I have no doubt Ford will soon be doing the same. I know, I know, office space! Blah blah blah. I don't think they'll let their $1 billion investment in the Drain, I meant I Train Station sit empty. The RTO full-time is nigh.
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Yeah if they make everyone come back (which they probably won't) that will likely be the gating factor. I just don't have the life energy for this company anymore.
Ford’s problems started before WFH. If Ford had good management instead of the FnF management that is in place, WFH would be a non-issue. The solution to Ford’s quality issues is not to have the FnF LLs take attendance 3 days a week but unfortunately that is the best that Ford’s management can come up with.
Is there something political behind this resistance to WFH? Is Trump against it?
I know Trump is against exporting American jobs, but I have never heard Trump speak out against remote workers.
The “politics”, I think, is from gargantuan financial interests losing their shorts on commercial real estate investments. They need to convince small companies to take on the extra burden of leasing office space.
Poor quality, and little choices to offer to consumers.
People working remotely didn’t do that.
Poor management, hiring people for reasons other than merit and cutting older employees who have survived the fires did that.
@awaq+1sRxwneu. People are against work from home because the company's output is trash under WFH. Poor quality, and little choices to offer to consumers. Have any of you shopped for a vehicle recently? The company is a vehicle manufacturer. If your position requires no interaction with hardware in a manufacturing, development, or test environment it should be outsourced to a LCC.
I don't understand why so many posters here are passionately against work from home. Management can and should monitor people's work output and that can be done wherever your computer and chair are. Before the pandemic, I saw plenty of people in the office who spent a lot of time on coffee/smoke breaks, on the phone in their office on personal calls, people chatting for an hour about the Sunday game, people on ebay, etc. Makes no difference where you are. Is there something political behind this resistance to WFH? Is Trump against it? What's driving you all to hate work from home? If managers are not monitoring the work output then THEY are the problem, not where the employee's butt is parked.
@6ydc+1sRxwneu good point
Office space is on average 70% vacancy across the board.
Bodes well for a $1 billion renovation in a cr-ppy neighborhood, huh? SMH
When COVID hit the Drain Station project should have been scrapped.
Why does Ford have so many people employed who have never been to Michigan and are remaining full time remote?
Here's more on the problems with banks and commercial real estate (CRE) that I think is driving the push for big, connected corporations to push for RTO.
Scroll down about half way in the article to "The Commercial Real Estate Problem".
www.zerohedge.com/economics/there-financial-crisis-bubbling-under-surface
Companies struggling to survive are going to look for any possible cost savings, and supporting the CRE investors isn't going to be one of their top concerns.
There aren't many "boomers" left. The old folks now are "Gen-Xers".
I remember when we were partners with IBM during the ASC/AMC/PTG days at itek. IBM employees were the most unhappy, scared for their jobs people that I have ever seen. They were expected to justify their jobs in writing and come up with money making ideas every year, and they were in constant fear of getting fired. The leadership at IBM rules through intimidation and turmoil.
IBM being such a forward thinking company. haha. those boys are still costing on the giant monopoly position they had from their almost founding until the early 80s.
@1drn+1sRxwneu based on that I think I might know who you are!
It's also about putting wear and tear on our vehicles. If they don't wear out, we don't buy new vehicles.
Article on RTO
https://amp-cheezburger-com.cdn.ampproject.org/v/s/amp.cheezburger.com/35219717/ceo-pushes-junior-staff-member-for-more-productivity-they-start-working-their-scheduled-hours-i?amp_gsa=1&_js_v=a9&usqp=mq331AQGsAEggAID#ampshare=https%3A%2F%2Fcheezburger.com%2F35219717%2Fceo-pushes-junior-staff-member-for-more-productivity-they-start-working-their-scheduled-hours-i
I have been able to work from home since 2020. I finished 5 different home renovation projects and still able to call into weekly team meeting. I can go boating with my friends and family anytime, take vacation, and sick days anytime. I love my job. 10 more years and I am ready to retire.
@1drn+1sRxwneu. Why not retire now? It is not like anyone will miss you. I suppose getting paid a full salary while being semi retired is a good deal.
It's a well known tactic that when they start mandating RTO this is one of the ways to encourage attrition. Some "old timers" long for the good Ole days, but mostly it's because they want to encourage attrition or feel sad that expensive real estate is sitting empty. Nothing more, typically.
Forced RTO more than two days per week will mean early retirement for me. I’m just waiting for a good enough reason to quit. Bring it on!
@noi+1sRxwneu you're a mo--n. People on Linked In are reporting IBM doing this NOW.
I was told the same thing. Plus there is discussion of having everyone badge out at end of work day to prevent the now popular coffee badging.
Ford HR and the c-suite are mini tyrants.
Trying to get everyone riled up from an article from January? Old news.
Interesting enough, years ago, when not many companies were doing WFH, IBM allowed their employees to WFH occasionally.
Really? Cøcktāil is a forbidden word?
The push for RTO is driven by the commercial real estate bankers and investors. There’s about to be a crisis in regional banks because they heavily invested in commercial real estate. Many are in danger of going under.
That’s what this is all about. These connected companies run by the electric have to demonstrate they on the “team” or no more co-ktail parties and invite to Davos.
Meanwhile, some scrappy little startup is going to save billions by having their employees work remotely, not pay for office space, and not have to pay their employees as much.
I asked my LL6 if it's true we are going back to 5 days later this year. He couldn't confirm the timing, but did say it was told to him that this is the full plan back when we did 3 days a week mandate in March.
Good while it lasted I guess. People do respond better on the days in the office. But being able to check out on Fridays was a nice compensation for not getting a great raise the last couple of years.
Companies are starting to figure out some employees are working multiple jobs from home and the early gains in productivity was real but short-lived. Most "smart" people will figure out a way to maximize or minimize effort to their benefit. Either way, expect the trend to return to the office at 100% or hybrid to continue, for most not all for lots of business reasons. For the train station, the press release includes Ford as a first tenant to include Ford Model e and Ford Integrated Services, with 1,000 by the end of the year and 2,500 by 2028 (source: media.ford.com).
Well, in exchange for a few hundred million taxpayer dollars being poured into the Drain Station, Ford promised to have 5,000 workers there paying Detroit city income tax. It’s happening.
I can tell you this, IBM is about 6 months ahead of our plan. Expect 5 days a week mandate near end of year, with a reminder that 2024 perf reviews are right around the corner. wink wink. ;)