Employer sick-note rules

Does Tesla accept an online doctor’s note?

Tesla's hourly attendance policy (introduced July 2018) counts 'occurrences' and terminates workers who reach a set number. There is no verified rule that a note removes a point. Point thresholds reported in the press date from 2018-2019 and may have changed.

What Tesla workers are told

Note needed?

No source we could open states that a doctor's note removes Tesla attendance points.

How absences count

Occurrence-based points system introduced July 1, 2018 (CNBC). The Hill, citing The Guardian (July 2019), reported that workers with more than three months' tenure face termination at 4.5 attendance points in a six-month period.

Per-absence and per-tardy point values are not in any source we could open.

Where to send it

Absences are reported through Tesla's internal system; leaves go through Tesla's leave administrator (vendor not confirmed in any source we could open).

Sick pay

PTO for hourly employees; state paid sick leave (CA) applies at Fremont.

As reported by employees; not confirmed by the company · 2026-09-23

Get a doctor’s note · $29.99A licensed physician reviews your case online, same day. Your HR can verify it at sickslip.co/verify.

Sources

Tesla (factory hourly) has not published its hourly attendance policy on a public page we could find. What is above comes from the sources below. If you work at Tesla (factory hourly) and your handbook says otherwise, tell us at support@sickslip.co and we will correct this page.

Tesla rolled out a new attendance policy for hourly workers this month , read it here (CNBC, Jul 13 2018) · news
What it says
“If employees rack up a certain number of these demerits, called 'occurrences' internally, their employment will be terminated.”
Tesla employees claim they were penalized for using paid time off (The Hill, 2019) · news
What it says
“Tesla employees claim they were penalized for using paid time off”

The rules that sit above Tesla’s policy

Federal leave law lets an employer ask for medical certification and gives you at least 15 days to return it; disability law limits medical inquiries to what the job requires; twenty states and D.C. limit when any employer, Tesla included, may demand a note; and federal guidance treats a licensed physician’s online evaluation as telehealth. The statutes and sources are on the state-by-state doctor’s note law index and in are online doctor’s notes legal?

Other manufacturing employers

Tyson Foods · JBS USA · General Motors · Stellantis · Boeing

Every employer’s sick-note rule, in one list

SickSlip is not affiliated with Tesla (factory hourly). Employer names are used to describe their published policies. Reviewed by Adam Z. Kawalek, MD (NPI 1326223306). Facts checked 2026-09-23.

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