It’s not exactly uncommon for employees around the world to swipe some office supplies. Who’s really going to miss a pencil or some printer paper here and there? But Tesla’s factory in Germany is facing a much larger issue—the theft of about 65,000 coffee mugs.
During a staff meeting, Andre Thierig, the plant manager of Tesla’s Gigafactory Berlin-Brandenburg, addressed some of the facility’s 12,000 employees. Amid concerns over workers’ safety and pay, Thierig voiced his frustration about the tens of thousands of missing coffee mugs, according to a recording obtained by Handelsblatt.
“We’ve bought 65,000 coffee mugs since we started production here,” Thierig remarked, according to DW. “Statistically speaking, each of you already has five Ikea coffee cups at home.”
Thierig expressed his irritation over the apparent thefts, even threatening to remove cutlery from the break room if the disappearances continued. Employees, appreciative of the break from more serious concerns, responded with applause and laughter, DW reports.
However, coffee mugs are just the tip of the iceberg for Tesla at this site. The company has faced protests from climate groups, including one group, the Volcano Group, which attacked an electricity transmission tower over Tesla’s expansion plans that involve clearing forested areas. Local officials eventually approved Tesla’s plans, albeit with some delays.
In line with CEO Elon Musk’s cost-cutting measures, Tesla laid off about 400 workers at the German plant in April, as reported by Reuters. Globally, the company has let go of at least 14,000 employees.
The German plant has also been accused of violating environmental laws, health regulations, and worker safety laws since it began production two years ago. Stern reported last year that Tesla had three times as many emergencies as Audi’s plant in Ingolstadt.
“While the whole world thinks we are only busy with mugs, we actually care about the most important asset of our Gigafactory—our people. We listened to their feedback and finally finished our newest employee facility,” Thierig wrote on LinkedIn Thursday, referencing media reports on the issue. Tesla recently celebrated the “pre-opening” of its new “Giga Gym,” Thierig added.