“Carlos, there is no need to feel that you are going to lose your job. If at this time you do not feel comfortable returning to work, you can stay home without penalty and take the time unpaid.”
That email, sent from Tesla’s acting human resources director to a now terminated employee, will be central to that employee’s wrongful termination lawsuit pending against the automaker.
The employee claims that Tesla retaliated against him because he pressured the company to release information about its health and safety protocols following reports of employees testing positive for coronavirus after returning to work in late May.
The timing does not look great for Tesla. The “you can stay home without penalty” email came one day before the employee spoke out against Tesla at a news conference about conditions at the plant and his fear of returning to work … and one day prior to Tesla emailing the employee to tell him his job was at risk.
Within hours of that news conference, Tesla’s human resources department emailed a “Failure to Return to Work” notice, advising of termination without an immediate return to work. The employee (and a co-worker who received a similar notice and also openly questioned the company’s safety during the pandemic) opted to remain on unpaid leaves because of their health and safety concerns. They claim their terminations are in retaliation for their vocal questioning of their employer’s commitment to safely reopening and operating its manufacturing plant.
There is nothing inherently unlawful about ending an employee’s leave of absence and requiring their return to work (even during this pandemic). However, when an employer ends the leave within hours of an employee openly and vocally challenging health and safety issues, retaliation becomes a real concern.
Whistleblower retaliation is one of the biggest legal risks facing employers during this pandemic. OSHA, the National Labor Relations Act, and myriad state laws protect employees from retaliation for raising health and safety concerns at work. Instead of risking a lawsuit by removing a “difficult” employee from the workplace, employers should view them as an opportunity to improve. Why are they raising issues? How do they feel unsafe? What can we do to improve and make all employees feel safer? If we are doing everything we can to provide as safe of a workplace as possible, how do we communicate that fact to employees?
Far from an opportunity to terminate, employee health and safety complaints (always, but especially during this pandemic) present an opportunity to listen, improve, and strengthen your relationship with your employees. Employers that do not understand this opportunity are risking dangerous and costly retaliation lawsuits.
This post originally appeared on the Ohio Employer’s Law Blog, and was written by Jon Hyman, Partner, Meyers, Roman, Friedberg & Lewis. Jon can be reached at via email at jhyman@meyersroman.com, via telephone at 216-831-0042, on LinkedIn, and on Twitter.
