Ford Employees Housebound Until September

Matt Posky
by Matt Posky

On Wednesday, Ford Motor Co. offered some clarity to salaried workers wondering just how much longer they’ll have to work from home. If you happen to be one of those individuals and missed the official announcement, we’d kindly ask you to take a seat and find something to bite down on so you don’t end up hurting yourself.

Citing ongoing safety concerns tied to the coronavirus pandemic, Ford has decided to keep salaried employees home until at least September — tacking an extra two months onto its earlier prediction.

The automaker previously prognosticated that nearly all of its North American staff would be able to return to work by the end of June, with the start of July being the less-ideal scenario. What’s another couple of months, right?

“This timing allows us to continue prioritizing safety actions such as sufficient [personal protective equipment] for all of our place-dependent work force who have already returned, as well as the proper supply for those who would be returning later this summer, while also continuing the modifications to all of our facilities to ensure the proper social distancing protocols are in place,” Ford said in a statement.

With people now gathering to enjoy the warmer weather or the smashing of property (a pastime seeking to undermine baseball as America’s greatest), one wonders what exactly Ford’s game is. The Blue Oval has already allowed roughly 100,000 employees back inside its respective facilities, accounting for over half of its global workforce. General Motors certainly hasn’t issued such aggressive cautionary measures, though it may have been waiting for someone else to set a date in order to avoid scrutiny.

Frankly, we’re not sure who we’d rather be in this scenario. Line workers presumably have a greater chance of being exposed to COVID-19 and have to contend with annoying protective gear/health protocols while they toil in warm factories. Meanwhile, white-collar employees have nowhere to go — and a varying amount of work to do — while their sanity gradually devolves as the line between work and home blurs.

[Image: Ford Motor Co.]

Matt Posky
Matt Posky

A staunch consumer advocate tracking industry trends and regulation. Before joining TTAC, Matt spent a decade working for marketing and research firms based in NYC. Clients included several of the world’s largest automakers, global tire brands, and aftermarket part suppliers. Dissatisfied with the corporate world and resentful of having to wear suits everyday, he pivoted to writing about cars. Since then, that man has become an ardent supporter of the right-to-repair movement, been interviewed on the auto industry by national radio broadcasts, driven more rental cars than anyone ever should, participated in amateur rallying events, and received the requisite minimum training as sanctioned by the SCCA. Handy with a wrench, Matt grew up surrounded by Detroit auto workers and managed to get a pizza delivery job before he was legally eligible. He later found himself driving box trucks through Manhattan, guaranteeing future sympathy for actual truckers. He continues to conduct research pertaining to the automotive sector as an independent contractor and has since moved back to his native Michigan, closer to where the cars are born. A contrarian, Matt claims to prefer understeer — stating that front and all-wheel drive vehicles cater best to his driving style.

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  • THX1136 THX1136 on Jun 05, 2020

    Some may find the linked CDC document interesting. https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/26/5/19-0994_article Bottom line: some mitigations show low to no effectiveness is stopping the spread of this thing so many fear. Quote from article: "Although mechanistic studies support the potential effect of hand hygiene or face masks, evidence from 14 randomized controlled trials of these measures did not support a substantial effect on transmission of laboratory-confirmed influenza. We similarly found limited evidence on the effectiveness of improved hygiene and environmental cleaning."

  • EBFlex EBFlex on Jun 05, 2020

    It amazes me these companies are continuing the charade of viewing the Corona Cold to be far more dangerous than it really is. Just astounding. Hair salons have opened up but some schmuck can’t sit at his desk at Ford.

    • See 8 previous
    • Lou_BC Lou_BC on Jun 06, 2020

      @JimC2 - my apologies.

  • AZFelix Hilux technical, preferably with a swivel mount.
  • ToolGuy This is the kind of thing you get when you give people faster internet.
  • ToolGuy North America is already the greatest country on the planet, and I have learned to be careful about what I wish for in terms of making changes. I mean, if Greenland wants to buy JDM vehicles, isn't that for the Danes to decide?
  • ToolGuy Once again my home did not catch on fire and my fire extinguisher(s) stayed in the closet, unused. I guess I threw my money away on fire extinguishers.(And by fire extinguishers I mean nuclear missiles.)
  • Carson D The UAW has succeeded in organizing a US VW plant before. There's a reason they don't teach history in the schools any longer. People wouldn't make the same mistakes.
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