Elon Musk is changing Twitter’s remote work rules yet again amid deadline for employees to commit to his vision for a “hardcore” company. Musk, who previously banned remote work at Twitter, has now indicated that some remote work is possible, Bloomberg and The Verge report.
“Regarding remote work, all that is required for approval is that your manager takes responsibility for ensuring that you are making an excellent contribution,” Musk wrote in a new memo to Twitter staff. He added that teams should be meeting in person at least once a month though weekly meetings are “ideal.”
Musk’s latest comments on remote work come one day after Twitter employees were told they had to agree they “want to be part of the new Twitter” where the expectation will be “long hours at high intensity.” Workers who wouldn’t check the “yes” box on the accompanying Google Form would be provided severance.
Now, it seems Musk is concerned that not enough employees are buying into his vision of an“extremely hardcore” Twitter. Bloomberg reports that Musk has been pitching “key employees” on his plans and that he has tapped other leaders “to convince employees to stay” on at the company.
But while the allowance of some remote work may seem like a victory for Twitter employees, who have enjoyed a “work from anywhere” policy for more than two years, Musk made it clear that he was more than willing to punish managers for remote employees who fall short of his expectations. “At risk of stating the obvious, any manager who falsely claims that someone reporting to them is doing excellent work or that a given role is essential, whether remote or not, will be exited from the company,” he wrote.
When your team is pushing round the clock to make deadlines sometimes you #SleepWhereYouWorkhttps://t.co/UBGKYPilbD
— Esther Crawford ✨ (@esthercrawford) November 2, 2022
Since Musk took over Twitter, the employees who survived the initial job cuts have faced growing uncertainty and mounting pressure as the new CEO has prioritized features like paid verification. Esther Crawford, a Twitter manager who has been leading the revamped Twitter Blue, tweeted a photo of herself sleeping on the floor of a Twitter conference room in the days immediately after Musk’s takeover.
But not everyone has been as willing, or able, to adapt to Musk’s demands. And a Twitter lawyer recently told other employees that Musk’s requirement for workers to show up in the office or get fired might be illegal. Now, it seems at least one former employee is testing that notion, and has filed a lawsuit alleging that Musk’s new policies are discriminatory against workers with disabilities.