Apple employees are pushing back against the iPhone maker’s call for workers to return to the office next month, arguing that they have shown they can perform “exceptional work” during two-plus years of flexible arrangements.

Apple Together, a group of workers that formed last year when offices around the globe were forced to work remotely because of the pandemic, began circulating a petition internally on Sunday, demanding “l(fā)ocation flexible work”.

The petition, seen by the Financial Times, is a response to an order from chief executive Tim Cook last week telling employees in and around the Cupertino headquarters that they must return to the office three days a week from September 5. Cook said he wanted to preserve the “in-person collaboration that is so essential to our culture”.