Thread regarding Ford layoffs

@2iht
ditto my thoughts! Very well put!

OP- As the first poster said it may very well be is PTSD. If you are a current Ford employee and not from HR, tell us truly, that you Don't have "TS".

Previous poster very well said. The last couple years have been upside down and they had some very very poor treatment to employees based on new thinking new culture / everybody over 50 has nothing to contribute mindset. First 25 years were amazing at Ford. Great leaders, great friends and great accomplishments. It is sad at the end when you did nothing wrong and the other party ( CEO fire drills) allows everything great the company stood for to fall apart.

I think people who have left, or were asked to leave, are angry and/or bitter. I left and I’m a little raw about how things were there. I don’t know if the work environment changed or if I was lucky to work in decent organizations during my early years but the environment in my last few years took a sharp turn for the worse. In my early years at Ford I was proud to work there, was impressed by the talented people and the team work. I had worked at other companies and was surprised that no one ever complained about Ford. There was pride and loyalty and it was contagious. I don’t know if it’s fair to blame it all on Hackett but during his leadership I noticed the change. Suddenly people were more ruthless and many started to complain. The teamwork and loyalty declined sharply and I started to feel anger because the job I loved and valued was gone.

It’s fair to ask why people stay when they’re unhappy but people staying is understandable. Professionals view employment as a type of relationship and, as with other relationships, most people don’t run at the first sign of trouble. They think about the good years and the time they’ve invested and hope that everything will work out in the end. The problem with professional “relationships” is they’re often one sided. The employees may want to work through the problems but if the employer doesn’t also put in the work the issues will not be resolved. It’s sad when a solid long term relationship goes south and it causes some people to feel anger.

What industries did they go in after Ford?

I can understand people becoming disenfranchised, before it has been good to me and my family over the years. You do have to reset your expectations that certain people will not be given much opportunity to advance, if you aren't willing to push everybody else out of the way

I know of some ex coworkers that are bitter. They were in the career d—beat Ford plan and felt entitled to the pension.

I know of many who blossomed after Ford. Nearly all in that category enjoy much better health and career after Ford. That is because they were in the conscientious do the right thing category which does not work well at Ford. Ford is a place for career d—beats and people willing to blindly follow the managers (can’t say leaders as they aren’t leaders)

To the comment about walkers pre-Covid. Our area has a virtual walking club during Covid- team members walk and talk on cellphones. They log between 30,000 and 40,000 steps a day DURING office hours, and no they are not walking during lunch. You do the math on how many hours a day Ford is paying them to walk. They aren’t speed walkers either.

The talented and ambitious tend to quickly exit Ford.

I think it has to do with failed expectations. There are some people that not only chose Ford for an earning, but also chose it because it has legacy. There are not too many companies that exist that have the hallowed history of Ford. When people get in and realize all the b—s— they sell the American public, car for mankind, pull up by the bootstraps, made in Amurica, etc etc, and realize it's just a highly politicized shill, they become disenfranchised. Not to mention they pump up the new hires making them think there is opportunity around every corner, then year ten rolls around and you are just an animal in a cube farm. In some instances just a position that exists to justify the level above's position so no real value add to the company. And there are thousands of positions like that, pre Covid, go to the PDC and I swear most people spent their day walking around to get coffee. Some people are fine to be like that because they are d—beats, but for the people that want to contribute and have autonomy in their job, it eats them from the inside out. No more pension hook, so I presume you will see more turnover as time progresses.

Agree. I thought I liked it at Ford. There are some intelligent and diverse people there which makes life more interesting. There are also some cut throat people and that makes you feel like you have to always be looking over your shoulder. I didn’t, however, realize how stressed I was until I left. It was like a huge weight was lifted from my shoulders. When you’re in an environment you start to accept it as normal because it’s what you know. Once you put yourself in a new environment you realize it wasn’t normal at all. In all fairness I image Ford isn’t the only large company to have this problem. As they say... culture eats strategy for breakfast.

What are they angry about?

It's called PTSD. Every one I know says the same thing. Didn't realize how dysfunctional things were until they were out of the environment.