Electric vehicle (EV) giant Tesla has come under fire for sending managers to the homes of employees to ensure they’re actually sick when they take a day off.
The Guardian reports André Thierig, the manufacturing director of Tesla’s German factory near Berlin, has sent managers to check on approximately two dozen employees who’ve taken sick leave across the past nine months.
According to Mr Thierig, Tesla believes some of the factory’s 1500 temporary employees have taken advantage of Germany’s labour protection laws, contributing to much higher rates of absence through illness than those of full-time employees, which is about two per cent.
“In our analyses of attendance at work, some phenomena have become obvious: on Fridays and late shifts, about five per cent more employees take sick leave than on other weekdays,” Mr Thierig said.
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“That is not an indicator of bad working conditions because the working conditions are the same on all working days and across all shifts. It suggests that the German social system is being exploited to some extent.”
Mr Thierig also claims approximately 200 members of staff haven’t turned up for work throughout 2024 but have continued to be paid, saying: “They submit a new sicknote from the doctor at least every six weeks.”
Tesla’s unconventional approach has unsurprisingly drawn the ire of IG Metall, one of Germany’s largest metalworking unions which represents some of the Tesla Berlin workers.
IG Metall has previously and continues to campaign against Tesla workers being subject to “unreasonably” long hours and has previously accused the carmaker of making staff sign non-disclosure agreements with threat of retribution if these were broken.
“Employees from almost all areas of the factory have reported an extremely high workload,” IG Metall regional director Dirk Schulze said, reports The Guardian.
“When there are staff shortages, the ill workers are put under pressure and those who remain healthy are overburdened with additional work.
“If the factory’s overseers really want to reduce the level of sickness, they should break this vicious circle.”
It’s not the first time Tesla has had to address concerns with its workforce in Germany.
In July, German publication Handelsblatt obtained audio recordings of a recent meeting between the head of Tesla’s German factory and its workforce, in which the staff members were accused of using their five-finger discount to pilfer coffee mugs from the Berlin plant.
“I’m just going to give you a figure,” said Mr Thierig.
“We’ve bought 65,000 coffee mugs since we started production here. 65.000! Statistically speaking, each of you already has five Ikea coffee cups at home. I’m really tired of approving orders to buy more coffee cups.”
Tesla has been pushing for its Berlin factory to be expanded, which led to approximately 800 people from the Disrupt Tesla protest group attempting to storm the Grünheide factory in May.
Several protestors were taken into custody and an undisclosed number of participants were treated for injuries.
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