Tesla to End Work From Home Privileges For Employees, Elon Musk Confirms

Sophie Webster, Tech Times 01 June 2022, 10:06 am

Two years after the COVID-19 pandemic, businesses are now discontinuing their employees' work-from-home privileges. The latest company to announce that it is ending remote work is Tesla.

The automaker's CEO Elon Musk reportedly sent an email to Tesla's executive staff with a subject line that says the company will no longer accept remote work.

Tesla to End Work From Home Privileges

According to Bloomberg, Musk wants the automaker's employees to spend at least 40 hours per week in the office, or they could get fired.

The billionaire even clarified that the hours should be spent at the main Tesla office and not a remote branch office.

Musk responded to a screenshot of the email posted on Twitter and said that anyone who disagrees with the company's new policy "should work somewhere else.

Musk added that he would only consider remote work requests under certain circumstances in the email sent to Tesla employees, but the requests need to be "exceptional" to be approved.

In a follow-up email obtained by Electrek, Musk claimed that his history of living in the Tesla factory was behind the company's success and growth.

Also Read: 10 Cool Facts About Tesla Motors Proving It Is Not Your Traditional Automaker Company

The CEO also wrote that being present at work is a way for the company to ship a new great product.

After the COVID-19 pandemic forced a lot of companies to introduce remote working policies, many are now working on ways to convince their employees to go back to the office. Some companies are even considering laying off those redundant positions.

Musk ended his email by giving a warning to the Tesla staff that if they don't show up for work, the executives will assume that they've resigned.

In July 2020, Musk congratulated Tesla employees as the company still profited despite the COVID-19 pandemic.

In September 2020, Musk sent an email to all Tesla employees, asking them to be "all hands on deck" as he pushed for the Californian market.

Apple's Approach

Tesla may be more strict with its decision to bring its employees back, but not all companies are following in its footsteps. Tech giant Apple is considering a different approach that still considers the welfare of its employees.

Apple workers are asked to work in the office at least three days a week, preferably Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays. Most employees can still work remotely twice a week, according to The Verge.

Employees who wish to do remote work can do so for up to two weeks a year but would need their manager's approval.

Even though the terms seem flexible, a lot of Apple employees are pushing back against the new policy. They sent an internal letter to Tim Cook and other Apple executives saying that they want a better approach where those who wish to work remotely can do so.

The letter states that the new policy has forced some staff members to quit, as they can no longer choose between either a combination of their well-being, their families, being empowered to do their work, and being a part of Apple.

The employees believe that Apple executives and the workers have a different views of remote work.

Meanwhile, other tech giants, such as Twitter and Facebook, received praise from their staff and the public after announcing that they will allow their employees to work from home forever, even after the COVID-19 pandemic ends.