As GM Authority covered back in October 2022, General Motors sent out a request to many of its white-collar employees asking that they return to the office for in-person work starting January 30th, 2023. Now, after lackluster obedience to this appeal, GM CEO Mary Barra is making it clear that The General expects its 43,500 salaried workers across the United States to listen.
According to a report from Detroit Free Press, Barra sent out a company-wide email making it evident that white-collar workers are expected to return to their desks inside GM facilities at least three times a week by the beginning of the 2024 calendar year.
“At the start of the year, we asked hybrid employees to be in the office three days a week in order to drive the greatest impact,” Barra stated in an email. “However, adherence has been mixed. We are now explicitly requesting hybrid employees to be onsite beginning January 8th, every Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday at minimum. Senior leaders will continue to have the flexibility to determine if a team needs to be in the office more frequently.”
It’s worth noting that the Detroit-based automaker claims that this policy to intended to help it accelerate its electric vehicle sales growth. Of course, many automakers – including General Motors – have struggled to launch new EVs this year for a variety of different reasons. Despite this disappointment, Barra recently told investors that GM will have stronger electric vehicles sales over the course of the 2024 calendar year.
“We’re going through a historical transformation around the business,” GM spokesperson Kevin Kelly claimed in a prepared statement. “This is a way to get more collaboration around that transformation.”
For quick background on the development of this news, GM implemented a flexible “Work Appropriately” strategy in response to the COVID-19 pandemic that allowed its white-collar workers to work remotely more often. As the effects of the pandemic slowly subsided, the Detroit-based automaker tried to pivot into returning employees to in-person earlier this year. However, as is evidenced in Barra’s email, this transition hasn’t worked out as initially hoped.
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At a time of year when luxury car ATP usually rises.
Sales decreased 5.6 percent to 16,670 units during the first ten months of 2024.
Specifically critical minerals supply chain development.
Scheduled for a Spring 2025 launch.
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See my work won't allow employees to WFH on both Monday and Friday, which I support, as it promotes potential slackass behavior when you are shouldering the weekend on both days.
Worked at a now no longer in existence Ford aluminum die cast plant in N AL as a summer replacement in my long ago college days. Even then was told never to buy a car that was completed on a Monday. Looks like little has changed with wanting to "work" alone at home but now on Mondays and Fridays. Covid caused work ethic to go down the tubes and still hasn't recovered.
"General Motors sent out a request to many of its white-collar employees asking that they return to the office for in-person work starting January 30th, 2023. Now, after lackluster obedience to this appeal, GM CEO Mary Barra is making it clear that The General expects its 43,500 salaried workers across the United States to listen."
I can't even believe I'm reading this statement, even GM's employees don't respect GM....
Show up to work or hit the bricks, pink slips should have started going on on Feb 1st.
No one gets fired under Mary's watch. Hasn't you noticed?
Because rather than set explicit goals and follow up (which would take effort on management's part) we'll just blame the employees. If the work's not getting done, discipline the employee. Doesn't matter where they do the work.
I'm sure this will help reverse gm's sagging performance on the EV front.
Hire 43,500 WOKE clowns and you will get WOKE behavior.
Don’t hire ANYONE currently between 25 and 45 with a “Liberal Arts” degree and your company will prosper.
That is a lost generation…
Cheers to everyone else!
WOKE WOKE WOKE?? Is that the only word you know?? I bet there's lots of #45 supporters in that crowd.
if you ask people to do something instead of tell them what to do, well, you get what you get. The notice should read, if you do not return to the office in Jan. 2024 you can start looking for employment elsewhere. Has everyone in upper management lost their backbone in todays world?? It is still only for 3 days a week people, you still have Mon. and Fri. to "work" from home, so you can still have your 4 day weekends. No one wants to work anymore. The Govt. has created a bunch of lazy people to match the lazy, useless politicians.
Time to tell the inmates whose boss. Show up or get your notice. Our business is a five day operation and you are payed a salary with those expectations. This lack luster management style will get you nothing but trouble as we are seeing.
Over the last few of years gm bought out or forced retirement mostly on a certain generation of workers that grew up considering a good paying job a cherished thing to have. Showing up to work everyday was an unquestioned part of the deal.
When those people were hired, GM could pick and choose the best employees from hundreds of applicants for every open position. Job competition was intense so keeping a good paying job was paramount. Same situation across the much of the US job market for decades.
The situation gm has now is partly self-inflicted and partly generational.