16 Pros and Cons of Working for Tesla

Tesla has become reputable firstly for its electric vehicles and secondly for its mission to create technology based on sustainable energy, including, but not limited to, solar roof tiles and panels.

If being part of a company that makes billions of dollars and places sustainable energy at its forefront sounds ideal, then Tesla may be the place for you.

However, like any other job, working at Tesla can have downsides.

On that note, let’s examine the pros and cons of working at Tesla.

Pros of Working for Tesla

1. Cutting-edge Technology

Employees get to be around the newest models of Tesla electric vehicles and other products, closely observe the process of developing and manufacturing those items and participate in the process.

The experience of working with this new and innovative technology offers employees of Tesla the chance to further their knowledge in the field and enjoy unparalleled experiences.

2. Comprehensive Health Insurance

Those working at Tesla enjoy a wide variety of appealing benefits, ranging from extensive life and health insurance plans to appealing retirement plans.

The health insurance provided covers a wide variety of aspects that most health insurance does not, such as ambulance fees, hospital stays, and prescription medication.

Employees can also add their wives, husbands, and children to their plans.

Unlike other companies that offer health insurance only to full-time employees, Tesla offers these benefits to interns, as well, thus making the possibility of remaining full-time with the company more appealing.

3. Working with the best of the best

When working for Tesla, you can rest assured that your colleagues were thoroughly vetted before getting the job, as will you if you apply with the company.

Since the company receives roughly half a million job applications every year and the competition is high, Tesla makes it a point to hire only the best candidates with the passion and skills for the job.

If you feel like Tesla is the place for you, you can be sure that you’ll work alongside highly talented and passionate colleagues.

4. Competitive Salaries

While the salaries of Tesla employees vary based on roles and rank, a process engineer makes roughly $87,000 a year, while a software engineer’s annual salary is roughly $115,000.

The average pay is $110,192 and the median salary is $114,033.

The lowest pay in the company is that of the receptionist, at $17,79 per hour, or 38,015 per year.

5. Retirement Plans

Tesla offers its employees the option between a traditional retirement plan, and a Roth 401(k).

The company offers employees a variety of options to help them plan for the future.

One such option was implemented at the beginning of 2022, when the company announced it would match half of the first 6% of employees’ salaries, to contribute to their 401(k) plans.

The vesting period for this match was one year, which is significantly shorter than most programs.

6. Freedom

If there is one thing that the pandemic has taught us is the importance of autonomy in the workplace and that good workers can manage themselves, for the most part.

Tesla focuses on results more than methods when it comes to the way employees complete their work.

The company allows workers to brainstorm new ideas and come up with innovative and creative ways for addressing and solving issues.

This level of freedom not only allows workers to use their creativity in their day-to-day work, but it can also make the pressure of the job more manageable.

7. Training

One of the bigger perks when working or even applying for a job at Tesla is the training you will be receiving.

Since the company hires only the best and focuses on innovation, employees receive regular training in various areas related to their work.

One such training class is Tesla Start, in which participants learn what it means to work in the company’s automotive and manufacturing departments.

Unlike the other training programs the company offers, Tesla Start is not only for employees but rather for people all throughout the country who wish to develop their skills in tech and maybe even apply for a job with the company.

Tesla also offers other training programs, where workers are brought up to speed with the company’s new technology and learn to develop their skills in tech.

8. Employee Bonuses

While not all employees are eligible for bonuses, those who are may receive bonuses starting at $3,750.

Bonuses can go up to $27,500, with software engineers being the ones to receive the highest bonuses.

The company also uses bonuses as incentives for potential employees.

Individuals recruited by Tesla may be lured in with bonuses ranging between $1,000 and 10,000, thus making the job sound more appealing, specifically for recent graduates.

Cons of Working for Tesla

1. Stressful Work Environment

Working at Tesla is fast-paced and stressful, meaning that while a candidate may be perfect for the job -on paper- they may not be able to properly cope with the stress.

Some of the company’s departments are understaffed, which means that employees are required to put in more work than they had anticipated when they applied.

Some employees are required to work sixty-hour weeks, and six days a week to compensate for the lack of staffing in their departments.

2. Poor Management

One of the most common complaints from former employees is the lack of stable management.

While there are benefits to having more freedom than in other companies, former employees have complained about the dangers of working on a team of individuals with different perspectives and approaches.

The company claims to brainstorm regularly with each team and take into account their employees’ ideas.

However, workers claim this could not be further from the truth.

One of the biggest complaints about the work environment at Tesla comes from workers who do not feel listened to and appreciated, which leads to the next point on this list.

3. Likely To Get Burnout

Working a job that focuses firstly on the number of items produced, and lastly on the quality of the work environment can make you feel burnt out and not appreciated.

While Tesla offers its employees better benefits than other companies, those who apply should consider whether those benefits outweigh the cost of having to put in double, if not triple, the work hours they would at other jobs.

For example, when Tesla was getting ready to release their Model 3 EV, employees had to work for a hundred hours a week in order to meet the deadline.

Prolonged hours like this can make life at Tesla hard to bear for some.

4. No Unions

Though, in the eyes of the public, Tesla claims not to oppose unions, more than a few employees lost their jobs for trying to form a union.

Overworked employees are being denied the chance to form a union, therefore being limited in what they can do to make the workload more bearable.

Not only that, but workers are not even allowed to bring up the topic in a conversation.

5. Unsafe Work Conditions

Numerous incidents have happened within the Tesla plant, most of which were due to harmful conditions in the workspace.

Due to the fact that employees are often overworked, many have reported physical symptoms like dizziness and chest pains, with some even fainting or having seizures on the job.

But the unsafe work conditions are also due to the fact that workers are not allowed to temporarily shut down the production line for maintenance, meaning that preventative maintenance is not being addressed properly.

6. Not Allowed to Record Injuries

By now, Tesla is known for the number of work-related injuries that happen on company property.

One of the ways we know about these incidents is through employees who were fired for speaking up.

Tesla workers are forbidden from speaking about work-related injuries, with the company making it a point to sweep many of these under the rug.

7. Not Allowed to Ask for Raises

Most of us have asked for a raise at one point, especially after going the extra mile for the job.

However, Tesla workers are forbidden from asking for a raise at any point, so many employees were forced to put in extra hours to earn the pay they felt they deserved.

8. High Turnover Rate

This point goes hand-in-hand with the company’s poor management.

One common complaint from Tesla employees is the constant change in department heads and managers.

Since managers are likely to change constantly, workers have no choice but to learn to adapt to yet another management style, while also having to manage the day-to-day stress of the job.