I’m starting to decline these. Including Lunch and learn, aka bring your own lunch, but the deep dives are catered for select clowns in the Ford Big Top Circus. This place is really getting to me and productivity is now worse with RTO and people are super agitated.
27 replies (most recent on top)
@d9 100% true.
Luncheons where people are being charged to attend. No joke.
If a lunch-and-learn isn't important enough to have lunches provided, then it's not important enough for me to attend.
@OP
Farley evil plans are working. Push em out with RTO. Don't offer enough desks, chairs, parking. They'll quit or get fired for not badging in.
There’s only 2 ways to make employers treat you well: leave or unionize.
The competition for employees makes employers behave. But with the nearly infinite supply of outlanders to bring in and the bad job market, that’s not in the cards right now.
Unfortunately unionization isn’t something the outlanders would want to pursue either. They’re scared to deàth to go back home and live with their own so they will won’t make waves.
Simple, don’t go. I have no tolerance for people who complain about work invading their personal time. If you get an email at 7pm, don’t read it. Employees have enabled this culture that they are available all the time. Stop it, you won’t get fired if you bring value during work hours.
@b9 Get yourself some Zoloft - then you'll probably shut up and not give a damn.
These are people who treat my time like a negotiation, not a given. Ever hear of strategic intimacy? It’s looks like connection, but it’s leverage. And retaliation is real, especially when you disrupt someone else’s gravy train.
I've had superiors who treat every casual comment like a data point. My silence, my tone, my availability, even what I don’t say. HR backs them, normalizing the culture so boundaries don’t matter.
When someone’s professional demands invade your personal life, like an invasive species that doesn’t belong and slowly takes over.. you're on your own.
We must have had different high-school experiences. Ford gave me the vibe of a TV show's interpretation of a middle school.
That said, what's your deal with Indian men and why do you view them as an inferior masculine race?
I never have that sort of thought when interacting with people in the workplace. Sizing up a whole race in particular to your perception of masculinity shows how fragile you are.
The most “macho” people I know are also some of the kindest and most self-assured.
It’s usually the insecure ones who feel the need to mock others.
And no, I'm not Indian.
@az What you say is reductive and framed under the assumption that the power imbalance or cultural dynamics don't matter if you're "strong-minded".
Even then, information about you can circulate and solidify in rooms you aren't in. One should care about if others fill a vacuum with their own version that gets treated as credible... even when it's not.
(1) inference fills gaps, (2) social coercion pressures disclosure, and (3) every interaction emits signals beyond your control.
Can we all just admit we are forced into adult high school? Is it really that different?
However: I do think its funny when I see Indian men try to act anthing approaching masculine. Kinda worth the price of admission. I gotta get something outta these less than stellar encounters.
Nah, sounds like your just being easily coerced into sharing personally sensitive information out of fear of not fitting in. Do you know how to non verbally tell people to F- off? Might be tike to learn. If that gets you singled out then guess what? Who cares. It just takes not being weak minded thats all. Dont be a fool. Don't over share. Have some agency.
@ah You can run but you can't hide!
@OP all day meetings from 7 AM to 7 PM are my daily grind. Often, there is little time to eat or go to the bathroom. Sometimes they run back-to-back, and 90% of the meetings are unproductive since the majority of the people are on Teams communication is really poor with confusing slide decks and people stuck in a loop on one subject.
Deep dives are also filled with a much fluff and are unproductive. This is the Ford way and I do not see it improving anytime soon.
@ak - As an example, even the stuff you bring for lunch can start gossip in the office. (e.g. "Look at how much this person eats!" Or, "Man, that stuff smells!"). Even a simple question of what your plans are for the weekend may encite jealousy or give a bad impression. So now, I have to be mindful of what I bring for lunch and be professional on my lunch hour.
@ak I’m not the person you’re replying to, FYI, but your comment comes off as either naive or intentionally dismissive of how workplaces actually function.
You’re assuming a perfectly rational, boundary-respecting environment, which just isn’t realistic for many people. Saying “just don’t share” shifts blame onto individuals instead of recognizing that some work cultures are invasive by default.
In toxic environments, simply opting out or withholding personal info can be seen as being aloof or “not a team player”. Even just attending something like a lunch-and-learn can open the door to unwanted probing, and if you suddenly stop participating, that can send a negative signal too.
They’ll dig for details whether you offer them or not, both in person and through things like LinkedIn snooping or online stalking. The socially coercive types apply pressure to extract personal info, then we-ponize it later. Pretending this dynamic doesn’t exist is just ignoring reality.
I’d rather play my role and not accidentally get fed to the sharks. Personal and professional should be separate unless you have a public-facing role.
Yeah...definitely not a self starter, this one. Probably works in HR.
What do lunch and learns have to do with your personal life? Sounds like you're unable to keep personal matters to yourself. All you have to do is not share. That is difficult?
@a7 What did you get done this week so far that wasn't done by somebody else?
I also decline the lunch and learns. Before I came to Ford, I used to go to all the social functions at my old job. I found that, once your personal stuff is known, it is used against you. I'd rather keep my personal life to myself.
@a7 What did you get done this week so far that wasn't done by someone else?
@OP Let Them Eat Cake! (Send The Message)
I just love being in meetings, running to the bathroom and flushing that toilet.
Try it sometimes, you will be so happy and smiling ear-to-ear afterwards.
You do not even need to use it, just go in there and flush the damn thing - let em' hear it!
The execs live in an entirely other and disconnected world. This is why they can't understand why their 'bright' ideas are not working. The minute you lock yourself in the tower of privilege is the moment you begin to fail.
You sound like someone who doesnt or cannot get any value added work done on their own. Likely one who just wanders around trying to justify their useless job.
And yes, we can tell that just from your post here.
Precisely a top reason why Ford is failing.
Perhaps you need to find someplace else to work. The Ford culture we want is people who are in the office and engaged. There are plenty of people who would be glad to your your job and clearly more capable.
You should not be declining those. You should be engaged
If that bugs you, you should see the elaborate daily breakfast, lunch and snacks buffet on the WHQ exec floor.