This market environment is getting really scary. The company better get out in front of this one.
No telling where this one ends.
33 replies (most recent on top)
Yep. The People Reduction Program is coming. You may even can get reduced at home.
@7tei Not being able to start a lawnmower is a metaphor for being entitled, whiney, helpless and getting someone else to solve your problems. It was not meant to be an avenue for "getting paid".
Also, that if you give 100% they will just give you more work and you will be doing more and more work without raise or benefit.
To RLee Ermy - because your generation ruined the country's education system and parenting. Also, you people can't even use a computer without asking 50 trillion questions and soaking up 100 different viruses. Have fun getting paid with your lawn mowers skill though.
What is with older people ripping on younger people?
Complaining about and insulting people just because their age is different from yours is ridiculous.
People on this board are like “What have the young people ever done?” I assume these people also think the company is doing horribly. Look at leadership. How many of the leaders are “younglings”? Seriously, where are all of the 23 year old LL4+?
The problems with the company don’t solely fall on young people or old people. Are there young people at Ford that could do a better job? Yes. But look at their managers. If your manager and the company is going to give you slack, who wouldn’t take it?!?! Why give 110% when the impact is the same if I give only 60% When your managers and your business partners constantly change their mind and don’t have any idea on what to do, what are you supposed to do?
- Lee Ermy had a great comeback when a youngster told him "My generation is going to start a revolution!". His reply was "Your generation cant even start a lawn mower!"
Most younger employees show zero respect for what built the company, so no surprise on these comments about dated thinking. The younglings will find out soon enough once the machine consumes them. They will wake up one morning and realize wtf did I do with my life. I challenge anyone on this board to come up with one net positive the new wave has produced that has made the company money (yeah that thing that is the sole reason to be in business). I'm waiting...
@5mzn; how’s that ‘New Age Thinking Working Out’. Arrogance, limited talent and experience will work out just fine for you at the New Ford.
It seems to me that the "1988" folks did quite a few things right before the know-it-all youngsters came around. We did plenty of adapting and things went pretty well until all this radical new thinking became fashionable. Sometimes the old ways are better than the new. You disagree? fine, but we didnt need ping pong tables and quiet rooms because we couldnt deal with the stress of the job.
I love how the PD folks that post on this site think being stuck in 1988 is the answer to the problems at this company. Adapt or die.
@3nda; Wow, so with all the c-ap going on with this company, you believe that because you may have a worthless manager, it’s ok to sit at ones desk and play on Facebook all day. Can’t image being in your workgroup - SMH
Folks Seriously, we have "Big Brain" at the wheel. All is well. He has the answers if we will just follow. All electric and self driving. That's the answer to your problems. Ford stock will be just fine! He is a caring Father figure with all of answers to all of your problems. Huddle with him and don't ask questions or make waves.
Reading these posts the absurdity of it all strikes me. In today’s economic environment how can it be acceptable to have
a) counter-productive employees - those making Non-value add work for others
b) unproductive workers / slackers
c) clueless supervisors and managers and directors.
It’s like we all accept that we have all three and if we had a choice we would pick one of the three to eliminate.
The problem is if you eliminate c - then someone from group a or b would fill the void, and the same problem would reappear.
If you make b do work, they will become a.
If you stop a from doing their thing then they become b or c.
The CEO needs to step up and eliminate a, b and c. Wait he is in camp c ,,,,,,,,,,,,,
Yeah as stated below nepotism is rampant in this organization. Hard to believe this silly unproductive culture exists over in Ann Arbor @ Toyota. This company is in a slow death spiral - best case scenario.
Ford West in Plymouth picked up a couple of our LL4's in the SRD. One of the smartest things to happen during the SRD. Our department no less productive without them.
Good luck Rivian.
I would rather have someone on our team that facebooks all day long than have a PM who does nothing more than create work that adds nothing to to company.
Ford managers are just looking out for themselves.
My buddies team is swamped with work and is forced to work 15 hours of casual overtime a week to keep up. Casual=uncompensated. They are paid for 40 hours but work 55 hours.
They have two totally useless GSR in our team. Seriously these two have zero IT skills or aptitude but are placed in a group that requires a high degree of knowledge and skills and experience.
To add insult to injury their two best contractors were released in 2019 purge.
Any guesses on why those two useless GSR were not released instead? They both have a parent who is an LL5 and our LL5 is currying favor with two other LL5 by keeping their children on the Ford payroll.
One of those LL5 as a return favor for the LL5 made a position for her LL6 husband to keep him safe in 2019 purge.
This is what I observe. We are not “one Ford”. There are great workers in group A who are idle who really want to work in group B who are swamped. There are unqualified workers in group B that shouldn’t be in group B. Then we have the managers and supervisors all protecting their turf, hiding information, telling their leaders they need more people instead of being truthful and saying either - I have a bunch of people I can’t use because they a) don’t want to work or b) don’t have the skills and don’t wish to acquire them.
So the leaders looks at the number of employees and say they must need coaches and project manager to get their work done, let’s hire them.
The same old Ford story and culture rears it’s ugly head.
All the progress Alan Mulally made on fixing the culture has been undone.
Well said in the last comment. The Agile coaches and they're $500/hour rate are k–ling, absolutely homiciding productivity.
The coaches insist a whiteboard is the source of truth on project tracking, yet the LL5s+ insist on using rally reports for current status. Huh?? The LL5s are forcing these coaches on us and then do not even listen to the coaches. Waste everywhere!!
Time to admit that the PDO transformation is a failure and do things differently.
@2ty I am on the other end of the spectrum. Our group is completely swamped with work but we could contain it if we got rid of all of the non value-add c-ap that is created by the project managers. We easily spend 20% of our time manipulating Dorf, fudging with Rally numbers and doing Agile ceremonies because the project managers are gods in our organization. You want to reduce headcount? fine.... start with all of the useless PM's. They are worse than the work avoiders. At least the people who dont do anything dont slow down productivity.
Fully agree with the over staffed comments. 25% over staffed is LOW in IT. My department is easily 50% over staffed.
In my group there are 12 people. Only one person, a contractor, is fully loaded with work.
The rest maybe do 3 hours of work a day. But 4 also charge fake OT because they “have to work” on the weekend because they are so busy. I slowed my work down to 5 hours a day.
The same pattern exists for our entire IT Operations department. But to hear our manager we need to hire many more people.
There is such poor leadership and apathy. The powerpoints from LL6 are all BS. The morale is poor. They squandered the resources they had. The uber-talented have all left the company. I don’t blame them. Eagles need to soar. They don’t want to work with a flock of pecking hens.
Here’s hoping for another PRP or SRD. Stick a fork in me I am done.
@1fof; exactly, spot on. The problem is the company is not willing to address the behavior, just get of more people. If you step up and try to address the online behavior your life becomes a living hell for upsetting the employees. If the employees where faced with “no internet, or get fired”, that would change behavior overnight.
@2ffy, compared to our suppliers, we are still easily overstaffed by 30%. Do you think any automotive supplier could stay in business with the bloated management structure that exists within FMC
Not sure about the 25% over staffed number. Maybe 10%. Especially with the problem of everything being a priority and everyone wanting it now. No way to run a company. When everything is a priority then nothing is.
Of course, hourly are given a pass in all this. Talked about over staffed, under worked and overpaid. But Bill boys love of the UAW, apparently trying to make up for Henry's initially fighting the union, keeps the deal sweet for the unskilled laborers.
In fact, Billy's woke, liberal idealism is a major issue with the company right now.
Fully agree with comment below that Ford is overstaffed and you could cut 25% and still function fine. But it's not the overstaffing that's the issue, it's Ford hoarding then squandering resources, talents, and capabilities and potential of 90% of their employees, at an expense yhat only benefits another 10% that are special. Coupled with that as an extreme vacuum of leadership for three years at all levels, and a vision that cannot be articulated or understood no matter how many California Consultants play it on video in our heads. People literally do not know what to do. Simple leadership, and if any decision ever is made its revisited 19 times until we're late making the related product with that decision, a clean sweep and a new dream team is needed.
Hopefully it doesn't have 4 Phases :(
End of March I was told on Friday. Offers of some sort with details to follow.
Who knows what this company will do anymore - more layoffs/firings? Doesn't really matter, as the separation benefits available to most of the people they would target (i. e. those of us with 20 or more years ) are not much worse than the last PRP packages they handed out.
That being said, would be bad move PR wise to have more layoffs just due to a market correction (and that is what this is folks, cornoavirus not withstanding...). They are trying to get more of the latest and greatest tech knowledge to join the company, and one thing the kids today had over us is quicker and better access to information. They will not join a company if same said company up and lays off a bunch of people, as they have many more choices than we did 20 + years ago.
PRP - that is a different story, and would be the way to go if they want to trim more "fat", as it is seen as more 'humane' and supposedly causes less disruptions because it can be planned out and back fills arranged/designated.
But then again, whom knows what the two Jim's will do anymore.....wouldn't worry about it, just do your own job/thing, and start making alternative plans on what to do with yourself in case you get the tap in the shoulder
@1gxm+13IvIbkP - Hah
Back in Jan 18' I told an LL6 I was waiting on an offer. He scoffed and said JH wouldn't be receptive to offers that Fields did in 17' and this LL6 said they would just show everyone the door before making offers.
I had the last laugh. They offered PRP 1st then "enhanced" it in May 18'. Then rolled out the 4 phases in 18'/19' and the LL6 that said they would show everyone the door before offers got canned.
Things are at the point where getting rid of old folks isn't going to fix it. There is still so much headcount waste at Ford.
I bet you could cut 25% of salary and force at least 65% utilization of the remaining workers and not lose a step.
So many people daytrading, surfing net, walking around.
Sorry. Only firings at this point. PRP is a thing of the past. The company must get serious as to what they want to be as things are getting ugly.
24 billion is not alot of cash when they spend 30 Billion each quarter. (Cost of revenue)
A few have been retiring without bonuses.
Think they have enough cash on hand. Somewhere near 24 billion - I believe. Don't quote me on that one.
Has to some sort personnel move coming as there has been no announcement regarding the PRP.
Usually by this time we would have heard one way or another. I think they are holding their cards close in the meantime.
Bankruptcy is on the way.
Who knows - all it will take is one sneeze :)