Photo: Tesla
As an Afro-American, Valerie Capers Workman must have been at odds defending Tesla against Owen Diaz. Courts ruled that the former contract worker was a racism victim and that Tesla should pay him $136.9 million for emotional distress and punitive damages. The vice president of people said it was unfair. Now, Workman is leaving Tesla.
The now-former Tesla executive told Bloomberg she would join career-network firm Handshake next week as CLO (chief legal officer). As exciting a business as it may be, the move suggests that working for Tesla carries a burden that the standard speech of gratitude for the lessons learned fails to hide.
After all, Tesla’s market cap classifies it as one of the most valuable companies in the world. The EV maker is opening two factories this year, one in Grünheide, Germany, and one in Austin, Texas. For a human resources executive in a top position, this would be a challenge to live for. Yet, Workman gave up on it to join a much smaller company.
It may have to do with Workman’s professional goals. She joined Tesla as an attorney in 2018 and became the vice president of people in July 2020, reporting directly to Elon Musk. As the new CLO of Handshake, she is back to what made her join Tesla in the first place.
Whatever her reasons were, the fact is that Tesla now needs a new vice president for people very close to opening these two new plants. Hiring people for Grünheide has proven to be a massive challenge. The company is at odds with the influential German metalworkers union, and it is offering candidates a 20% lower wage in exchange for stock options and bonuses.
In the U.S., Tesla is being sued for racism and sexual harassment cases in Fremont. A Tesla employee murdered another worker in the Fremont parking lot on December 13. Regardless of why Workman decided to leave Tesla, it is clear she did not manage to improve things while she was in charge. We’ll watch closely if the ones who accept replacing her will be more successful.
After all, Tesla’s market cap classifies it as one of the most valuable companies in the world. The EV maker is opening two factories this year, one in Grünheide, Germany, and one in Austin, Texas. For a human resources executive in a top position, this would be a challenge to live for. Yet, Workman gave up on it to join a much smaller company.
It may have to do with Workman’s professional goals. She joined Tesla as an attorney in 2018 and became the vice president of people in July 2020, reporting directly to Elon Musk. As the new CLO of Handshake, she is back to what made her join Tesla in the first place.
Whatever her reasons were, the fact is that Tesla now needs a new vice president for people very close to opening these two new plants. Hiring people for Grünheide has proven to be a massive challenge. The company is at odds with the influential German metalworkers union, and it is offering candidates a 20% lower wage in exchange for stock options and bonuses.
In the U.S., Tesla is being sued for racism and sexual harassment cases in Fremont. A Tesla employee murdered another worker in the Fremont parking lot on December 13. Regardless of why Workman decided to leave Tesla, it is clear she did not manage to improve things while she was in charge. We’ll watch closely if the ones who accept replacing her will be more successful.
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