Employees are far from happy about the growing shift towards RTO work, but at Ford, the signs of this displeasure have been particularly pronounced. Last week, on October 2, Ford’s IT systems were hacked, with an anti-RTO message being displayed across meeting room screens. Ford’s office IT hack still hasn’t been attributed to any particular employee or outsider, but the protest against the company’s return-to-office policy suggests that this might have been executed by someone internally.
While the anti-RTO message at Ford was a relatively harmless outcome for something as concerning as a hack, it suggests a higher degree of dissatisfaction among the ranks that may be hard to undo. Addressing employee sentiments falls to HR, and this situation is no different.
An IT hack at Ford offices resulted in anti-RTO messages on meeting room screens, clearly depicting the employee stance on the new 4-day RTO policy. (Image: Pexels)
Anti-RTO Message at Ford Spread Across HQ Via a Recent IT Hack
Last week, Ford Motor Co. corporate offices in Dearborn saw a dramatic anti-RTO message displayed across screens. It showcased an image of CEO Jim Farley paired with a big red circle with a slash through it over his face. More notably, the image was accompanied by expletives against the company’s new RTO policy. The imagery was dramatic, and the message was clear: Ford’s RTO policy was not a welcome change.
The Detroit Free Press was among the first to report on the news, and a spokesperson told the agency, “We’re aware of an inappropriate use of Ford’s IT technology and we’re investigating it.” Ford was able to quickly deal with the office IT hack and take the image down, but the damage, in terms of causing disarray throughout the workforce, was wrought.
‘F**k RTO’: Someone Hacked The Screens At Ford Headquarters To Protest ‘Return To Office’ Policy via /r/technology https://t.co/an2wprzJVs
— Glaucia Gomes (@glauciag) October 3, 2025
The Ford Hack Was a Protest Against the Organization’s Four-Day RTO Policy
Ford is the latest business to roll out a more strict in-office policy, having asked employees to return to in-person work four days a week. The change came as CEO Farley announced that the company was preparing to shift leadership, designers, and engineers into a new world headquarters later in the year.
While the policy still holds on to the barest threads of a hybrid model, the change has been unwelcome. The organization indicated surprise at the extreme measure of hacking the screens at the Ford HQ, as employees hadn’t overtly resisted the policy or vowed to quit over it.
Whether this was a prankster or an employee who really wanted to communicate their anti-RTO messaging to Ford, the choice of message makes it clear that, despite keeping silent about their resistance to the change, at least a few employees were ready to make their frustrations felt.
Employees Globally are Protesting Against RTO Policies
The anti-RTO message at Ford may have been meant for the management at the organization, but its implications are clear for all businesses to see. Employee dissatisfaction can often take a backseat during periods of change, especially when they are driven by revenue goals and business advancement.
In most cases, employees have temporarily expressed their frustrations before accepting the terms of work as stated, but trends of revenge RTO, coffee badging, and quiet cracking allow for frustrations to simmer under the surface.
These negative feelings are particularly strong when employees perceive RTO policies as a way to force employees to quit to avoid additional layoffs or return to full-time return to work. The loss of flexibility here is key.
Facing the Challenge of Employee Engagement Head On
Despite the many benefits of RTO policies, employees who aren’t convinced by them are likely to keep resisting the change in both big and small ways. Employers and their HR teams can either ignore the signs until they go away or make additional changes to convince employees that this method of in-person work is beneficial for them.
Liking positive rewards with a return to work, making the workplace more hospitable, and increasing activity and community-based in-person events are just a few of the many ways in which the switch to in-person work can become easier for both employers and employees.
The desire for a more dynamic organization that operates face-to-face is a rational one, but ignoring employee sentiment can lead to greater problems in the long run. While the Ford hack was a protest that was easily settled, the more covert signs of resistance can often be much harder to resolve if allowed to fester.
What do you think about the anti-RTO message at Ford? Is this the last we’ll see of such strong sentiments against in-person work policies? Share your thoughts with us. Subscribe to The HR Digest for more insights on workplace trends, layoffs, and what to expect with the advent of AI.
