Thread regarding Ford layoffs

For the FCG believer posting. Be careful what you believe. Learn from the experiences of others.

When I graduated from college in mid 80s I entered IBMs equivalent of FCG program. IBM did serious training investments into their college hires, and pumped the same sunshine as Ford pumps (you alone are our special chosen future leaders). Then in the early 1990s IBM started laying off older workers (45+) with a few youngsters thrown into the mix. Seeing how I would be treated in the future I left IBM.

I thought Ford would be different, and for 15 years it was, then the signs of what was to come were apparent. The pension was a huge reason I accepted an offer from Ford, and stayed at Ford. Thankfully, having witnessed what happened @ IBM to older workers, we saved like crazy my entire career so that we would be fine if laid off @ 45+.

My fellow IBM college class lived in fear their entire working lives, and were Resource Actioned in the annual culls as they aged and their salaries increased.

This is your life at the current Ford, you will spend your entire career wondering when your number will be up. Unfortunately for you the shelf life for a new hire has decreased dramatically due to lower cost alternatives, while simultaneously education costs increased dramatically (don’t count on more than 10-15 years of employment before you are released). Plan accordingly, avoid debt and save,save,save.

BTW the sunshine being currently pumped up you will shift to the latest new hires and you will be expendable. Enjoy your brief basking in sunshine, as soon the rays will shine elsewhere.

@@7fjr+1cjPOoPM - we don't have PDCs anymore.

POoPM - we don't have PDCs anymore.

FCG screening is indeed a joke. Sure there is a Ford assessment test and standard interviews and such. Anyone with a pulse, basic reading comprehension skills and basic social skills would pass through these gates.
Now as far as recruitment targets.
For true engineering Ford has lofty goals but underachieves. While Tesla has long queues of engineering talent wanting to work for them. Ford gets the sloppy seconds. The talent realizes at Tesla they will actually be engineering not pushing paper.
For the bulk of the FCG positions, the packmules, the primary targets are students who meet one of the criteria of: first generation at college, economically disadvantaged, not top tier in class. The packmules are easily manipulated and will be economically dependent on the company. The packmules are anticipated to have a shelf life of 5-10 years.

@7fjr+1cjPOoPM Goo freaking Lord, could you possibly get FCG any more in your comment. Sounds like you worship at the FCG alter. Here's the thing, Ford's FCG program is a joke. They are not in any way pre-screened much differently than any one else. Most of them are the most clueless kids you'd ever meet and essentially have had near zero experience and no other job prospects. They require extensive had holding end hiding of their sc--w ups by their mentors and supervisors it is insane. They have little interest in work and instead whine that they want more FCG field trips and mentor lunches. Promotion of these people are a major part of Ford's problem and why we have such rampant incompetence.

@8eyp+1cjPOoPM
It is not isolated to your PDC. One GSR we nicknamed Ice Cream Queen as she brought each PDC member Ice Cream each afternoon. She knew everyone’s favorite ice cream Dove bars / Dilly bars / Cold Stone. It was crazy. She did have good logistics, I will give her that. It took her 7 years but she got promoted. After awhile I would see her and immediately crave an ice cream drumstick.
Another GSR we nicknamed coffee boy as he brought us all Starbucks every morning. He also regularly invited us all over to his house for dinner and drinks. He knew our families birthdays and made sure to give us and our children gifts. He was promoted after 4 years of lobbying.
In the end those on the PDC advocating for merits are drown out by those voting for the people they socialize with. After all those who are promoted are your competition, so it is best to not promote people who are better than you.

“Whoever is selected for promotion was chosen very carefully for the PDC5 committee to be in the next up list.”… I participate in the PDC and from my experience the LLs getting promoted because of the PDC next up list has degraded the quality of those getting promoted because it became more about popularity and visibility than accomplishments. A couple of examples;

One GSR wanted to be promoted so badly that they campaigned for it constantly. They were nice enough but could only complete a thought if given the answer. Not a good leader or problem solver and had no respect from their peers. This person was told they needed to get more visibility to get on the next up list. They actually started inviting the managers in the PDC out to lunch and campaigning to be on the list. It worked and they were promoted but it’s not going well.

Another was an FCG who quickly went through the GSR ranks. They were smart but very inexperienced. They did exactly as told even when it was the wrong thing to do because they hadn’t yet grown a spine or learned good problem solving and leadership skills. They were also good at brown nosing. This person had a boss who appreciated the brown nosing and do as you’re told attitude. This person was promoted and the problems they are causing results in all sorts of grief for their direct reports.

I can’t imagine this behavior is isolated and occurs only in my PDC.

The Ford promotion process is so broken that people regularly leave Ford, then a few years later apply for an advertised LLx position and are hired in as LLx. So in short these people would of never been promoted while at Ford, but leave and then are rehired as LLx.

Ford regularly hires LLx from outside the company as the LLx pool is devastatingly shallow (filled with LLx who came to power and remained in power because of behavior patterns, not because of skill or knowledge — and the behavior patterns are not healthy ones). The few LLx who are capable are mercilessly backstabbed by their peers who attempt to pull them down to their level.

Yep those PDC committees are highly effective and have Ford’s best interest in mind. sarcasm

Water finds its own level. Unfortunately there are drought conditions in the leadership pool.

Chose the pool you swim in carefully.

OMG : @7fjr+1cjPOoPM. What a crock of fantasy. It reads like a delusional person trying to elevate the self worth of someone who got a promotion to an LL6.

Want to know how I got promoted to LL6? I did my job really well for 4 years, got TA every year. I helped everyone who needed help. Then one day my LL6 and LL5 scheduled a meeting with me, and said congratulations you are now a technical LL6, thanks for all your hard work. Note, I did not set out to be promoted, and was totally surprised.

Now a coworker of mine took a different route. She brown nosed, bullied, manipulated, back stabbed, sucked up to people on PDC committees, took credit for others work. In short spent very little time actually working. She was promoted after 5 years of campaigning.
More people take her route than mine.

People who behave badly as an LL6 also behaved badly to get there. Their character didn’t change once they became an LL6. Get real. My coworker bullied her subordinates just like she had bullied others to get her promotion.

@7fjr+1cjPOoPM Sound like Ford HR posting here again.

Promotions at Ford are based in accomplishments, whoever says the opposite does not work for Ford and / or is bluntly lying. Whoever is selected for promotion was chosen very carefully for the PDC5 committee to be in the next up list. Every department has a PDC5 rep and they get together regularly to monitor the accomplishments of everyone with potential to be in the next up list. If you want to be promoted, you need to make it clear to your spvr, your manager and your PDC5 rep. To be in the next up list, you need to have shown your technical leadership with new designs, fixing quality issues, implementing MCR action, etc. It is critical to be seen at Managers / Chief Engineer Design reviews.
Let's be clear the promotion system run by PDC5 focus almost exclusively on graduated FCG's already on a full time position. Non-FCG engineers / personnel have a HUGE task to be included in the PDC5 discussion. Non-FCG engineers must glow in the dark with their accomplishments to be at least considered in the mix. In other words, Non-FCG's have very little chance to be promoted. Their main opportunity is to be Technical Specialist.
Those is the PDC5 list are scrutinized in depth before any of them is considered for a promotion. In the end, the manager who has the position open has the final word in who he chooses to be a spvr. under him. Of course Non-FCG's who apply to be spvr may be chosen to fill the line up to meet HR requirements but the manager already knows who he wants to be his spvr.
Restating, those in the next up list were there because they did enough to be considered worthy of promotion. In average it takes between 5 and 10 years after finishing FCG program for an individual to do enough to merit to be in the next up list. The competition is fierce among all former FCG's. It help a lot having a good mentor who is willing to coach a FCG to navigate the promotion maze.
in a nutshell, those Non-FCG employees need to be cognizant that their promotion opportunities are slim compared to former FCG's in the workforce. Non-FCG employees were hired to do a specific job and even lateral movements may be restricted.
That's why in many cases a FCG is promoted to lead a section with some or little expertise in the type of work done there. In many cases, a spvr from other section is transferred to a new section even though he has no expertise in what the new section does.
The issue with bullies or incompetent LL6 is based on their frustration moving up. Once an individual is a LL6, it will require Divine intervention to move up without a well positioned mentor as LL4 or LL3.
Future managers are preselected by PDC4 from promising LL6 pool and usually they get International Assignments prior to get their LL5 position. Usually a LL6 is promoted to manager after no less than 5 years as spvr. And that LL6 had to show a lot of accomplishments to be even considered.
HR model considers FCG's are the main if not the only pool of candidates for promotion. Those in the FCG program get to know all LL6/5/4/3 in a friendly basis so all of them have an advantage over non-FCG engineers at the time of being considered for promotion.
Do not ki-l the messenger, I know this because a former FCG friend of mine who got promoted to LL6 explained me the process. The FCG mentor is the one who explains the process and coach the FCG to get visibility to upper management.
Non-FCG engineers have an uphill battle to be even consider worthy of consideration, it does not matter who great we are on our job. Given that FCG's are pre-screened before they are accepted in the FCG program, based on HR model, FCG's have the potential to be great leaders.
That LL6 get spoiled and become back stabbers and / or bench warmers w/o any contribution to the company is the result of those LL6 not realizing that the next move is even more challenging for them and vent their frustration on their subordinates.
Final word, if you are a Non-FCG engineer, improve your networking skills as well as your technical acumen, your best shot is to become at a Senior Engineer and with enough accomplishments a Technical Leader. Befriend and help FGC's because they will end up being your people leader.

@1dpc+1cjPOoPM I agree, initially the bully fools those above him/her to get the promotion. People make mistakes, not admitting and correcting the mistake is problematic.

I had the misfortune of getting reorged under one bully. This guy was a master BSer, but when no one of importance was around to see he went on insane threatening rants and was the king of gas lighters. He even got physical. HR and LL5s were constantly getting involved and blaming the complainants. HR sent out surveys to the team because his PULSE ratings were horrific.
Contractors left in a matter of months and spread the word about him so he was unable to fill positions. LL5 allowed him to spend major dollars on purchased services since no contractors or GSRs would apply for his positions.
GSRs scrambled to get out from under him. HR had to get involved as he blocked their moves. The younger workers were allowed to transfer. The older workers were not allowed to move as the LL5 claimed they were “critical”. All but one of the older workers decided to retire.
Now the kick in the pants, the LL5 reorged the team and several of the younger workers who had been under him before were put right back under him. This was allowed by the LL5 and HR who had both been involved in the protracted battle these GSRs had to get away from the bully. Then the LL5 told the GSRs to “suck it up” as they were not allowed to switch positions again. Those that didn’t have pensions quit. Those who had pensions took revenge in more subtle ways.
This bully continues to bully at Ford.
After leaving Ford I learned that he was an LL6 at Ford Credit for about 20 years behaving the same way there. Ford Credit “suggested” he find a different position. He transferred to Ford.
It is puzzling to me years later why someone at Ford or Ford Credit or HR didn’t just can the bully instead of passing him around the company.

Amen! My son just said the same thing about a different company. Was a great place to work until he got a new boss who is a bully. Let the search for a new job begin!

People like this get promoted because the managers promoting them don’t see it. Like on the schoolyard playground, bullies don’t bully in front of the teacher.

I use to think Ford was a wonderful place to work because I had been lucky enough to have competent and emotionally healthy managers. Then my luck ran out and I realized the incompetent and emotionally unhealthy managers out number to good ones.

The promotion system IS completely botched. Very rare when “the best person gets the job”. It’s typically based off of corporate politics i.e. equity balancing or whoever the biggest brown noser is. There is really no transparency of how the promotion process truly works. I would love to see what the corporate policy is on promotions and how people are picked.

For example, I was up for a promotional opportunity and was told there are things that are “looked at” outside of the interview when determining who gets promoted. I wasn’t told what those things are that are “looked at” outside of the interview but I would love to know what that means or maybe I should just read in between the lines that means political wokeness/brown nosers

Amen. My boss is a micro manager and I’m ready to walk because of them. And the wokeness.

Amen brother!
We should all realize this is not our father’s Ford this is Ford+. Different values and behaviors.

Preach!