Is the work easier/harder than Ford? Are the standards higher/lower? Is the culture better?
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Two things: respect and relief.
I dunno about the culture yet, but reading through competitor analysis docs about Ford stuff and being able to laugh knowingly at the details they picked out is pretty entertaining, lol
I retired from Ford last year and agree that there is a lot of BS and stress but I worked for two other larger companies prior to Ford and found them to be just as bad if not worse. Both of the prior companies had mandatory unpaid overtime and I worked 60 plus hours per week at both. I worked long hours at Ford and didn’t feel that it was valued but they at least didn’t hold it against me if I had a personal obligation in the evening, assuming I completed my deliverables. At one of the prior companies I worked on development during the day and production support at night. There were nights when I didn’t have time for sleep before reporting to work the next morning. There were a few times when it was 7:00 AM before I resolved the night’s production support issues then took a quick shower before going to work only to get a stern talking to because I wasn’t at my desk by 8:00 AM. If I had an obligation in the evening I had to take a vacation day. I didn’t stay there long. I’m sure there are better companies than Ford but there are also worse. If you want a decent job where you’ll be valued and allowed to have time for life outside of work stay away from large companies. They s— the life out of you and kick you to the curb when you’re all used up. Unfortunately that’s life in corporate America.
A big yes- same situation here. It's funny to see the LL6's compete Hunger Games style and hoard as much work as possible. Actually, truly pathetic but that's how they roll at the big FOMOCO.
I thought I was the only one who was experiencing this. I used to sit at my work station and do other things to ensure my light is green. Now, screw it. I might go take a long siesta, rent a movie on pay per view, read a book, go for a run, watch some Youtube extended plays, etc...
The real comical part is this gravy train can keep on chugging right along... No foregone conclusion I or anybody else (in my same situation) loses their job. It's not me- I've availed myself to more work and had it pre SRD. If they don't care, why should I?
After leaving Fords my level of stress went to zero. The culture at my new employer is a WE culture.
The work is enjoyable and rewarding. They have high standards and get things done quickly.
All of the things that Fords did not value about me are appreciated by my new employer. I was promoted within a month. The things Fords did not value: innovative spirit, broad and deep knowledge, honesty, doing the right thing, teamwork and perseverance - are all valued by my new employer.
I have worked for 10 companies in the span of 40 years. 3 large, 3 medium, 4 small. Spouse’s job required is to relocate often.
While it is true that every company has its own issues, the level of dysfunction at Ford eclipsed them all.
In the end it all comes down to company culture. If the culture is a culture of service to the customer and everyone at the company has the same mission, then the company is a pleasure to work for.
The Fords culture is a culture of ME not WE. Most of the management are busy building their own careers and backstabbing their way upwards. A large percentage of the employees feel entitled and loaf. It is a chore to get things done. Coming to work was a grind because you had to spend months on red tape and politics to get a five minute task completed.
Salary is not dependent on company size. My highest salary was at a small company.
Work wise the small and medium sized companies you have the opportunity to learn more and be more creative and innovative. This is because larger companies tend to have people only do one small task. Not all large companies, but Fords definitely limits what each person can so.
The size of Ford isn’t the problem. The culture at Ford is the problem.
Large companies tend to have similar cultures and problems. I have noticed that having a good supervisor helps a lot, even when he/she cannot make the issues disappear because they are above his/her pay grade. However, if you are lucky to have a good supervisor, it doesn't last longer than a couple of years.
Medium sized companies face other problems, and tend to have different cultures among them, mainly dependent of the owners. It is very easy to know if you'll feel good there: you like it right away or you don't. The main issue is the compensation (salary/benefits) is lower than larger companies. Sometimes, the medium sized companies try to compensate this by offering more flexibility.
Your main advantage coming from a larger company is that you can introduce certain new processes or improve the existing ones, making you a "star". Another "pro" is that there are less layers between you and the decision makers. The "cons" all spin around money: older equipment (mainly in areas that don't produce the income), people leave for bigger companies, more chances of the company going down in a recession, etc.
So, to answer your question, Ford s—s a little more than other companies, but not by much. In any new position, you'll have to work harder to "get to speed", adapt to whatever the new company is doing differently, and your compensation could be lower, depending of where you go. A new job can also give you a rest of all the BS at Ford, just be ready to face some kind of BS, because nothing is perfect. Depending of your needs and wants, leaving Ford could be a good thing, specially if you are not "deadwood".
Good luck!
Considering that my current job at Ford pays me over $100k to do almost nothing, I can’t imagine my next job being easier
I worked at companies before and after my stint at Ford. (I was part of the SRD in May, 2019.)
My experience is that the dysfunction is always there with different levels of the BS. Management is always 'sacred' and HR is as useful as a screen door on a submarine. Leadership is like blind men wearing blindfolds in a dark basement searching for a black cat that isn't there. Idiocracy is abound.
The job I took after Ford took me 2 weeks to get building access. I had to get a guest pass and escorted for those 2 weeks. It took another 2 weeks to get my laptop. It took another month for me to get access to any meaningful tools to even begin to do my job. My team had development and support separate. (I was support.) There was no handover other than development telling us in support we have to install their garbage, usually on weekends. We had no quality control/assurance. Everything that was installed came with workarounds and manual processes.
We were on mandatory 12 hour days including weekends and holidays. I worked 9 straight months like this until the job impacted my health and I quit. The company knew they were doing this to their employees and did not care. Every team ran with a skeleton crew with employees doing the jobs of 2-3 people. The company overpaid so their employees stuck around and put up with being overworked.