Musk to Tesla employees: You must work from the office 40 hours a week

Tesla CEO Elon Musk sent an email Tuesday ordering the company’s employees to return to the office at least 40 hours per week, according to Electrek.

Electrek reported that Musk’s email states anyone who wishes to continue to work remotely must work in an office at least 40 hours weekly or “depart” Tesla.

The email has the subject line “Remote work is no longer acceptable” and is signed by Musk.

Musk did not immediately return a request for comment by The Hill through a Tesla spokesperson.

The email states Musk will personally consider exceptions for “particularly exceptional contributors” who are unable to meet the requirement, according to Electrek. It states that 40 hours in the office per week is less than what Tesla requests from factory employees.

The email says the office an employee goes to must be a main Tesla office and not a remote office that is unrelated to job responsibilities.

Electrek reported that Musk later sent a follow-up email stating the more senior an employee, the more visible their presence must be.

“Tesla has and will create and actually manufacture the most exciting and meaningful products of any company on Earth,” Musk said. “This will not happen by phoning it in.”

A user who posted a screenshot of the first email on Twitter asked Musk to address those who believe working in an office is an “antiquated concept.” Musk responded, “they should pretend to work somewhere else.” 

In a January Pew Research Study of U.S. workers, almost 60 percent of respondents whose jobs allow them to work from home said they are choosing to do so most or all the time.