Tesla CEO Elon Musk has taken a tough stand against his employees working from home, Electrek and Bloomberg report. In an e-mail apparently sent to the company’s executive staff with the subject “Remote work is no longer acceptable,” the CEO said employees should spend a minimum of 40 hours a week in the office, or “abandon Tesla.” He said this should be a “Tesla head office” and not a “remote branch”.
In response to a screenshot of the alleged email posted to Twitter, Musk did not deny its authenticity and wrote that anyone who disagrees with the policy of entering the office “should pretend to work in another place “. Tesla did not respond to The Verge’s request for comment, but it is widely reported that it dissolved its press office.
They should pretend to work elsewhere
– Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 1, 2022
In his email, the CEO added that he would be willing to consider remote work applications in some circumstances, but indicated that such applications should be “exceptional” in order to be approved. “If there are particularly exceptional collaborators for whom this is impossible, I will review and approve these exceptions directly,” he wrote. Working 40 hours in person, he said, is “less than we ask factory workers.”
In a follow-up email seen by Electrek, the CEO claimed that his own story of almost living in the Tesla factory was the reason for the company’s survival. “The bigger you are, the more visible your presence should be,” he wrote. “Sure, there are companies that don’t require it, but when was the last time they shipped a great new product? It’s been a while.”
After the global pandemic forced many companies to quickly introduce remote work policies, many are now evaluating how their employees should return to the office, or even if they need it first. Some, like Apple, are testing a hybrid approach that involves employees entering the office only part of the week.
Tesla’s tough stance makes it an atypical story in the so-called “new normal.” “If you don’t show up, we’ll assume you resigned,” Musk wrote. You can read his two full emails at Electrek.