Thread regarding Ford layoffs

I was hired two months ago to work from home in Ford CSC customer service. Everything was shipped to my house so what is this RTO?

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Post ID: @OP+1nb7ogPE

14 replies (most recent on top)

Unlesd you got something in writing that you both signed, you're screwed. If they make u go back into the office, u must do it or quit.

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Post ID: @2ydb+1nb7ogPE

@2trn+1nb7ogPE ... new guys beware ... this is the Real "family" of Ford : "The HR reps were very flat and just said that the cutoff was the 31st and if his vesting date was not met then he would not receive any of the matching contribution."

i remember when Alan M would talk about "profitable growth for all!" ... But of course not "all" if you include the 1000's of people let go.

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Post ID: @2zbg+1nb7ogPE

OP, if you are genuinely asking what RTO is, it is 'Return To Office'.

In March of 2020, Ford North America sent all of their employees home and closed up offices - and plants - indefinitely.

I don't remember the exact timing, but some number of months later, the assembly plants brought workers back to resume operations. They called these workers 'site dependent' meaning that they had to be at a specific location to get their work done.

Most (all?) office workers were deemed 'remote' workers who could perform their job duties from someplace other than the office (i.e. NOT site dependent).

Some companies found that they could get the same amount of work down and save money by having remote workers (less building expenses, etc.).

Other's found that some employees had way more time on their hands than leaders realized and didn't like employees being able to do 'not work' during work hours.

And many cities provide tax breaks / incentives to companies to have their offices in their city because of all the employees who have to be present 5 days a week and spend money locally - well those cities started pulling back those incentives - that made some companies want to bring employees back to the office regardless of how it may or may not impact productivity.

Most office workers liked working remotely. No commute. The ability to schedule your workload without interruption from coworkers. Some were able to get their work done in less than 40 hours a week and enjoyed having the extra time to use however they wanted (spend time with family, chores, hobbies, etc.).

Some office workers hated remote work because their homes are loud or disruptive (children / pets / etc.) and they aren't able to get their work done as effectively.

Others hated it because their work style was mostly 'face time with the boss' and they struggled with being forced to compete with their merits and not with their ability to kiss you-know-what. This was far more common than I expected. These workers tended to compensate by scheduling even more meetings with cameras on or attending every single 'office hours' with leaders and speaking the entire time. Business as usual for them.

Lastly, there was some frustration and resentment from the site dependent workers. There had always been some resentment between the two groups because much of the assembly work is 'hard' and constant and in difficult conditions (loud, hot, fast paced). While office work can be hard and relentless - it is in a very different way. And some office workers really abuse the 'water cooler conversations' and waste hours each week just chatting with each other. All while making a higher salary than an average plant worker. And some office workers look down on assembly workers. For the most part, both sets of workers are made up of good, hard working people. It's usually a minority that are jerks. Right, wrong, or indifferent, I understand why the resentment exists. Anyway, most site dependent workers have long hoped for office workers to return to office rather tha work from home.

So now everyone is waiting to see just if/when/how Ford will enforce a 'return to office' aka RTO for non site dependent workers. While some are happy that office workers may be forced to return, many believe that it is being implemented for the wrong reasons - regardless of productivity. And others see hypocrisy from senior leaders who are far more likely to be permanently classified as 'remote' but are the ones telling the ground level GSRs how important it is that they return to work. Kind of a 'rules for thee but not for me' or 'do as I say not as I do situation'.

As far as your situation goes, I'd suggest not letting uncertainty stress you out relentlessly. But I would also tell you that absolutely nobody is 'safe'. While there is definitely a target on older / highly compensated / pension employees - younger / lower compensated employees are also picked to help balance the average age (to avoid age discrimination lawsuits similar to what happened with Smart Redesign aka SRD) in 2019).

Last year I remember a recent college grad who was SIRP'd asking a question during one of the post-sirp info sessions - everyone's last official day of employment was August 31st - well, that was like 12 days away from this kid being vested in his 401k. His first 401k as a professional worker. The HR reps were very flat and just said that the cutoff was the 31st and if his vesting date was not met then he would not receive any of the matching contribution. I know it's less of a kick in the pants than what Ford did to older workers closer to their retirement. But I still thought it was terrible.

Good luck, man. Don't let it stress you too much - but be ready for amything.

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Post ID: @2trn+1nb7ogPE

The initial comment was in reference to the CSC Ford Credit. Thank you for your response.

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Post ID: @2ezw+1nb7ogPE

Perhaps the initial comment was referring to the CSC at Ford CREDIT? They did go FT remote and also hired a class around that time. I believe the job posting referred to a requirement that the new-hires be located within 50 miles of an existing FC building, of which they have a few. Doesn't necessarily mean RTO is in their future, though.

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Post ID: @1ljv+1nb7ogPE

@1mvr+1nb7ogPE

I don't think they ever went remote. I remember in the height of the pandemic seeing pictures of them all in the office masked up.

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Post ID: @1jes+1nb7ogPE

I believe Ford HR and management actually enjoy keeping the workforce on edge about job security. Proof is how they have been operating for years now. And do you actually think kerstink Robinson didn't enjoy the power she had in HR?

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Post ID: @1jza+1nb7ogPE

Did everyone at Fcgbc and China go back RTO or are they still remote?

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Post ID: @1mvr+1nb7ogPE

Duh. Things can change anytime. One of the posters hasn’t heard anything about RTO and others have. Doesn’t mean what they have been told so far isn’t valid or not. Let’s just all agree Ford sucks for making all of us speculate constantly about job security or mail it in until the separation checks are official.

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Post ID: @1fwp+1nb7ogPE

@bmu+1nb7ogPE surely you're not that gullible. Connected vehicle has an out of state LL3. So he continues to say that CV is a remote organization. However there are rumors flying that that LL3 is on his way out the door. So that puts that all up in the air.

You can listen to the current leaders in your area. But since those leaders might be part of the SIRP you can't trust that it won't change after the SIRP.

"We've been told" is worth the earwax that the sound waves pass over.....

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Post ID: @1pyy+1nb7ogPE

Linked In is filled with employees laid off 4 weeks after being hired by a company. The fact that Ford is still hiring remote employees doesn't mean a $%¢\!? thing.

When RTO happens, remote employees will be given a choice. Whether they've been with the company 2 weeks or 10 years.

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Post ID: @eip+1nb7ogPE

All I know is my paycheck says Ford not Percepta.

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Post ID: @tsa+1nb7ogPE

There’s probably some truth to the RTO stuff, and employers can change work conditions at anytime, but Ford is still hiring remote employees. We just had two hired from SE USA alone in the past 3 months in Model e and a lot of us have been working FT WFH in different parts of the US since day 1. Many were hired into Ford with that understanding of not relocating to the mitten.

Since I don’t have anonymous sources backing up that RTO is happening (unlike some posters lately), all I can say is our area in Model e has been told we will continue to accommodate all work pattern types. Different areas may operate differently.

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Post ID: @bmu+1nb7ogPE

Nice try, OP.

Ford CSC workers aren't actually Ford employees, but rather they're contractors working for an entity called Percepta. Ford does have a minority stake in "Percepta" and "Percepta" exists mostly to serve Ford, but ultimately a company called Teletech owns the majority of "Percepta." So, in essence, Ford CSC workers are on Teletech's payroll, receive Teletech benefits and Teletech 's management makes the rules.

Source: I worked in Ford CSC years ago, and they had started offering WFH flexibility long before COVID.

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Post ID: @yci+1nb7ogPE

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