"Mission in danger": Tesla threatens employees with fines for inappropriate language

In a company manual, Tesla calls latecomers a "sucker" or "ass".

Employees are now being asked, under threat of punishment, to refrain from using controversial terms.

San José / USA - For a long time it was quiet about the blogs on the official Tesla websites. In the past, Tesla founder and CEO Elon Musk personally posted monthly contributions on the company's development, but now mainly the HR department makes a statement, only every six months. A memo by the HR manager has now been published in a blog entry, which set a language regime for the group. It calls for more attentiveness in the linguistic tone of the employees.

Valerie Calpers Workman is responsible for Tesla's HR department.

According to a post published on the VP People blog, she sent a memo to the workforce asking them to pay more attention to sensitive expressions in their language.

“Back in the office: excellence and respect,” is the headline.

The reason is the return of the employees from the home office.

Tesla: Back to the office with a new language regime

In the memo, Calpers Workman thanks employees for their commitment so far and welcomes them back to the office.

At the same time, however, it also introduces a new language regime.

She forbids certain words entirely.

This includes the "N-word", "bitch" or "queer".

“Words like that belittle or threaten people,” explains Calpers Workman.

In the course of her life she was often referred to with the N-word.

The disparaging words would meanwhile be used by those affected themselves, but then in the opposite context, as a sign of solidarity.

Tesla simply lacks the time to interpret the words in their respective context: "It distracts from our mission when we discuss when these words are acceptable or forbidden."

Tesla: "Immediate Disciplinary Action" for Violations

The memo goes on to say: “Tesla * explicitly forbids all insults, designations or derogatory expressions that could be based on any possible characteristics of a person.

Regardless of intent. ”If violated, Calpers Workman threatens immediate disciplinary action.

Excluding formulations, no matter how well meant, should be omitted at the entrance to the workplace.

The company has already used clear words in employee communication in the past.

Employees who did not show up for work on time were referred to as “jerks”.

This can be translated either as “idiot” or “ass”.

To what extent this expression can be reconciled with the new language regulation remains open.

* Merkur.de is part of IPPEN-MEDIA