Thread regarding Ford layoffs

@tlo+1jiUV2Bu
Excellent post! Cheers!

What a cluster! Don’t forget “hotellling” is in you future where you don’t even have an assigned desk in the f’n open space. Who dreams this cr-p up?

Zero interest in RTO. None, zero, ziltch. And, they can take their open floor plans and shove them up their azzes.

I go in when it's needed (plant support) or when my boss wants to impress his boss with a briefing. Otherwise, I work 2-3 hours/day at home.

Nothing is stopping anyone from RTO right now.
In fact, there are a number of folks regularly going into the office.
So knock yourselves out and go in and make yourselves visible to management while you pretend that they are viewing you as favorably as you hope that they would.
Go make believe that you are appearing more useful and valuable to the company and that RTO will ultimately save your job.
Hey, you can even mask up during your shift! Make sure you are fully vaccinated and caught up on all your booster jabs and convey that info to your management!
Show them what a cuck for the system you really are. But then again, they already know that about you, don’t they?

@vfi+1jiUV2Bu is right. A tourist visa in another country allows to do "occasional" work during your vacations, but without a work visa, you cannot expect to do this long term. However, plenty of countries are willing to provide work visas for a year to Americans.

Remember, you have to pay taxes where you earn the money, and where you reside (except American citizens, which have to file federal taxes no matter where they reside, and no matter where they earn the income).

Staying in the US, there are several states that have tax agreements with MI, and a few that do not have income tax. I'd recommend favoring those to avoid paying extra taxes.

Remote control

Aside from Ford not allowing it, if you are a US citizen working remotely in another country, most countries require a work VISA if you are there 90 (or sometimes 180) days. Without a work VISA, you are in the country illegally. You can't work with a tourist VISA.

If you are not a US citizen and do not have a green card, if you work remotely in another country, you could need to submit a proper W-4 and pay US income tax as a non-resident alien. To do so otherwise would be tax fraud.

You are all going back in January and this lazy attitude towards work will end. I am so sick of this justification for WFH. Elon said it best ... go pretend to work somewhere else! When sales and profit decline in 2023, Ford will call the troops back!

Many people work outside of us on a short term basis.
Lazy Hrs have no clue about them nor do they care .

@rzd+1jiUV2Bu
D-mbest post ever.

Yes, I am aware of the Ford HR policy, which is particular to FMC. I was referring to real LAWS, specially tax and privacy laws, which are enacted by the state/nation legislature.

At least in my case, I connect to MI via VPN and do my work there. Even my documents are stored in SharePoint or NAS shares in MI. I don't download anything to my work laptop, except the automatic temporary files when editing documents, which are deleted as I close the originals. Therefore, the work is done at MI, I earn my paycheck in MI, and I pay MI taxes.

The issue is, as @usw+1jiUV2Bu said, health care. Since we are doing HSA, the first 7k is on us anyway. I think I spent $436 this year so far on my health plan alone, which I find a fair exchange for living outside MI.

As I said before, I am in the chopping block (technically, most of us are there anyway), so no point on RTO for me. No pension for me neither, but I'm in my fifth decade of life. In a way, I am being proactive on this matter. I already moved out of MI, like we wanted to do, and I am looking at local opportunities.

The good: Sold my house when the market was up. Our health habits have improved and we have more energy. No more lockdowns. Meeting new people every day and enjoying going out. Not really fretting at the layoffs anymore. Now looking at the future with more confidence. Better sleep.

The bad: Health care coverage. Local opportunities' benefits are not as good as Ford's (however, since Ford doesn't want me anyway, no choice here).

Aside from taxes, there are issues with health insurance. If you are living in another state without permanent full time remote status, your HMO will cover out of state emergency care but you would have to return to Michigan for a doctor's office visit.

Get smart. If you're working remote, someone else can also do it remotely and for cheaper. Management is hip to this and this cr-p is being calculated.

Get your bu-t into the office if you want to keep your job. Be noticed, be valuable.

Logging in thru the VPN does not equate to working in Michigan. Ford's remote work policy does not permit remote work outside of the US.

Up to 30 days domestic is legal per HR policy with manager approval. Longer term domestic you should get approval for fully remote status to protect yourself.

Nothing I'm aware of allows you to work outside of the country and be legal per HR. What you and your manager work out without involving HR is up to you two.

@OP. I am working remotely from a different state. My manager is aware of this. I am not sure to RTO when management decide it, since I may not survive the cuts.

I know some people claim taxes and laws as to why we shouldn't work from another country/state, but that's hollow. As far as you connect to the VPN during office hours, your work is technically done in Michigan. Since your work is done in MI, and you earn your paycheck in MI, you pay MI taxes (plus any additional tax on the state you reside). Federal taxes apply nationwide, and same with the American laws.

Living in another country may bring some local laws into play, but as long as you don't download anything to your PC, you should be fine regarding data access and privacy laws.