Tesla cracks down on sick leave abuse at Berlin factory with home visits

Employees at the large Tesla factory near Berlin can expect home visits from management due to frequent sick leaves. The company has addressed the workforce regarding "work ethics." Managers argue that such inspections are not unusual.

Home visits commenced when the company monitored the illness rates among the factory's 12,000 employees. In August, this rate reached 17%, and initially, it maintained a high level of 11%.

The German daily "Handelsblatt" acquired recordings in which factory management criticizes employees spending time on sick leave, describing their behaviour as "dishonourable." Managers explain that they informed employees about planned home visits, which were reportedly well-received by the workforce, who complained about colleagues' absence from work.

It is reported that employees from almost all areas of the plant have reported "extremely high workloads". If there is a shortage of staff, Tesla applies pressure on the sick and overburdens those who are still healthy with additional work, employees complain.

If the factory management truly wants to reduce the number of illnesses, it should break this vicious circle, says Dirk Schulze, district director of IG Metall Berlin-Brandenburg-Saxony, in an interview with the daily.

According to unionists, unannounced visits to employees' homes are "another absurd action against the illness rate".

The management of the German Tesla factory believes that working conditions do not cause sick leaves. - Employees more often report sick on Fridays and during late shifts than on other days of the week - André Thierig, the plant manager, tells the daily.

- It is not a matter of working conditions, as they are the same on all working days and on all shifts - he adds. In his opinion, the German social system is somewhat exploited.