Exclusive-Ford calls majority of workforce into the office four days a week

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By Nora Eckert

DETROIT (Reuters) -Ford Motor is calling the majority of its salaried workforce back to the office four days a week, the automaker’s latest effort to boost employee and company performance.

“Many of our employees have been in the office three or more days per week for some time now. We believe working together in person on a day-to-day basis will help accelerate Ford’s transformation into a higher growth, higher margin, less cyclical and more dynamic company,” a Ford spokesperson said in a statement in response to a Reuters query.

The spokesperson said the new policy affects the majority of its global salaried workforce, but declined to provide a specific number. Ford notified employees of the updated policy on Wednesday, and it takes effect September 1, the spokesperson said. 

Businesses around the world have grappled with how much flexibility to allow workers since the 2020 coronavirus pandemic. Some, such as JPMorgan and Amazon, have mandated that hybrid workers return five days a week. 

Ford’s crosstown rival General Motors faced backlash in late 2022 for calling workers back into the office for three days a week. The company backed off the policy before implementing it in 2023. 

The Detroit automakers have been trying to woo executives from Silicon Valley who are accustomed to a more flexible working style, while also implementing more strenuous bonus and attendance policies to instill a sense of urgency as the companies race against electric vehicle giants like Tesla. 

Ford in February slashed stock bonuses for many of its middle managers, in what the company said was a move to incentivize improved performance. GM last year changed its employee performance evaluation ranking to a system that put more pressure on low performers to improve or leave.  

(Reporting by Nora Eckert;Editing by Lisa Shumaker)