Frank Morales joined Tesla about four years ago, eager to work for a growing company.

Morales handled the aggressive deadlines of the Tesla warehouse — until last month. He said he received years of strong performance reviews, but was fired one day “with no warning.”

A friend and a cousin recently asked him if they should go to work for the car maker. “I told them no,” Morales said, “stay where you’re at.”

Tesla’s October dismissal of 700 workers has left former employees angry and outspoken. Some, like Morales, have refused to a sign a separation agreement they feel is unfair and restrictive. The agreement bars former employees from disparaging the company or the executives who fired them, according to a copy obtained by this news organization.

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Tesla also faces ongoing protests, lawsuits and federal complaints from ex-workers and workers seeking to unionize — and is once again aggressively defending its image.

The disruptions come as the company battles the enormous task of hiring, training and expanding a skilled workforce to produce a new vehicle — the delayed, lower-cost Model 3 — that’s key to its success and survival.

Experts in human resources and employment law say the abrupt dismissals and upheaval could have lasting consequences for the Tesla brand and the company’s ability to attract talented engineers and factory workers.

“You really need to plan (terminations) very, very carefully, because it’s about people,” said Sanjay Sathe, CEO of placement support agency RiseSmart. The former workers could be future customers or even rehired as production demands increase, Sathe said. And bad word-of-mouth reviews can spread quickly on social media.

CEO Elon Musk acknowledged for the first time this month the company had fired 700 employees, saying it was for poor performance. Tesla sets high worker standards, he said, because it must be better than its bigger competition. “They’re high because, if they’re not high, we will die,” Musk said.

He complained that the October terminations, first reported by this news organization, became public and added that journalists should “be ashamed” for writing about a turnover of 2 percent of the public company’s employees.

The company also shot back at critics questioning its treatment of workers, who have raised concerns about lax worker safety rules and low pay. Chief people officer Gaby Toledano wrote an op-ed in the Sacramento Bee this month touting the company’s employee stock program and innovative environment. The company lists more than 2,500 open positions on its job board.

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Elon Musk’s wealth exceeds $100 billion; Jeff Bezos worth twice as much “Our employees have many paths towards promotion and long-term careers,” Toledano wrote in response to a critic. “We also believe it is important for everyone to be an owner of the company so, unlike other automakers, everyone is awarded company stock upon hiring.”

Palo Alto-based Tesla says workers remain attracted to the automotive and clean tech company. A company spokesman said Tesla received more than 73,000 applications worldwide in October, a 16 percent increase from January.