At Auburn Hills, the atmosphere is dreary, ominous and muddled and slowly, the confidences shedding. This is the reason behind the e-mail of Chrysler Group CEO Tom LaSorda.
Last Tuesday, LaSorda sent an e-mail to every Chrysler employee exhorting them to pour their skills and passion into reviving the automaker even as its German parent shops it to potential buyers.
LaSorda wrote: "Whatever our future situation will be, we need to succeed as a team with our recovery and transformation plan. Our long-term viability depends on it. Everyone wants to be associated with a winner, and we need to prove again that we are winners. To a great extent, the future is in our own hands."
However, to convince the workers to keep their confidence in Chrysler is another story. Most of the workers feel deep frustration, hatred and worry as potential purchasers roam the headquarters. As a fact, some of the employees are sending out their resumes.
A designer in the company said, "The kiss of death is when you see investment companies looking at auto companies. The overwhelming feeling is we thought it was kind of a shaky merger and then, now, eight, nine years later, they're selling us off. For us to witness this, it's almost like we're watching 'General Hospital.'" He added, "It's like the die has been cast and we're all doomed."
The e-mail was sent a day before LaSorda met with about 25 of Chrysler's top dealers in Naples, Fla. LaSorda told dealers a decision will be made soon about a Chrysler sale and urged them to keep their attention on selling cars and trucks.
In the said letter, LaSorda noted, "We need to rededicate ourselves to taking waste out of our business while providing great vehicles and an ownership experience that will attract customers and keep them coming." By far, the e-mail was the second morale-boosting strategy LaSorda did since 14 February when DaimlerChrysler CEO Dieter Zetsche said that all options were being considered for Chrysler.
Also on Tuesday, LaSorda outlined Chrysler's recovery plan, which includes job cuts and plant closures to ensure that the business will return in the black by 2008. "As we go through this period of uncertainty, I am encouraging our leadership team to listen to you and empower you to get the job done," LaSorda said in his e-mail. "We have what it takes to be great, but it requires everyone's best efforts and best thinking to get there. I know that you take pride in your work and in your company, and I trust you will focus on the urgent job at hand - to develop, build and sell great products and establish the foundation for a long and prosperous future."
Michael Whitty, a business professor at the University of Detroit Mercy, said that the high-level angst distracting many Chrysler workers is hardly surprising. "Any time people go through a big trauma of any sort in a workplace setting, it's almost like a divorce," Whitty added. "Psychologically, it's devastating to your self-esteem. That's something that no buyout package or cash or no economic coaching or counseling can deal with."
Chrysler spokesman Kevin McCormick acknowledged the employees' concerns. "The only way that we can deal with it as employees of the company is to continue to perform at high levels with the task that we've been assigned."
But at Auburn Hills, such focus hard to achieve. They compare their situation to Ford workers after the automaker announced a shift in attitude. Those employees working on or Ford engines could have felt their despair. "The reality is some of these people who are being asked to stay focused have had to show off the company to private equity firms," said a salaried manager.
