From a post on LinkedIn:
Now I realize that the reason is because, as we are taught by Harvard Business School, layoffs are a failure of management. Ford created an entire design-thinking organization, grew it to scale rapidly, and failed to extract the value the department was providing. Instead of adjusting their plan, slowing their growth, or reallocating resources appropriately throughout the years, they did nothing. They kicked the can down the road.
They then made the managerial decision to conduct layoffs. A decision that Ford Motor Company continues to make repeatedly. Layoffs are not restructuring. Layoffs are not reorganizing. Layoffs are a last-ditch effort that should only be used under imminent circumstances. Layoffs should not be celebrated, in the stock market or otherwise.
They result in millions of dollars in hidden costs, including low morale and lack of trust for upper level management. And if there is anything that US auto manufacturers need in the changing competitive landscape, it is the trust of their employees.