leadership to strengthen their culture. [online] Brand

Culture. Available at: https://brandculture.com/insights/employee-engagement-leadership/.

AppleInsider. (n.d.). Tim Cook: Apple’s culture of innovation refuses to recognize any limits. [online]

Available at: https://appleinsider.com/articles/13/02/12/cook-apples-culture-of-innovation-refuses-to-

recognize-limits.

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carolinealbanesesite (2016). Teamwork in Apple Inc. [online] Organizational Behavior in Apple Inc. Available

at: https://carolinealbanesesite.wordpress.com/2016/10/07/teamwork-in-apple-inc/.

Apple (2022). Benefits at Apple: We Count on you. and You Can Count on us. [online] Apple. Available at:

https://www.apple.com/careers/us/benefits.html.

AppleInsider. (n.d.). New #AppleToo movement drawing attention to racism, sexism, inequality inside Apple.

[online] Available at: https://appleinsider.com/articles/21/08/23/new-appletoo-movement-drawing-attention-

to-racism-sexism-inequality-inside-apple.

www.indeed.com. (n.d.). Compare working at Apple vs Microsoft | Indeed.com. [online] Available at:

https://www.indeed.com/companies/compare/Apple-vs-Microsoft-6e7b40121fbb5e2f-e3a48f8a4a788271.

Chong, C. (n.d.). Apple employees reveal 15 awful things about working at Apple. [online] Business Insider.

Available at: https://www.businessinsider.com/apple-employees-reveal-15-awful-things-about-working-at-

apple-2015-7#hard-to-achieve-work-life-balance-3

StuDocu. (n.d.). Lockwood work life balance 2003 - ② 2003 Research Quarterly SHRM Research SOCIETY

FOR HUMAN RESOURCE. [online] Available at: https://www.studocu.com/pt/document/st-peters-

international-school/human-resource/lockwood-work-life-balance-2003/16677501.

Picincu, A. (2019). The Effects of a Heavy Workload on Employees. [online] Bizfluent. Available at:

https://bizfluent.com/info-8178431-effects-heavy-workload-employees.html.

Nguyen Le, T. (2021). Inside Apple’s company culture: Collaborative and inspiring. [online]

blog.grovehr.com. Available at: https://blog.grovehr.com/apple-company-culture.

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