--- title: "Tesla Reportedly Forcing Workers to Sleep on Factory Floor in Shanghai" description: "Workers at Tesla's factory in Shanghai are reportedly forced to work in a \"closed-loop\" system, sleeping on the factory floor." date: "2022-04-19" modified: "2022-04-19" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/tesla-workers-sleep-factory" categories: - "Advanced Transport" - "Health & Medicine" - "Sleep" - "Tesla" tags: - "Shanghai" - "tesla" - "the digest" --- # Tesla Reportedly Forcing Workers to Sleep on Factory Floor in Shanghai ![Workers at Tesla's factory in Shanghai are reportedly forced to work in a "closed-loop" system, sleeping on the factory floor.]() *\Image: Getty Images\* ## Hard Day's Night Workers at Tesla's Gigafactory in Shanghai are reportedly being forced to work in a "closed-loop" system, sleeping on the factory floor due to the lack of purpose-built dorms, according to an internal memo [obtained by *Bloomberg*](). The news comes amid widespread lockdowns across China, with Shanghai [reporting its first COVID deaths]() this week. China's controversial "zero-COVID" strategy has transitioned into what amounts to weeks-long house arrest for millions of people amid spiking cases, [prompting simmering outrage](). Work at Tesla's factory in Shanghai was on hold for three weeks due to the lockdowns, but managers are eager for workers to return. The company is feeling the squeeze, [*Reuters* reports](), with Tesla investors wary of the automaker missing 2022 delivery targets. ## Work Life Balance But resuming work amid China's tight lockdown isn't easy from a human resources perspective. According to the memo obtained by *Bloomberg*, Tesla will provide showers, three meals a day, a daily allowance of $63 a day, and entertainment, all of which is currently being set up. Only a select group of employees from the lowest risk residential compounds will be asked to return, joining 400 staff members already on site. Workers at the plant were producing around 2,100 cars a day before production ground to a halt late last month, according to *Bloomberg,* in eight hour shifts around the clock. Now, Tesla is asking them to work 12 hour days, six days straight with only one day off, according to *Bloomberg*'s unnamed sources. Spiking COVID cases are wreaking havoc with China's economy, and its massive automaker industry is clearly heavily affected as well, sending ripples through global supply lines. **READ MORE:** [Tesla Shanghai to Enter "Closed-Loop" System With Workers Sleeping in Factory]() \[*Bloomberg*\] **More on Shanghai:** *[Why People in Locked Down Shanghai Are Screaming Out Their Windows]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()