Using Ubuntu on MacBook Pro 15" Retina, mid 2014 running Big Sur 11.2.3

There are several years of posts here from those that tried to make dual boot Linux/Mac solutions and both whacked the macOS installation, and could not undo the Linux pollution to their Mac. Unless you are prepared to install Linux into a Virtual Machine (VirtualBox, Parallels Desktop, or VMware Fusion) as a guest operating system, I strongly encourage you to not attempt any Linux installation on your personal Mac.

The real question here is did your employer give you a USB drive with the full Ubuntu installation already set up & configured for the work environment? If so, then Option Booting your Mac to boot from the Ubuntu USB drive (containing the full OS) will not hurt your Mac as long as you trust the employer not to have installed/configured anything nefarious on the Ubuntu boot drive.

If the employer only provided you with an Ubuntu USB installer, then definitely install Ubuntu into a Virtual Machine so you don't risk accidentally damaging macOS as several others have already mentioned. Technically it is also possible for the employer to provide an .iso or .img file of a fully configured Ubuntu installation so you can easily run it from a Virtual Machine.

If this is an Ubuntu installer, then you definitely want to install Ubuntu in a Virtual Machine. People who try to install another OS alongside macOS on the internal boot drive usually end up with problems especially when they try to remove the other OS and recover the storage space (or when attempting to resize partitions because they chose the wrong partition sizes).

If running Ubuntu in a Virtual Machine is not an option due to performance issues, then I suggest installing Ubuntu to an external USB3 drive so that it will minimize the interference with macOS on the internal drive. A USB3 drive will have the same speed as an internal SATA drive especially if the external drive has UASP support.

You have much more faith and trust in people & companies than I do.

Good luck.

Ask you Employer to supply a machine belonging to the Company instead of using your personal computer.

Majid1332 wrote:

Thanks but I am on a Work From Home contract and obliged to use my own PC.

That’s not a very good contract. I strongly recommend installing Parallels and running Linux in that. I recommend the Mac App Store version of Parallels. It runs great and doesn’t need any kernel extensions. Then, use that “work from home” contract to find a better job.

Installing Linux of any flavour on an Apple Computer - unless the user has very good knowledge of how to reverse the installation and has the needed on-hand macOS installation media - Risky - IMHO

Majid1332 wrote:

My employer has given me a USB with Ubuntu and I am required to use it to use EFI Boot to be able to access my work space. Is this safe? If not, apart from a full back up of my MacBook, what else do I need to watch out for?

Can you clarify what you are talking about? What and where is this "work space"? Is this your MacBook Pro or is it owned by your employer?

Majid1332 wrote:

Is this safe?

There's no way for anyone here to know whether it's "safe".