Ford upper management is preaching they need a younger generation in, with fresh ideas. What they don't remember is that all businesses require different ages, s-xes, races, religions, etc., to make a valuable product or service. Think about it...who will be testing our vehicles, internally? Younger employees. Who buys most of our vehicles? Older generations (1950-1990). When the older generations are not part of testing, their voice is not heard. When our voice is not heard, the company doesn't gear their product toward the older generation. Result? The older generation no longer buys Ford products. We don't need all the technological advances, we are not living in our vehicles...we are using them for transportation. Wake up Ford! You preach and advertise diversity, but yet you discredit the older workers. Age is important to the longevity of your company. After all, look at the ages of all management. You're no longer credible Ford. I for one, as a boomer, am taking my business elsewhere, because you are no longer making a vehicle that fits me. See ya!
6 replies (most recent on top)
I too am a baby boomer. Took the package in 2018 had enough. I feel sorry for those who stay. But when you watch Farley back in February make statements about the older workers then why would you want to work for a POS like that?
I know from my own experiences that since Ford 2000 this company has went into the toilet for quality.
Say what you want but those guys knew the customer. Since then, our launches have been in the toilet. Our management bench is extremely weak.
Personally, i don't care if they are all the same color or s-x. I just want them to be competent. Tired of this Frends of the family or diversity act and look what that has done for the company? You go into meetings and listen to the line of questions coming from management I had to wander if they are even engineers? I have seen some really good women and minority people inside the company. Their problem was they asked questions when things did not look right. So, we have become a company of bobble heads & yes men.
Boston Consulting Group. What a mess they made. Lost some really loyal, future thinking, brilliant people when they made the cuts. Without even knowing what contributions they made and their potential. It was like BCG created a organizational chart and put X’s over names and that’s it.
And for the “new young blood” coming in the save the company, I laugh. The work ethic is not the same as the 30 to 40 years of service employees. Most expect to be in management in 5 years for sitting on thier phones listening to music on their headsets. I know. I babysat a few. They want the fun jobs and are dissatisfied with the processes you have to follow. They leave in 5 years anyways after they realize they are not getting what they want. And there is no free candy and chips, lol
Executives don't listen to employees because if you work here, you can't be very smart. They listen to consultants who were hired by higher ranking executives. They love the Boston Consulting Group, and others.
@utz+1joCcoOO So true.
I always laughed when Ford IT engaged IBM / Kyndryl / Oracle / Teradata consultants yet again. They would stop by my desk and ask me what I believed the solution should be. I would give them the solution with a draft project plan (previously proposed to LL6 and LL5). The consultants would reformat my solution, add oodles of time and resources and present it to the senior leadership. Then senior leadership would assign loads of PM types to the project and years later it would be implemented.
Of course if I told the consultants it was a boondoggle and no solution was needed they would manage to sell senior leadership on purchasing some unneeded high cost software which remains as shelf-ware to this day.
After I was retired I would get invitations to lunch by the consultants who wanted me to provide the same service I was providing while working. LOL - when I demurred from working for free they offered a job which I declined.
As a "baby boomer" engineer, it always makes me laugh to hear this. The "kids" are full of energy, drive and ambition but lack experience to make sound decisions. As for new ideas, kids out of school won't have any (because colleges are always 5-10 years behind what engineering companies are doing) and from what I've seen personally, companies will not listen to employee ideas or recommendations based on other places you've worked. Instead, they prefer to listen to consultant companies who tell them a "song and dance" to get paid. Case in point, the massive change in Ford software development to use the new SAFe process sweeping thru corporate America now. However, when I used to make recommendations in ADAS team scrum meetings based on things I learned at Motorola (a company very respected in software development), nobody was interested in even considering them. So what's the point to target people that might have "new ideas" if these ideas won't be welcome?
Vssp for all!!!!