Ford Motor Reviews in Detroit, MI Area

Pros

Ford has great employee events. Ford is located in Michigan. Ford has good benefits.

Cons

Ford managers keep you in the dark. The company is very political, which has lead to people managing not because of skill but because of connections, so this leads to decisions that are not very sound decisions, I rotated to 3 departments and now am in a permanent position so I know this. Ford is very back stabbing so be on the lookout, the sad thing about it is that you will get used to how to manage yourself in the atmosphere and will be able to navigate but to someone that is new be careful. Ford is a 100 year old company with 100 year old employees that HORD information they will not give you the tools you need to be successful.

Advice to Senior Management

Alan R. Mulally is AWESOME AWESOME AWESOME. To come in a do what he did; the Ford people have a very difficult time adjusting to new ideas but this CEO is awesome because he helped change a seemingly unchangeable way and I have lived in Michigan and he mad a believer out of me.

Pros

Flexible working hours. Good pay and retirement benefit. Excellent top management to keep the company lean.

Cons

Auto industry is cyclic. Downturn can trigger layoffs.

Advice to Senior Management

Keep up with good work.

Pros

- tons of travel
- set own working schedule
- customer and consultant
- learn a lot from peers, management and suppliers

Cons

- travel!
- VERY limited room for growth within organization

Advice to Senior Management

Watch closely who your performers really are. Employees talk a big game but actual performers deliver. Need to figure out a way to have suppliers rate STA employees

Pros

Ford is on the rise again. Good pay and benefits. Those who made it through difficult times starting to see the benefits.

Cons

Have had to go through difficult times seeing downsizings/restructuings. Needed but difficult.

Advice to Senior Management

Continue to work for the benefit of the employees and investors at Ford. Be bold in continuing to take the necessary steps to take the company forward in the right direction.

Pros

Smart people, complicated industry, name recognition, interesting work, lots of opportunities within a function and cross-functionally. International travel and working with global teams.

Cons

Getting along with people is valued more than getting things done, with can devolve into 'superficial congeniality' where real issues are not discussed and dealt with. Some the usual dysfunctional dynamics around people protecting their turf rather than looking out for the good of the company (or mistakenly believing that protecting their turf is what's good for the company).

Advice to Senior Management

Reward "straight talk" from the employees. It's a complicated industry and a huge company. You need honest feeback to make the right decisions, even if it's not always what you want to hear. Yes, everyone needs to back the decision once it's made, but there should be a clearly identified period where it's ok to question and even disagree with proposed direction.

Pros

- Great assignments and experience
- Professional environment
- Fantastic people and teams

Cons

- Long hours
- No career path/opportunities for growth
- No professional training, only required HR modules
- Difficult work/life management

Advice to Senior Management

Put the same level of passion, drive, and focus into managing human capital as has been focused on designing and building quality vehicles. "People are our most valuable asset"

Pros

High tech projects
Good place to advance knowledge
Company seems on track for growth

Cons

Auto industry problems
Internal politics
New employees do not have pension plan

Advice to Senior Management

Good job overall. Please include pension benefits for all employees

Pros

Family oriented culture, good benefits, career development, management support

Cons

There is not room to move up in the company

Advice to Senior Management

If you don't perform quickly you are in jeopordy to loose your job

Pros

Making products that you see on the road everyday and will see them for many years to come. Working with really smart people - opportunities that I would not be offered in other industries.

Cons

Very long stressful hours - management stays hidden in their ivory towers - too afraid to venture out and say that we are doing a good job - its always "Ford Motor Company has had to make difficult decisions but we are on the right track now" - keep working your butts off" Trust is a big issue at Ford - Trust no one is the motto - Ford has a very high-schoolish like atmosphere - this person doesn't like that person - you really have to be good at kissing you know what to get anywhere in this company/plus throwing your co-worked under the bus will get you lots of kudos!!! It is really not a mentally healthy place to work. If you have a family and want to be in management - kiss your family good-bye.

Advice to Senior Management

Do you really care what I have to say? No is the answer - you have tunnel vision, minds like a trap; once you have an idea about someone/something nothing can change your mind. Yet, you are above the rules can do whatever you wish, and DO!!! Thanks for the rising stock prices - but did you really have to almost kill the rest of us to do that? May God have mercy on you.

Pros

1. Recent improvements in product mix and features.
2. Improvements is quality and service.
3. A willingness to bring in talent from the outside.

Cons

1. Conflicting objectives at the plant level.
2. A lack of consistency with improvement strategies.
3. Putting self before the enterprise is often tolerated.

Advice to Senior Management

1. Align incentives with objectives and goals throughout the organization and stick to it.
2. Reward managers who behave, teach and coach in a way that will lead to a lean culture.