Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla, has ordered employees to return to the office full-time, saying that working remotely is no longer an option. The new policy was leaked on social media via emails.
Tesla declined to comment on the texts, one of which looked to be intended for executives.
When challenged about the policy, Mr Musk stated on Twitter that anyone who doesn’t want to follow the new regulations should “claim to work somewhere else.”
In one of the emails, he stated, “Everyone at Tesla is obligated to spend a minimum of 40 hours in the office every week.” “We will presume you have resigned if you don’t show up.”
Staff should report to one of the company’s main offices, not a “remote branch office unrelated to the job tasks,” according to the emails. Mr Musk further stated that any requests for exemptions from the policy would be reviewed by him personally. Mr Musk stated that the company expects its factory staff to work full-time in the office and that in-person communication is vital to the company’s success.
“Of course, some organizations do not require this, but when was the last time they delivered a fantastic new product? It’s been a while, hasn’t it? “He said it in one of two emails that were leaked and circulated on social media.
“Tesla has created, and will continue to develop, the most fascinating and important goods of any company on the planet. This isn’t going to happen if you just call it in.”
Many sectors are debating whether to continue with the remote work techniques that exploded during the coronavirus outbreak.
Some industries, such as banking, have stated that employees will be expected to return to the office, while others, such as the computer industry, have stated that remote work will be allowed indefinitely. Many locations have chosen a hybrid approach.
According to data from Kastle, which manages security card access systems in thousands of buildings across the country, office occupancy in the United States is around 43%.
Mr Musk is well-known for his hard-charging approach to work. He rarely takes vacations, and he once slept on the factory floor during a Tesla crunch.
He said in one of the emails about the remote work rules, “The more senior you are, the more evident your presence must be.”
“That is why I spent so much time in the plant, so that people on the assembly line could see me working alongside them. Tesla would have gone bankrupt a long time ago if I hadn’t done it.”
Mr. Musk has previously expressed reservations about remote work, saying on Twitter earlier this year that “People have been duped into believing that you don’t need to work hard because of all the Covid stay-at-home stuff. There’s a rude awakening on the way!”
His remarks highlighted the possibility of a new cultural confrontation with the workforce at Twitter, which he is in the midst of buying for $44 billion (£35.3 billion).
In March, the company’s CEO, Parag Agrawal, stated that employees might work from home “forever.”
Mr Agrawal wrote in a statement to colleagues on the social media platform that “When we reopen, we’ll use the same approach. You will work wherever you feel most productive and creative, which could include working from home full-time indefinitely.”
