Technology and manufacturing giant Tesla has found itself at the centre of an age-discrimination lawsuit after one 69-year-old employee claimed he was isolated and unfairly let go.
Senior citizen Thomas Flessner launched the lawsuit earlier this month after being fired in February – it alleges he was subjected to years of “unfair comments and criticism about his age” before he was finally dismissed.
“The younger engineers were not criticized for the speed of their work by [supervisor Paul] Edwards even though they did not accomplish their projects any faster than plaintiff,” reads the lawsuit.
The former materials engineer also says his supervisor singled him out by repeatedly cancelling meetings and ignoring contributions.
Flessner also claims that, after taking time off for heart surgery, he was told by a supervisor: “These guys are gunning for you.”
A representative from Tesla declined to comment on the case promised the company was focussed on maintaining a fair and equal workplace.
“While we aren’t commenting on the specifics of this litigation, we are committed to upholding a discrimination-free workplace,” they said.
Silicon Valley has long been under pressure to improve workplace diversity but few firms seem to address age, choosing instead to focus on race and gender.
Last year, Backchannel’s Steven Levy noted how few of the diversity reports that tech companies have started to produce mention age or comment on how to hire and retain employees not born in the 80’s or 90’s.
Recent stories:
Teary apology as RCMP announces settlement
Why HR should admit their mistakes
Liberals enter talks over parental leave policies
