I have been coming here for a while basically because AT&T doesn't tell you anything about what is really going on. So coming here gives me the chance to see if others are going through the same bs.
I am in the field installing products and dealing with customers. And I listen to everybody else here tell their situation but I can never ever figure out what you do in this company. The questions are always which org are you in or did you get the email. There are also many comments about their managers and directors and still no mention of what they actually do. The emphasis is always on improving your numbers but for what. ?.
Hate to say it but for all you may do it seems to me that you don't really do much the way this company is setup. Even though I am sure you work your a-s off.
You have been caught in the tangled web and are now part of it. Everyone knows AT&T complicates things on purpose and your job description became part of that.
Deep down inside we all know this company is simply a Rube Goldberg device. And when it's running doing nothing and you are getting paid nobody says anything. But it is only when you are cast out that you admit things were always amiss.
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Like many questions and statements on this site, this question screams phishing! This site is a social engineering dream for hackers.
I hope that me doing my job makes other people's jobs easier. I don't have numbers to improve. Sometimes I wish I could go back to the days of tickets or a list of tasks to complete. I don't get specific tasks from my supervisor or their supervisor. I get requests from my peers and I fulfill them or push back if they can't be fulfilled. I also get compliance tasks from corporate that are all over the place. Sometimes it is something I've never heard before and needs to be done in 4 days. Other times it is something they just rolled out and want me to sign up for. I do that and then don't hear anything about it for 6 months because they signed up thousands of applications all at once.
I do the work I’m supposed to do and sometimes the work others are supposed to do. In the end, it doesn’t matter. Not one bit.
Some of the replies to this post made it sound like that without them AT&T would have major problems.
And then made their job seem complicated or hard to justify it. Not sure about where you are standing but from here it seems clear that was always the problem.
AT&T made everything complicated on purpose and gave out thousands of technical and proprietary jobs to fill.
It was great while it lasted but time to do things in a forward thinking way with an emphasis on the future. Not band-aids on the past, jeez. Most of what this company does isn't needed anymore. And what it has pivoted to doesn't look promising
A list of responsibilities (not all inclusive) performed by AT&T management level employees today:
Project/Program Management
Software Engineering
Application Development
Technology Business Analysis
Process Engineering & Support
Business Support
Network Technology Support
Advanced Network Tech Support
Data Analysis
Advanced Analytics
Data Science
Equipment and System Engineering
Systems Administration
Management Coaching and Development
Technical Sales Support
Research & Development
Product Engineering, Marketing and Development
“I’m in the field installing products and dealing with customers”
Well, OP, that doesn’t tell us much about what you do does it? If one of the primary functions of your job is direct customer contact, why would you use the phrase “Dealing with” customers instead of “Interacting with” or “Serving” customers….??
If you want some insight into what management level employees do, visit the AT&T career intelligence portal for detailed management level job descriptions and expectations (including education and experience expectations).
You can also reference the Technical Career Pathway (TCP) sharepoint for additional insight into all the professional discipline categories that individual contributing managers can pursue and are a part of. As a reminder, not all IC jobs in the company fall into the TCP, but most do.
I think you’ll find most of the info is more “Profession” related and less “Job” related. A union job (non-mgmt) is the complete opposite of a professional career path.
Hey OP, if I told you what I actually do, I'd be giving up my identity.
A lot of Level 2 "managers" have no direct reports. We manage, instead, a small cog of tasks in a big money making machine. If At&t was a car, I'm a wheel bearing, or a fuse or a water pump seal. You wouldn't know I exist until I stopped functioning.
That will happen soon in a number of areas. WhThe systems that manage prices, contracts, billing,product catalog, fleet inventory (and I can think of others) are managed by long term employees who helped build them and then piled on layers of byzantine complexity to make them work together.
You can't just hire someone the streets of Dallas or Atlanta and get them up to speed in a month, just as I would never presume to take your craft and do it. ( And I actually did that as part of Stankey's CP program. A lotta laughs from the techs but some embarassing substandard on prem work )
This sums it up, the managers think they do a good job but the customers complain about service interruptions, poor customer service, missed appointments, high fees that are a mystery when applied, and no manager available when they call in. Or if they get a manager they treat the customer with disdain and no respect. Similar to the way managers treat craft on a daily basis. The craft folks do work everyday to keep the customers. Time for the useless fail to RTO to move on. You’re not needed.
Your comments show a total lack of understanding as to the bigger picture and processes that go on beyond your world
There's a lot of "big picture" ignorance on the craft side due to the sandboxing of work.
We handle outages for the entire company and all the reports with the FCC. A single fine can be millions of dollars. Without us, the government fines would put this company out of business in about a week.
I sell the products you install. Without me, you’d have nothing to install. I’m considered “a manager”. You’re welcome.
The company is the one at fault, most people aren’t competent in their job because they stopped most real training for new to title managers and craft. They’ve relied on peer to peer for too long and now most of those knowledgeable, experienced people are retired or being laid off. It takes years in most technical positions to be competent. The constant reorgs and chair rearranging is contributing to loss of talent and chaos.
OP, my dude.
Your comments show a total lack of understanding as to the bigger picture and processes that go on beyond your world and which result in you getting that field installation job/work-order delivered to your inbox.
I’ll break this down for you:
There are also many comments about their managers and directors and still no mention of what they actually do The emphasis is always on improving your numbers but for what.
Many of us that post here are your customer facing account team and support team co-workers from across T’s various business organizations, working with our customers in the consumers, private sector, enterprise, mid-markets, small-biz, global, government, and other segments. The number improvement you ask about refers to primarily sales quota attainment-the things we sell that generate the ticket so you can get your days work-order, many of us have daily, weekly and monthly performance and activity metrics and are most of us are tasked with are being constantly measured on out results in maintaining and growing T’s revenue, the revenue which in turn fills T’s coffers.. being that part of the Rube Goldberg device that spits out your paycheck..cha-ching …say thank you.
And when it's running doing nothing and you are getting paid nobody says anything. But it is only when you are cast out that you admit things were always amiss.
It may seem like it to you that it’s running and no one is doing nothing but we’re earning our paychecks and it’s because we’re doing our jobs that T is running…again maintaining and growing that revenue to meet our numbers as part of a team that’s keeping you paid, sadly we can’t grow revenue at the pace our C-level wastes it with their poor business decisions, and as to only admitting that things were amiss once we’ve been cast out..this is just an assumption which again shows your lack of understanding as to our part of T, we’re all aware and each of us does our part to grow and protect the revenue and work diligently to be good stewards of the company and work tirelessly to keep our customers, but you with your field work are somehow above everyone else, which I guess will mean you won’t be posting here when your craft job is outsourced?
Emergency power at cell sites should be meticulously maintained. This is a big mistake you need 4 hrs reserve time or replace batteries. Generators should be run 2hrs per month to keep fuel fresh if diesel.
Thank you for your honesty.
I wish I was joking but 15 of the 20 guys in my group do absolutely nothing.
I've seen the lack of maintenance at cell sites. Power is an issue at many: The stationary genset fails or won't start and the site goes offline because the neglected battery strings last a few minutes.
I spend my days inside of cellular sites. I have a former landline manager as my wireless boss. He doesn’t have any idea what I do. I can work as much or as little as I want. I almost always choose the latter because I need to remain busy. I have 15 co-workers that do not come to work weeks at a time. My boss doesn’t care and doesn’t want to know. I have co-workers that will not work a single ticket 3 weeks at a time. Spend 4-5 days out of the load for admin and motor vehicle. I wish I was joking but 15 of the 20 guys in my group do absolutely nothing. Some could perform if they wanted but most are unable to do the job. They can’t replace control cards, load software, investigate simple trouble. Most do not reply to emails. But they sure are salty about AT&T.
I have tried on so many levels to report these things but I am met with fierce backlash. A bunch of these techs came from mergers. I cannot believe it is like this. It’s stressful and agonizing. It’s sad and pathetic. It starts with my worthless boss who just wants to gym, tan, laundry. These guys take a weeks vacation and don’t record it. Then brag about it. It is chaos on the best days. They leave cell sites down 4-5 days at a time waiting for parts. They open vendor work request at every turn. I love the job but can hardly take the environment. I refuse to join in with them. After 23 years I still cannot accept this harsh reality.
I agree they arent actual management they are just non union customer service reps with a mgr title
The company has slowly been trying to eliminate Craft work. Creating these manager positions so that they can surplus them as needed. Step 1; Offering craft employees a “promotion” Step 2: surplussing them a year later.
Let’s be honest, these managers positions are all admin work. Like the comment below said they are doing Craft work.
I am in the field installing products and dealing with customers. And I listen to everybody else here tell their situation but I can never ever figure out what you do in this company.
I think they're mostly managers doing all the work craft doesn't do. We have a lot of managers in this company who don't have techs assigned to them.