Tesla Employees Who Choose To Stay Home Might Not Receive Unemployment Benefits, Internal Email Says

Tesla Inc. TSLA employees called back from furlough, but choosing to stay home, will not receive unemployment benefits.

What Happened

An email sent to the employees on Wednesday by Valerie Workman, Tesla’s head of human resources in North America stated, "Once you are called back, you will no longer be on furlough, so if you choose not to work, it may impact your unemployment benefits as determined by your local government agency — and not by Tesla," reported Business Insider.

Workman assured the employees choosing to stay home by saying, “We completely respect your decision and will support you, without any penalties from us."

Why It Matters

Alameda County gave permission to Tesla to reopen its Fremont Factory on Tuesday, provided certain conditions were met by the automaker.

The Alameda County Public Health Department said in a statement, “We will be working with the Fremont Police Department to verify Tesla is adhering to physical distancing and that agreed upon health and safety measures are in place for the safety of their workers as they prepare for full production.”

Tesla reopened its factory on Monday in defiance of the stay-at-home order issued by the county, with CEO Elon Musk commenting on Twitter, "If anyone is arrested, I ask that it only be me."

Furloughed Tesla employees have expressed apprehensions about returning to work amid the pandemic, due to the close physical nature of the tasks they undertake.

Price Action

Tesla shares traded 1.12% higher at $799.79 in the after-hours session on Wednesday. The shares had closed the regular session 2.28% lower at $790.96.