After a female engineer filed a harassment lawsuit last year for allegedly discriminatory treatment in the company, Tesla has finally answered the accusations. The company said there is no substantial basis for AJ Vandermeyden’s claim and reveals the progress of her career in the company even after she has filed the lawsuit.
According to Tech Crunch, an interview with Vendermeyden last Tuesday reveals all the discriminatory treatment she experienced in the company where the majority of the employees are male. She also shared that during meetings, she is usually the only woman and with over 40 male employees. Most of the C-level executive positions are taken by male employees and only two are female.
She complains that promotions were always favored to male employees even though they were less qualified. The female engineer also shared a couple of incidents that reveals how much the company favors male employees. One of it is when she came up with a solution for a company yet her male colleagues was still promoted first. In another incident, she said a group of her male co-workers was hooting, whistling and hollering at her and her female friends as they pass by.
According to The Verge, Tesla said it is inevitable for their company to have a small number of employees to have such claim against them. However, this doesn’t mean the claims are all true. The company has also explained that although Vendermeyden did not have any formal engineering degree, she have been promoted several times. She continued to have promotion even after she has filed the harassment lawsuit against the company.
Tesla is committed to rewarding their employees for all their hard work regardless of their educational background and gender. The company also revealed that when Vandermeyden first brought to the company her concerns, they immediately investigated her complaints so that they can implement necessary corrections if needed. However, after the investigation, Vandermeyden’s “claims of gender discrimination, harassment, and retaliation have not been substantiated.”
