Elon Musk¡¯s demand that Tesla Inc. staff stop ¡°phoning it in¡± and get back to the office has thrust the world¡¯s richest person into the noisy debate over the future of work, and shows again that some CEOs remain tone-deaf to employees¡¯ growing demands for flexibility.
¡°Everyone at Tesla is required to spend a minimum of 40 hours in the office per week,¡± Musk wrote in a message addressed to employees at the electric-car maker. That ¡°must be where your actual colleagues are located, not some remote pseudo office. If you don¡¯t show up, we will assume you have resigned. The more senior you are, the more visible must be your presence.¡±
But that mandate might not be acceptable to some at Tesla, and will certainly spook staffers at Twitter Inc., which Musk is seeking to acquire, who have enjoyed a work-from-anywhere policy throughout the pandemic. In today¡¯s tight labor market, with salaries soaring and workers quitting at a record clip, Musk¡¯s policy could also cost him some talent.
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