Ford Implements New Office Attendance Policy for Salaried Employees

According to foreign media reports, Ford Motor Company is now requiring most salaried employees to work four days a week in the office as part of its latest initiative to enhance employee and company performance. A spokesperson for Ford stated in response to media inquiries that 'many of our employees have consistently been in the office for three days or more each week. We believe that face-to-face collaboration in the office will help accelerate Ford's transformation into a high-growth, high-margin, low-cyclicality, and more vibrant company.' This new policy will apply to the majority of salaried employees globally, though the company did not disclose specific numbers. Employees were notified of this policy on June 25, and it will officially take effect on September 1. Currently, companies worldwide are facing decisions regarding office models in the post-pandemic era: since the outbreak of COVID-19 in 2020, managing work flexibility has become a challenge. Companies like JPMorgan and Amazon have already tightened their policies, mandating a full return to the office for employees working in a hybrid model. Ford's competitor, General Motors, faced strong opposition at the end of 2022 when it required employees to work three days in the office each week, leading to the reversal of this decision before implementing any new policy in 2023. Several automakers based in Detroit have been trying to lure executives from Silicon Valley, who are more accustomed to flexible working arrangements, while also enforcing stricter bonus and attendance policies to instill a sense of urgency in competing with electric vehicle giants like Tesla. In February of this year, Ford cut stock bonuses for many middle managers, claiming it was to motivate employees to improve performance. General Motors changed its employee performance assessment ranking system last year to one that puts more pressure on underperformers, encouraging them to either improve or leave.