Blog

*Sharing this recent note to employees from Valerie Capers Workman, VP People:

Hi Team,

Earlier today, a jury in San Francisco decided that in late 2015 and early 2016 Tesla failed to make sure that one contract employee (Owen Diaz) was not racially harassed while he worked at the Tesla Fremont factory. I heard the testimony of every witness. I was at the defense table for Tesla every day during the trial because I wanted to hear firsthand what Mr. Diaz said happened to him.

*Sharing this recent note to employees from Valerie Capers Workman, VP People:

Hi Team,

This month we are in the process of welcoming employees back to Tesla offices. Whether you’ve been working on site or working remotely, we want to thank you for your hard work as Tesla continues to break records and achieve new milestones virtually every day. We are returning to a new normal, but the basic principles that guide Tesla’s success remain the same: excellence and respect.

Since the launch of Model S in 2012, we have engineered every Tesla around the same advanced architecture that maximizes occupant safety. Today, Model Y, Tesla’s mid-size Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV), is the latest Tesla vehicle to earn a 5-star safety rating in every category from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

Today, we are publishing our first ever U.S. Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Report which outlines the current state of our DEI position and actions we are taking to engage with employees, candidates and community members, as we encourage talented people from all backgrounds to join us on our mission to accelerate the world’s transition to sustainable energy. We look forward to sharing further progress in future reports as we continue to innovate and enhance our diversity, equity and inclusion practices.

Recent reports that we have terminated employees due to their concerns over health practices are fundamentally untrue. The employees quoted in recent stories are still employed with Tesla and we have offered them work multiple times. All we have asked is that our employees talk to us and provide us the details of their own concern so we can do what we can to help find a solution. Tesla has not only offered employees a window of time to stay home no questions asked, but waived our attendance policy for several weeks after we had approval to reopen our factories. In addition, those who have at-risk family members at home received two weeks paid leave through May 31. Tesla also provides 14-day COVID sick leave pay for employees who are quarantined, self-quarantine due to family members who are sick or have tested positive.

Tesla is the last major carmaker remaining in California, and the largest manufacturing employer in the State with more than 10,000 employees at our Fremont factory and 20,000 statewide. We understand the impacts COVID-19 has caused and have a responsibility to look out for the livelihoods and safety of our personnel, many of whom rely on us and have been out of work for weeks due to the impacts of shelter-in-place orders.

We are pleased to welcome Hiromichi (Hiro) Mizuno to Tesla’s Board of Directors and Audit Committee, effective April 23, 2020.

At Tesla, we believe safety in our operations is achieved through engagement, education, innovation and continual improvement. That’s why we focus not just on our overall rate of injury, but also on how to prevent individual injuries before they happen.