For the better part of two years, salaried, non-location-dependent Ford employees have been working from home amid the COVID-19 pandemic. During that time, the automaker has been working on transitioning those workers back to the office, coming up with a hybrid work model that proved to be quite popular with salaried Ford employees who enjoy that sort of flexibility. However, a survey conducted by The Blue Oval back in October of 2020 found that 70 percent of Ford employees don’t want to return to the office at all, and that sentiment hasn’t seemingly changed in the years since, according to MSNBC.
“When we opened our doors on April 4th to our employees to welcome them back into the workplace – those that wanted to come in – the numbers that actually have come back into work have been lower than we expected,” said Ford Chief People and Employee Experience Officer Kiersten Robinson.
With the pandemic seemingly in the proverbial rear-view mirror at this point, Ford clearly thought that more of its salaried workers would be itching to return to the office, but that seemingly hasn’t been the case, though Robinson noted that Ford is still “very early in the experience,” which includes a complete revamp of its office space.
As Ford Authority reported back in March, Ford has created “collaboration centers” at its headquarters in Dearborn, Michigan, Advanced Engineering Center, Product Development Center, Rotunda Center, and the Ford Experience Center. These areas contain supplies, meditation areas, video conferencing, dual monitor setups, sitting areas, adjustable desks, on-site IT support, an online workspace reservation system, and upgraded dining areas, as well as expanded food options in the cafeteria – all designed to to mimic the sort of amenities and conveniences one might enjoy from a home office.
We’ll have more on Ford’s return to work policy soon, so be sure to subscribe to Ford Authority for the latest Ford-related COVID-19 news and non-stop Ford news coverage.
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I have been recruiting for candidates for the past 8 years. No one seems interested in working at all. However, the hybrid schedule is popular and I would suggest companies to continue to look into other working schedule alternatives. IE: Parents responsible for taking kids to school, need flexibility in early mornings/mid afternoons (even if you only can get 30 or 32 hours out of them weekly). Consider 4 day work weeks with rotating days off so everyone can get a Monday and/or Friday off. It’s harder to do, but a 3 day shift (12 hours each day) and offer 40 hours of pay if no time missed may be of interest. You need to figure if a Wednesday would be your full in house staff. Emphasis on attendance with a real “reward” will motivate them!! Oh well…best of luck to all the companies. And, Ford….I’m still waiting for my 2022 Maverick Hybrid…please!