I am for remote work. I am also for onsite. Find what works for you.

Elon Musk is his generation’s finest innovator, but on this one, he may not be providing a template for everyone to copy blindly. Yes, that Elon has said it does not mean it is the best model. My position is simple: market systems are different, and you need to check what works for your business.

Remote work offers many advantages because of the improving marginal cost efficiency which makes it easier to tap talent from anywhere on earth.

But that does not mean that if your business is on the quasi-industrial age type (making cars) that factory workers will not revolt if “soft” colleagues are at home working. To maintain equilibrium, HR might have told Elon to pause remote work. Do not follow blindly.

I am for remote work. I am also for onsite. Find what works for you.

Elon Musk has reportedly told Tesla employees that they must put in a minimum of 40 hours per week in the office if they also wish to do remote work.

In a screen grab of an e-mail allegedly sent by the billionaire on Tuesday, the Tesla CEO said that 40 hours is “less than we ask of factory workers.” 

“If there are particularly exceptional contributors for whom this is impossible, I will review and approve those exceptions directly,” he wrote, according to the screenshot, which was shared on Twitter.

Comment on LinkedIn Feed

Comment 1: It depends on nature of work and culture, not every job makes sense remotely. There are things that happen when people are in a room trying to figure out what works, trying to replicate same remotely is a joke. For elite and experienced employees, remote can get things done, but for others, expect inefficiencies and frustration at intervals.

Comment 2: Remote work was not designed for the kind of work we do here in nigeria. But every organization will choose which option will be favourable to them.

Register for Tekedia Mini-MBA (Feb 10 - May 3, 2025), and join Prof Ndubuisi Ekekwe and our global faculty; click here.