Thread regarding Ford layoffs

I'll just try to be frank with you here your LL 6 is full of cr-p

If they wanted to designate you as full-time remote they easily could

I've been having discussions with my LL 6 who keeps beating around the bush

It just so happens I have a very good relationship with my LL 5

And my LL 5 recently told me they are going to try to persuade my LL 6 to get me listed as full remote before RTW takes effect

RTW is not an option for me and my LL 5 understands that and wants to act upon it

You probably have an LL 6 who doesn't know how to find their way out of a wet paper bag without following the manual

Take all of that for what it's worth

Good luck

Let me add to this soup of advice. I assume you live where you grew up. Presumably you have family there: Parents, Siblings, Grandparents, etc. Ford will never care about you like your family. Sure they can promise you excitement, upward mobility, etc. At the end of the day these are all empty promises. Trust me on that, this company is full of sh-t. You only have so much time to spend with your family. Why throw that away to work at a place that is a joke. Ford is the 5th chair clown playing the slide whistle in the clown orchestra called the auto industry. Say you go up to Michigan for a year, that same year passes where you came from. You will miss most of that year working for a clown show. So please consider your personal life before committing to the clown show.

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What does a Model E engineer do, or Ford Blue engineer for that matter? Everyone works on commodities, like seats, cameras, locks .. ect.

It sounds like you want to stick with Ford.
So save your surplus relocation $ so you have options.

Next - rent - do not buy. Consider renting where you can walk to work. This will free up your commute time and free up $ for your first X months while you decide whether MI is for you.

Check out pollution issues (air, soil, water) if you choose to ignore advice to rent where you can walk to work. Down-river areas tend to have pollution issues. Also do your research on the Gelman dioxane plume before investing any $ in Ann Arbor area. City wells have quietly been shut down as the dioxane plume contaminates them. The plume has been steadily moving for 40 years. Also avoid areas downstream/ downwind from military bases and factories/plants.
Also check out crime statistics for the area you are considering renting. No joke, you need to do this, especially if you are looking south of 8 mile.

Another perspective regarding Model e and Ford Blue:

I am a Model e engineer and saw a handful of Model e colleagues let go in the August SIRP. Long tenured GSRs mostly. Great performance reviews and great salaries to match - some with pensions coming.

But I really do believe that the 'powers that be' are targeting the Ford Blue teams more than the Model e teams. I saw far more Blue colleagues targeted last August.

I used to be naive and think that all the Ford Blue team members would slowly transition to EV projects and become part of Model e.

Now I believe that leadership intends to move to Blue the experienced (meaning Older) employees, and all ages who aren't part of the 'brown nose brigade', people who can actually run their projects with minimal support, then leadership will keep cutting Blue until it's a skeleton and then kick the last few out the door before they turn out the lights on ICE. All while hiring new, lower paid - and likely off shore - people on the EV side.

None of us wanted divisiveness between the two groups, but it felt very decisive when I saw far more Blue employees targeted. And yes, it was annoying watching my Model e colleagues act like entitled you know whats on some new 'cool' team...

To the OP facing the decision - given your age and likely your salary (compared to the older colleagues), hopefully you'll be safe for a while if not longer. And do consider what another poster here said about certain roles (like commodities engineers - seats for example) not being tied to a specific powertrain. That comment had some merit.

Have confidence in yourself! Don't plan your life based on folks gut feelings. Work hard, you will be fine. If by some chance you are laid off, don't panic, you can find a job in Michigan very quickly, given your age. Also, you can always find someone to take over your lease and you can move back. Take a shot! Who knows what opportunities will open up for you here! Best of luck!

“ outrageous car insurance fees”. Agree!! Thanks to Lansing and the lawyers on TV/freeway boards.

I'm a PM working on a dev team full of young new employees at Ford. The people make my job great.
My thoughts are that:

1. you can always move back if you don't like it.
2. There are a lot of learning opportunities at Ford and it is a world famous brand.
3. Regardless of the ford issues, everyone you interview with after having worked here will be, at least, mildly impressed - especially if you're interested in working overseas.

As an IT person not working in a tech company, I am encouraged to learn and challenge myself. As I'm still growing my career, I'm pretty happy for now.
Ford is likely not a long-term (5+ years) for me - but it could be if the right opportunities become available.
Metro Detroit sucks, especially if you're used to better places. There is good food and it's quite diverse.
Maybe look towards Ann Arbor - if the drive isn't terrible. Although it might be depending on where your office is located.
Otherwise, St Clair shores is affordable and a lot of auto people live out that way. Royal Oak area is popular but expensive. Also, be ready for outrageous car insurance fees.

There's no bad decisions for you. You can always leave if you don't like it. Or, you can always decide to leave ford and find something in a more desirable area. Good luck!

If you like where you live and are already questioning the move, I doubt you will be happy. As a west coast transplant to MI, I find the weather gawdawful. That, coupled with leaving your friends and family makes it unbearable. Then you throw in the current corporate environment and cyclical nature of automotive I can only recommend finding something new.

Being young, you will find another job where you want to live even if it takes a couple of months. The next company won’t fault you for a gap in your resume. Move back home for awhile if you don’t hayan emergency fund. You will be happy you did in the long run.

If you’re worried about your career I’d make the move. However, I feel you are going to struggle without a support system. I had an internship in the past that made me move to another state for a summer on my own and I didn’t like it. I would try to find a job that’s either remote or closer to your family.

This is the cycle that Ford goes through. I remember when I was hired, the Company hired a whole bunch of people and then forced the older workers to retire. The Company is banking on you to stay but they're also not afraid to let you go during the next layoff round.

Do not move to Michigan. I used to be an FCG lol a LONG time ago and since retire. Check for tech jobs in Scottsdale. There is a growing tech hub here and if your family and friends are on the west coast, it is closer to visit them. Dump Ford and under no circumstances move to Michigan. Michigan is a dump. You won’t be able to deal with the gloom and winters. Hire a headhunter to find you a job in Scottsdale or even in your home town.

If the post like @feb is faked and just to make people unhappy, my guess is that most people did not even finish reading before they gave a negative. So mission not accomplished.

If post like @feb is real and a reflection of the state of mind, I would highly recommend @feb to spend more time studying the past of this company. Once you have done that, you will be able to estimate how much time left for you to enjoy. Hope you wake up before the safe house is no more.

@OP

Michigan is a very nice state, it is the Detroit area that is horrible. I'm looking to move back up north. Shhh.. don't tell anyone but there are jobs elsewhere in Michigan.

Also, this Model E vs Ford Blue.. EV vs ICE is ridiculous. The vast majority of engineers work with commodities such as, seats, instrument clusters, internal wiring, door control modules, and cameras to name a few.
The products I work with go on all vehicles.

@feb you have to be a troll... no one is safe. sowing divisiveness and throwing ICE employees under the bus isn't making you or model e look any better.

@OP I'd try to find something else ASAP. As @slb mentioned, it's a sh-t industry and you'll probably find better prospects in your home state

If you are in Model e, you are almost certain to have a safe and prosperous career. I know I feel this way.

If you happen to be in a legacy area like Ford Blue, my tune would change dramatically. The writing is on the wall for ICE-based vehicles and supporting hardware.

If you've not been able to find a similar job locally, I would make the move, especially if Ford will cover you moving expenses. Maybe try to find an apartment that does month to month (not sure if that exists anymore) or a shorter lease as was previously mentioned. You also didn't mention if you are an FCG. I would think FCGs are a safer position than others. Plus you will get the experience of living in another part of the country.

Your thinking may be too restrictive. You are at the most flexible time in your career. It's not like you have family commitments. If it doesn't work out at Ford, you can always move back. If you don't like living in Michigan, you may want to move back or move somewhere else.

Ford wasn't my first job out of school, but my first job moved me to Michigan and after over 30 years I'm still here. My perspective back then was if it doesn't work out, I can pack up all my stuff in a U-Haul and move back to my parent's house.

In any case, I think you should plan to leave Ford. I really don't see good reasons for staying there long term. The pension was the last of the golden handcuffs and that was dropped in 2004.

This is funny because Ford is still posting remote jobs for Manufacturing Engineers on LinkedIn. How does that work when MEs need to visit tool suppliers daily and attend buy-offs before going on launch? Messed up company, go find another job.

From my perspective, Ford is having difficulty retaining and hiring talent. Shocking. You have more leverage than you think.

It sounds like you have a level head and have thought through this situation responsibly.

I think you should make the move, hopefully with a fully paid relocation assistance. And take as much as you can from the experience. Both professionally and personally.

If layoffs happen and impact you, then you'll likely choose to move back to your home state. So keep some savings set aside just in case (good idea anyway).

And if you end up getting through a few years, you'll be moving into that 'experienced' category and have a lot more confidence when applying for new roles wherever you choose.

One other comment - if you really want to remain in your current location, I think that applying for local positions at this time would be just fine. Companies do understand when people want to remain in a specific location (excluding your current employer / position). Potential interviewers may still categorize you as 'entry level', but the one year of experience you already have could set you apart from other 'entry level' candidates.

And lastly, it sounds like you have broached this topic with your people leader. I think that was a good idea. Ideally, good leaders will take that into consideration. If they are unable to accommodate a remote position, hopefully they'll be supportive if you wanted to change roles within the company - to be fair, I have never experienced this in my time at Ford lol - but who knows. And even if they don't, you are getting experience and confidence advocating for yourself. I promise, this wont be the last time you'll stand up for your ambitions in your career.

Good luck!

Adding another angle to this, I am questioning the decision that automotive is a good choice.

It appears you are deciding to settle your career in the automotive industry. Think about that again maybe. Automotive isn't all that great. This industry, like no other, has severe ups and downs. And any down phase could be your last. I have seen it many times and didn't even work here for all that long.

Automotive always has moved major parts of its industry out into other countries. It used to be mainly Production. But now they start doing the same with Development. Many US-based engineering positions will fall sooner or later with Ford Development Centers ramping up in Mexico and India as we speak. I'm not saying these regions don't deserve these jobs. But I am saying you might be affected.

Lastly, automotive is very political. Many jobs are lost for that switch to EV regardless of how little sense it makes currently. ICE jobs are gone and those people's lifes are partially ruined. Where please will they go now? It is only a matter of time until your field will be affected the same way.

Michigan is a very broken state. And it has become quite expensive to live in. Likely your pay isn't all that good either since you're fresh out of school. The winters are extraordinarily long (exceeding 6 months thanks to climate change). I would not move there again especially not to work in an industry that has laid out the plans for your layoff already - so to speak.

And yes, with a few months experience you are justified to be considered for another entry level position elsewhere. Maybe the medical-tech field?

@OP. Life is a risk. There are no guarantees (except death and taxes). Finding another position could backfire, because you could get laid off in the new company (general rule is last employee in, first out). Moving to MI could also backfire (same reason).

So now we come down to details. In you are a graduated of a "hot" major, like computer science, you can find jobs very easily and you should not move. If you are a mechanical engineer, you'll need more experience to be a strong candidate, and betting on Ford for a few more years may pay off.

Now, if you are getting paid to move to MI, an the amount fully covers your expenses, why not do it? Worst case scenario, you'll still earn some money to pay your expenses of moving back. Again, paying the relocation doesn't guarantee anything, but it will give you some peace of mind on expenses.

No matter what you decide, you should know Ford is struggling right now. Even if you are not laid off, you may be overworked and miserable. So you should plan on moving on, now or later. If you stay at Ford, get the company to pay for your post graduated studies. Learn all you can, before moving on.

Good luck!

Get a new job. I know you tried to short cut this answer but it's the right answer. You've been employed since last spring, right? That will be enough experience for most hiring employers.

Find a long list of reasons for protection all the way to moon, then work there,

and sue if it doesn't work out

You can look at staying at apartment hotels (extended stay America etc) for a 3-4 months and see how things pan out…

Start with a shorter lease like 6 or 9 months.