Thread regarding Ford layoffs

At one point, I was really into leaving the company (very bad times with my then manager). It was just not the right time then for me (personal stuff). Good things for me that helped me since then:

• Venting. There are a lot of coworkers that feel similarly to myself regarding the company and their managers. It really helps.
• Stopping myself from caring too much about my job. Still trying to do my best, but I am not taking it personal, when management decides not to listen to my technical advice.
• Detaching myself from the company, visualizing myself in another company. I feel that sooner or later the company is going down, so I know that I won't be here forever, just enough to fix some of my personal stuff.
• Covid-19. Yes, I know that a lot of people died, but it was a blessing in disguise for me. WFH is glorious, and actually it might extend my time in this company. No one's looking over my shoulder to see what I am doing, no need to hide my yawns during meetings (just keeping myself mute), no need to waste time with office interactions (not all were bad, just enough of them). I save a lot of time (dressing, commuting, waiting for others, doing actual work while in meetings, etc.), and I can see my family all the time.
• And the most important of all: not stopping my life, continuing to do all the things I needed to do before leaving the company. Finally, I am less than 6 months away to be completely ready to leave the company, when I choose to. I already moved out of the state (no coming back to the office), sold my house, bought a new one (already paid for), and knowing that I can walk away from the company any moment I want is priceless.

Thanks

Who is kidding who, nearly everyone at Ford with half a brain thinks of it every single day. And don't think all these kids they are hiring aren't thinking it too. Most college grads these days have highly educated parents that have taught their kids how to "work" their employers and bleed them dry for all they can get with the full intention of moving on. The stupidest thing companies did was to get rid of retirement as now people know from the start to be out for themselves. Ford will dump money into training up all these kids for them to leave for greener pastures. And they won't even be future Ford customers because they will have seen the mess from the inside and avoid the vehicles like the plague.

@4stz+1beoH5vC
While you are at Ford play the game others play.
Decide what new degree you want, then sign up for classes at Lawrence Tech. Do your classes and school work during office hours. In a year or two you can have a new degree and apply for a new job.
This is common place at Ford. Many actually get Ford to pay for the degree and then get a promotion at Ford. Typically with an MBA. Larry Tech is very accommodating and waives most of the prereqs.
If you want to leave Ford it is a good “change of career” move.
At least you will be improving yourself, they can’t take away your education.

For those thinking of joining or leaving Ford.
These are lessons learned in how to spot bad managers and teams

Avoid the manager who prefers to hire weak candidates. This manager is fearful of competent employees and will throw you under the proverbial bus.

Avoid the manager who is unable to hire prior employees. A good manager will have prior employees willing to work for him/her again.

Avoid the manager who regularly brings in consultants to recommend approaches and do the work the staff should be able to do. This manager doesn’t know how to do his job and has a staff of incompetent workers. If you are competent, you will end up doing all the work and will be the scape goat for any problems that arise.

Avoid the manager who loves procedures, rule books, corporate hierarchy and focuses on small tasks like pretty spreadsheets and PowerPoints. This is a manager who is attempting to hide the fact that they cannot do their job. They will fiddle while Rome burns.

Avoid the manager who is allergic to deadlines. A deadline is a commitment. The manager who cannot set and stick to deadlines, cannot honor commitments.

Avoid the manager who boasts of late nights, early mornings and no time off. He cannot manage himself so you’d better not let him manage you.

to @3vkv+1beoH5vC :-
Looks like Ford HR is confident they are able to easily hire all that they want! Good luck with that!

I think about leaving everyday too. But frankly, I am not able get another job with the experience I gained at Ford. Stayed too long. How can you learn anything when your only job is communicating someone else's achievement to someone else. I dont even know why I am needed. And I raised it to the higher ups too, to give me something else to do. But to no affect. My wife has a awesome job that she would forgo any relocation for, and I think I should just stay and get paid for doing almost nothing., and keep looking at the same time for opp in detroit.

You should leave!
Don't let the Norman door hit you on the way out.

It is perfectly alright to have a mental health problem. It is the best to use the protection and get even with the system within Ford! And the worse it is, more room to use it against Ford.

Just when you think it’s only in your department...it’s just “my manager”...can’t be like this anywhere else could it?...come to this forum and you discover they are everywhere. Being protected by HR and the layers above. No exit interviews for the ones that bail, HR doesn’t really want to know or even care why they leave. But they are happy to hire more overqualified staff to justify their HR positions and help the dictators (managers) maintain their perceived power and slush fund resources to be shared among the LL5+ crowd. Keeps their egos inflated and bonuses high.
I’m too close to the end to bail. Had some awesome managers and one very bad one. Luck of the draw. Really depends on where you are at in the career path and whether or not you are in a place that allows for mobility within the company to be able to seek out interesting assignments that align with your personal goals. Having been at this so long with one company I’ve come to realize that it’s
Just a function of these big corporate systems that we are in, to have pockets of bad management. Mulally was truly an exception and rallied so many from the trenches on up. You could look past the dictators when the guy would respond to your emails with enthusiasm and respect regardless of your level in the company. If I had the manager I have now early in my career I would have left. Now I’m just one of those guys I used to wonder about early in the career. Why is he so jaded? Long story young lass/lad...long story.
Apart from the manager rant the flip side is that I have met many great people at this company across many disciplines. Can’t discount those relationships in spite of the awful managers that come and go. There are a lot of people with integrity and family values in this company. Good luck in your decision to stay/go.

A boss can make or break a job here at Ford. Even if you do not want to climb the ladder they are at least a person who makes your job interesting and fun to come into work in the morning.

Been in PD for 30+ years. Almost all of my assignments/projects have been interesting and challenging but the one factor that differentiated good from bad experiences was direct management (supervisor and manager). if you enjoy what you are doing, then possibly wait for a management change or look for similar assignments in other departments/sections.

Please start looking for a better position.
I loved my job at Ford for 15 years until I got the supervisor from hxll
He made life miserable with a toxic work environment.
He wouldn’t let anyone transfer off of the team, and then destroyed the reputations of those who requested a transfer. It was odd that he claimed all the “problem” workers had substance abuse / mental health problems. We figured he must of been projecting his issues onto others. HR backed him on all his BS.

One day I just said - ok I’m done - and applied at another company, an oppressive weight lifted the day I left Ford. Best decision ever.

Don’t let your life pass you by. Put resumes out and see if you can get another job. Also, can you try and transfer to another department?