Elon Musk to Tesla Employees: Come back or get out

Business magnate hits staff with ultimatum

Elon Musk, Chief Executive Officer of Tesla Inc., has asked employees of the automotive company to return to the office or quit their job. He made to request to staff in a company-wide email confirmed by news agencies.

What the email contained: Musk’s message largely criticized employees who continue to work from home rather than a designated office space.

• “Everyone at Tesla is required to spend a minimum of 40 hours in the office per week,” Musk wrote in the email sent on Tuesday night.
• “If you don’t show up, we will assume you have resigned.”
• “The more senior you are, the more visible must be your presence. That is why I lived in the factory so much – so that those on the line could see me working alongside them. If I had not done that, Tesla would long ago have gone bankrupt.”
• “There are of course companies that don’t require this, but when was the last time they shipped a great new product? It’s been a while.”
• “Tesla has and will create and actually manufacture the most exciting and meaningful products of any company on Earth. This will not happen by phoning it in.”

Musk emailed executives as well

Someone shared a separate email on Twitter that Musk had allegedly sent to Tesla executives, asking them to commit to at least 40 hours in the office per week or “depart Tesla.”

Some of the companies employees and workers advocacy groups have voiced their disapproval of the billionaire’s demands.

Can Tesla force employees to return to the workplace?

Tesla employees working in Canada must return to the workplace if their employer requires them to, and their arrangement before the COVID-19 pandemic was to work in an office or other location. If a non-unionized employee refuses this request, their decision could be seen as job abandonment or a resignation.

LEARN MORE
• Return to office rights for Ontario employees
• Can my boss tell me to stop working from home in B.C.?
• Refusing request to return to office in Alberta

In some cases, an employee may not be able to return to a workplace setting if it interferes with a legitimate medical or child care issue. A company must provide thorough accommodation to workers in that situation.

What if I was hired to work remotely?

If Tesla (or any company) hired you with the understanding that you would work remotely in Canada, they legally can’t decide to shift you from your home and into an office setting. If they insist on the change, you may be able to treat your employment as being terminated, and leave with severance pay.

READ MORE
Severance packages for Tesla employees in Canada

Talk to an employment lawyer

Through an employment lawyer at Samfiru Tumarkin LLP in Ontario, Alberta or British Columbia, you can file a claim for constructive dismissal and get full severance – as much as 24 months’ pay, depending on a number of factors.

Use our firm’s interactive Pocket Employment Lawyer to get a quick understanding of your options, and how much severance pay you may be entitled to.