Tesla workers complain about “culture of fear” at German factory

Enlarge / Tesla’s factory in Gruenheide, Germany. (credit: Sean Gallup/Getty Images)

Tesla’s German car factory on the outskirts of Berlin allegedly operates under a “culture of fear,” and its workers take sick leave at more than three times the industry average. The plant, which was targeted by arsonists earlier this year, is now experiencing a degree of discord between workers and management, according to reports in Handelsblatt and the Guardian.

“We will not tolerate some people bending their backs for others who just don’t feel like coming to work. There is no room in this factory for people who don’t get out of bed in the morning,” said André Thierig, manufacturing director Tesla’s Gigafactory Berlin-Brandenburg.

It seems the company has been taking that directive seriously. Frustrated by a rate of sick leave that reached as high as 17 percent this summer—compared to a German auto industry average of 5.2 percent—Tesla started checking up on some employees at home, sending managers to visit 30 employees while they were on sick leave.