Elon Musk has asked all Tesla employees to stop remote work and return to the office or be fired.
Like any other company, Tesla has allowed remote work for any role where possible after the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020.
As the pandemic subsides, these companies are reevaluating their remote work policies. Many of them have concluded that workers do not seem to be more productive when working remotely and have decided to allow workers to continue working remotely. Others have encouraged employees to return to the office.
Now it’s Tesla’s turn and the company definitely falls into the latter category.
CEO Elon Musk sent a series of emails yesterday, mostly asking employees to return to the office or leave:
Anyone wishing to work remotely must be in the office for a minimum (and I mean * minimum *) of 40 hours per week or leave Tesla. That’s less than we want from factory workers.
The CEO added that there may be some exceptions, but he will review and approve them himself, which is a good way to encourage people not to want exceptions.
In a subsequent email, Musk reminded employees that he had set an example by sleeping in the factory:
The older you are, the more visible your presence should be. That’s why I lived in the factory so long – so that those on the line could see me working with them. If I hadn’t done that, Tesla would have gone bankrupt a long time ago.
Finally, the CEO looked at companies that still allow telecommuting:
Sure, there are companies that don’t require this, but when was the last time they shipped a great new product? From a long time.
Here are the full-size emails:
First email:
Topic: Remote work is no longer acceptable
Anyone wishing to work remotely must be in the office for a minimum (and I mean * minimum *) of 40 hours per week or leave Tesla. That’s less than we want from factory workers.
If there are particularly exceptional contributors for whom this is not possible, I will review and approve these exceptions directly.
In addition, the “office” should be a Tesla headquarters, not a remote branch that is not related to official duties, such as being responsible for human relations at the Fremont factory, but your office is in another state.
Thanks, Elon
Second email:
Topic: To be super clear
Everyone at Tesla must spend at least 40 hours a week in the office. In addition, the office should be where your real colleagues are, not some remote pseudo-office. If you do not show up, we will assume that you have resigned.
The older you are, the more visible your presence should be. That’s why I lived in the factory so long – so that those on the line could see me working with them. If I hadn’t done that, Tesla would have gone bankrupt a long time ago.
Sure, there are companies that don’t require this, but when was the last time they shipped a great new product? From a long time.
Tesla has and will create and actually produce the most exciting and significant products of any company on Earth. This will not happen when you call him.
Thanks, Elon
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