A Tesla Inc. electric vehicle waits to transport passengers through the Las Vegas Convention Center Loop ahead of the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) at the Las Vegas Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nevada on January 3, 2022.
(Photo : PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images)
Valerie Capers Workman, Tesla's head of human resources and its most prominent Black executive, is leaving the company this month in a shock move. Next week, she will join the career-network firm, Handshake, to become its new chief legal officer. Workman's Linkedin profile confirms the impending switch with her role as Tesla's vice president of people concluding this month.
Workman makes switch after a rapid rise at Tesla
Workman released a statement in an email to Bloomberg, saying that she is "proud of all that she was able to accomplish at Tesla with the support of truly excellent colleagues, especially at the People and Legal teams."
Workman cited her high school experience in track and field, saying that she needs to pass off the baton in a better place than when she received it. Workman believes she has done so at Tesla, implementing so many important programs for the company's employees across the globe.
Workman began her career in Tesla as an attorney in the company's legal department back in 2018. She quickly rose through the ranks, from associate general counsel to become the head of several regions' human resources. She then took an executive role, assuming the position of vice president of people in July 2020. Workman directly reported to CEO Elon Musk as she battled in her tenure issues such as discrimination lawsuits.
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Workman played a key role in the company's tackling of racial and COVID-19 issues
As one of Tesla's highest-ranking Black leaders, Workman became one of the company's key defenders in tackling multiple racism controversies. Tesla has faced several high-profile lawsuits regarding its treatment of Black employees and subcontracted workers at its auto plant in Fremont, California.
Just this past October, one of Tesla's former contract workers was awarded $137 million in damages after a jury found the company ignoring racial taunts and graffiti directed at the victim. Workman wrote an email published by Tesla on the night of the verdict, stating that "the Tesla of 2015 and 2016 is not the same as the Tesla of today."
Workman also helped Tesla navigate the COVID-19 pandemic, leading teams that developed the company's "employee-focused programs" in response to the coronavirus. Workman was the one who defended Tesla at a city council meeting in Austin, Texas, where their headquarters is currently set up.
Tesla found itself in hot water after Musk ordered to keep its Fremont factory open despite a local health directive to close the facility. Workman told council members that they "have been way ahead of the curve and it's kind of unfortunate that the media has not captured that."
One of Workman's main achievements at Tesla was producing the company's first Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion report. The report showed that only 10 percent of Tesla's workforce in the United States were Black and African-American employees. That figure drops even further to 4 percent when discussing diversity at the managerial and director levels.
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