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Recent Editions
Human Times
North America
Ford Motor has brought back so-called “gray beard” engineers to help train younger staff and reprogram AI tools to address quality problems. The hiring of these 350 veterans over the last three years to address what were seemingly intractable quality issues that have cost the company billions has helped Ford become the top mainstream brand in the latest JD Power Initial Quality Survey. Charles Poon, Ford’s vice president of vehicle hardware engineering, said: “Over prior years, we didn’t pay as much attention as we should have to the experience of our most knowledgeable engineers that have been with us through many product cycles.” Ford chief operating officer, Kumar Galhotra, explained: “We had been relying more and more on automated quality systems” and not getting the desired results, adding that the rehired technical specialists “hunt for failure points before a part ever reaches the plant floor.”
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Human Times
UK
London Mayor Sadiq Khan has said the city's efforts to deal with rising temperatures will require the help of private investors due to the considerable financial cost. “This is an environmental crisis, but also it’s an economic crisis, a public health crisis, and a social justice crisis,” Khan said. “The costs of inaction outweigh the cost of action, but also we recognize we can’t do this by ourselves from City Hall.” The Mayor's office has set out an inaugural plan to deal with extreme heat in the age of climate change, including a concession to air conditioning, of which it was previously sceptical due to the energy required to run units. Meanwhile, Khan has said there should be a maximum and minimum limit for how hot workplaces and classrooms get before they close. “Sometimes in winter months schools and workplaces shouldn’t be too cold just as in summer they shouldn’t be too hot . . . I think it’s really important for each individual employer and headteacher to make a common-sense decision based on what’s right for them.”
Human Times
Europe
Manager Magazin has reported that Volkswagen CEO Oliver Blume aims to cut up to 100,000 jobs worldwide and discontinue production at four of the group's German plants, as he seeks to reduce investment by around 15% to just over €130bn ($148bn) over the next five years. "The entire group, including its brands and subsidiaries, must undergo far-reaching change," a Volkswagen spokesperson said.
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Human Times
Middle East
Dubai's Human Resources Department has introduced 'Our Flexible Summer' initiative for 2026, allowing government employees to choose between two working models. From 29 June to 10 September, employees can work seven hours daily from Monday to Thursday and four and a half hours on Friday, or eight hours from Monday to Thursday with Friday off. Abdullah Ali bin Zayed Al Falasi, Director General of DGHR, said: "Employee wellbeing and quality of life do not come at the expense of performance."
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