Thread regarding Ford layoffs

Polished mo--ns

@m9 Your post was beautifully written. You captured exactly what so many of us have been thinking, but most have stopped saying out loud. There was a time when we built with integrity, clarity, and purpose. Now it’s all noise—more flash than function, more branding than backbone.

But let’s not pretend this was just a few missteps. Ford didn’t lose its way—it walked off the path on purpose. Years of knowledge, process, and pride were swept aside so someone could pitch “transformation” to investors. Engineers became background noise to a louder, shinier agenda.

We don’t build for people anymore. We build for headlines, short lived stock spikes, and someone’s next LinkedIn flex. They call it resistance instead of remembering it used to be called quality.

@15m THEN SPEAK UP for what is right! Or do you always divert to posterior puckering and just continue to whine? Eunuch?

I retired in 2022. My management team asked me to come back before I retired. I am paid well, but cannot believe the utter incompetence of the younger work force. it is embarrassing! not everyone, but about 50%. The kids don't want to get their hands dirty and not be on the plant floor when needed. They think they can solve the problems with e-mails and team's meetings. Glad I won't be here long term. What a mess Farley created!
How in the world does he keep his job?

Check the seniority of most LL's, they qualified as "Older" workers. The issue is not at oler people at GSR level but at LL level. It includes Chucky Cheese VHE , Kumy Gal Ford Blue, etc.
Those "older" LL's are ruining Ford. They just try to survive, no ba--s, no guts, justt a buncj of eunuchs

Current employee over 65 and all the comments on this topic are devoid of reality.
Our overall problem with PD costs and quality is due to the sad fact as engineers we spend 80% of our time managing our internal processes and 20% on actual engineering.
Instead of deep-sixinig a useless process a new one is created instead that likely uses an online tool that is incomplete or no value add whatsoever.

@zt ur wrong!

@zt my father is in automotive as an engineer and works with parts SPECIFICALLY. And I’ve been in a plant. And what’s wrong if we came saw and conquered— are you upset? Anyway forget about all that let’s talk about my first vehicle which was a Toyota Camry my dad passed down and took the Corolla up so I can have the nicer car when I first got my license this was before the Honda. He always does that. He would take the old iPhones we had which were new for him and upgrade our family. Really would take one for the team. No complaints ever. Never once. Like a g. This was 2015. My next car was a Toyota Camry 18 or something I got in 2018 or 2019 can’t remember and I’ve been driving that boy since

My parents havea neighbor who has a ford truck in their driveway and my mom always brings up how this kid seems to always have his car lifted up and seems to be always working on it whenever home. Just constantly working. She asked me what could he possibly be doing to his ford truck for all these years that demands that 247? She asked me thinking I could explain it. But I was simply managing the unknown

ford = model e has too many young d-mb and full of c-m software engineers who never touched a automotive part, never walked an assembly plant, never own a vehicle in their lives.

Time to Cull the heard and put them old tarts and contractors 50+ out to pasture!

"Ford has too many older workforce"

Sounds like, " I am wanting more jobs for my H-1B friends."

Marketing always sold shiny and new... they would throw pie in the sky production numbers for new vehicles that would never materialize. We quit building vehicles for the people and got way too greedy.

It is so easy just follow the Toyota model and build good vehicles. Limit complexity and stand behind your work until quality catches up.

I worked with a lot of brilliant engineers who knew process and procedures. Somewhere in th big file cabinets are all the rules and tools we used to use to build vehicles. Right now they are so complex and ever changing that nobody can ever catch up. We design new stuff after throwing out the stuff we just designed.

It is sad to say that we could not put the Fusion back into production because some management and marketing tool would make it into something that it should not be.

Yeah those numbers are totally made up. Post the source or STFU.

Ford has many upper ranks with the highest Ego and immortality and the worst leadership. No matter what they do , they guys always there. Untouchables. So now they got too many of them. Who is going to do the actual work ??? The prime slaves were laid off.

So that's the reason why Tesla designed such as ugly truck.

OP - "..too many older workforce..."

Tells us a lot about where you're coming from here....

I would say it is more the American culture and its set ways that have led to the struggles of the company recently. It is clear that leadership recognized this and is why many white collar desk jobs and technical jobs are moving to locations outside of America to get fresh and current perspectives. This will improve the company's methods and efficiencies and is the right way to win in the current environment.

Wow. 75% of the older workers are running the company to the ground. Bankruptcy is next.

@OP. It is not the age, but the attitude, what counts... I am sure all can find anecdotical evidence of old and young farts not doing anything at Ford, as well as hardworkers.

Advice for the old: the world changes, and we must move with it.

Advice for the young: We old folks are not as stoopid as you think we are. Things are done in a certain way because of a reason. Find the reason before tearing up the wall, or King Kong may bite your behind.

Oh youngster as my gramps would say “Listen up you whipper snapper”. At your age you haven’t understood the way of the world.
Background I grew up on a farm. First generation to go to college and received an engineering degree. Working at Ford was baffling- all these layers of management and people appearing to get paid for doing nothing. I grew up working hard, fixing things and solving a range of problems without supervision. I did very well at Ford but it always bothered me that the loafers excelled for doing nothing.
What I came to understand is the children of Ford employees (particularly children of management) were taught very different skills growing up - how to navigate and exploit bureaucracy. They were adept at taking credit for others work, shifting blame to others, hosting get togethers for higher ups etc.
In any resource action at Ford the ones who survive are not the hard workers, but the “loafers”. The “loafers” are nearly always providing a service to some manager that you are not aware of. Usually gathering dirt on their competition, or assisting in sabotaging their competition. Sometimes the “loafers” are there just to make them look good by comparison.
Over time what happens at Ford is brain and skill drain. You have old timers who only want to follow the exact same playbook. Why? Because they don’t understand the existing process and why things were set up the way they are. They puff up and throw down obstacles and rules to hide the fact that they don’t know what they are doing. Management doesn’t have a clue either so they support them.
In my time at Ford I was successful at fixing/replacing/modernizing outdated/broken processes. I will say I made some enemies as the “loafers” were exposed. Would I advise my younger self to work at Ford? In short NOPE.

As a "Older Worker" here at Ford..... I have forgotten more sitting on the Shi@#r then the "Younger workers" have learned.

Ford includes some experienced older engineers, but also a few who seem resistant to new ideas - brain de-ad and rely heavily on outdated legacy documents left by their predecessors. Management appears smart enough to identify these gaps. And it is hard to do because they have a big mouth to BS others. Now that the time has come to show progress, we’ll see whether all the talk translates into deliverables.
The whole thing is a sinking ship, to be honest. There are a few good old engineers left.
Their salary is probably 2x, this is why Ford does not like too many of them. They like underpaying everyone.

Older workers with knowledge and experience were fired for having pensions and non-DEI attributes.

Get rid of unions. Notice how many more plants are in red states and thriving except with EV? More opening away from Michigaŋ. Simply as this.

"Ford has too many older workforce"

Maybe learn to speak the English first.

No wonder Ford is in trouble.

@ac
Bro, upper management has taken the wind out of their sails in the last decade. Maybe more.

@ay

Accel? Is that how you perform at work too?

The younger workers have no capability to execute, communicate, coordinate, or know how to work in crisis mgmt. Thank god the older workers are carrying the load.

Run your mouth when Tesla celebrates 100 years in business selling automobiles. Until then, worry about yourself and stop blaming everyone else for your inability to accel. If you were so good, and Ford is bad, you'd have moved on a long time ago and never looked back.

When I worked with the older engineers at Ford I wanted to learn from them. But most of them don't care to do any work or make any improvements to the current problems. I ended up learning the process and figuring it out myself. I got promoted and became the supervisor. Then they hated me and saying that I have no experience and how can someone like me can do the job. Now after 8 years I became the LL5.

@ag experience matters my ads I’ve been in this game for wayyyy more than a decade and I was started at gs5 entry despite crying and pleading about not looking at my age and listen

Younger workers LOL. And who is going to train them and show them were the bodies are buried.

Younger workers LOLOLOLOLOLOLOL

It’s good to have people in leadership who have actually had production experience. Young or old. Experience matters

Everyone seems to think the older workers have more experience, that is sometimes true. However, these older workers are only there for a paycheck and waiting to retire. There is no motivation for them to do better or contribute to the company.

Disagree that the age of Ford employees is the issue.
The issue is the lack of competency and the fact that so many of the older employees are on the Friends and Family plan, or are no threat to those on the Friends and Family plan (aka are low performing / incompetent). Pretty much anyone who spends more than 5-7 years at Ford is either on the Friends and Family plan / phoning it in / temporarily propping up the Friends and Family.

Tesla being a newer company doesn’t have a century of built up Friends and Family bureaucracy.

ocean gate had older people replaced by young , we all see the result

Older workers have more knowledge and experience. Younger workers are more entitled and more likely to complain.