I see a lot of negative feedback about AT&T. I have a decent offer for a job in Dallas HQ in Product/Technology management. 5 days a week in office doesn't bother me, all my roles have been that way. Is it really as bad as everyone makes it out to be. Appreciate the feedback!
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@jh The same here, I have given more time to this company and will never get it back. After all these years in management I can tell you that the company focusses on the wrong things and hides behind policies just to do their time. Terrible.
@d5 Same for NJ
@af Very political Loved my job and always did however the rules have changed for the worst, wasting millions of dollars to make the schedules Shareholders need to look into everything the same the government is. very sickening and stressful to see the ignorance of this leadership and the Lieng/BS to look good is a disgrace to their director. However, I heard it goes always up to the top and it will never change.
@nz favoritism and poor management, some employees overworked and other employees running wild.
If that is your only offer, take it. If you are of Indian descent, take it. If you are young, don’t take it. If money is the most important factor, then take it.
Don't! AT&T on your resume gets future you passed over by companies who know how to run their business successfully.
Five days in the office via the "presence" report - to be sure you are not a coffee badger. The good thing is, you will have access to track/monitor your own hours, as others will track/monitor your hours for you as well. The Dallas office will be a bit of a challenge, as it is packed full of people due to, you know,...the five days in the office thing. So if you are thinking about showing up to your new job with photos of friends and family to remind you why you grind, don't...or, do- and simply pack them up each day and tote them back home along with your laptop, Clorox wipes, headset, COU/company issued phone, notebook, water bottle, portable fan, and snacks....why? because you won't get an assigned desk. Instead, plan to arrive early to try to avoid sitting next to the guy who clanks a metal spoon against a glass container in an attempt to get every bit of pudding possible.
As far as the culture goes, its probably like any other corporate job, with the exception of that pretty blunt message from the CEO the other day (yikes). Its true there aren't a ton of exciting jobs there because there aren't really any great new products on the horizon other than your standard iPhone launch each year (and really, how much excitement do any of us have left for drop resistant glass and an extra lens on a camera phone?). The good thing for you- its a job offer and I don't take those for granted these days. If you don't have a better option, take it and simply adjust down by way of expectations while doing really well in your performance.
Yes, it’s bad.
As someone VO for two decades, I pity the amount of time FTOs have to spend schlepping into and back from an office where the entire day is spent on the phone and a keyboard.
On my rare days in office, the only "collaboration" I experienced was morning coffee room and a walk around the Basking Ridge or Bedminster campus—bonding experiences, team builders, but not something I needed to do daily or even weekly. Every few months was good enough to establish strong bonds that I still have in retirement. Or "retirement", I was RTO'd 1000 miles at my own expense. I chose not to "follow the work," an interesting turn of phrase because for 20 years, the work had 𝒏𝒐 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒃𝒍𝒆𝒎 following me, wherever I fired up my laptop.
The company got more that 40 hours outta me. And yes, the Costco visit every couple of weeks, too, but on balance I put in well past 50 hours doing my regular tasks while automating some of it in the wee hours when everything's quiet. Good luck with that, Accenture.
News flash, they are still laying off so not many opportunities to do something else. If you need a gig, take it.
There really is no good product management teams here because they have 2 basic products. Fiber and Mobile, which are both based upon industry standards and most of the product development there is process related. AT&T does not have a great or product development pipeline. I cannot think of a new product they offer that is worth anything. A ton of it is smoke and mirrors.
Product fights amongst themselves for capital dollars and you'll be restricted in what you can actually do. Agree with Cohen org feedback. They are mired in Servicenow and Salesforce drama on top of major cultural issues due to the friends and family of Cohen effect.
There is little to no true innovation. What AT&T calls innovation is NOT. They are spending hundreds of millions rewriting basic ordering, provisioning and ticketing logic into these new SAAS (SFDC, SNOW, Palantir). They are 3-5 years behind schedule on those.
Product development spends 80% of their time just fighting and refighting for capital throughout the year. It's a quarterly process, so even if you are funded, you might not be 3 months later.
If the commute works, take the money, get your 401k match, say 2 things in a meeting that copilot will pick up in the summary, run away from projects that are wrapping up in the Sept to Dec time frame because that's AT&T layoff season
The Dallas office is a shithole full of fake, unhappy people. Desk space is hard to secure and parking is a nightmare. Prepare for a significant impact to quality of life if you move here.
TOXIC CULTURE and COMPANY! BEWARE!!!!
Run! Legg organization is a cluster! No one.... and I mean no one is on the same page. Constant changes, reorgs, no process, no consistency. It's like groundhogs day every day. There are so many gaps & inconsistencies you will never get anything accomplished. They promote id--ts into leadership roles so be prepared for a mo--nic boss.
I’ll tell you run if you can especially if you are in Cohen org. There are bunch of folks who run that org like it’s friends and family shop. More than Half of these guys aren’t even competent and have been hired as director and avps.
It's called life. Do whatever the he-l you want to do with your life you can always quit. If you are scared and not sure about your decisions. we don't need you
If you don't mind the 8-5 + M-F (and them monitoring you to ensure you do this), knowing this is a stepping stone in your career, etc, sure, you can survive. If you have a wife, kids, elderly parents to physically support, activities in evening or weekends, don't live 20 minutes from HQ and so on, you're going to be miserable. As others have stated in this thread, it's still toxic. Join knowing your CEO hates you. He really hates you and he's a complete a**hole. Everyone's fighting for their own connection award (aka bonus), lots of backstabbing and we are #3 in industry with zero shot of becoming #1.
Oh, and a "product" here is actually fancy word for a new pricing plan.
Come join us brother!
AT&T gets a lot of flak online, but that’s not the whole story. The truth is, your experience will largely depend on the team and leadership you work with. A product/tech role at the Dallas HQ puts you right at the heart of innovation and strategy, which can mean exciting projects and strong visibility. If the offer feels solid and you're cool with being in-office, don’t let the internet noise overshadow what could be a great fit. Just make sure to ask thoughtful questions about culture, support, and growth before diving in.
Fire on the mounTain…run boy run!
Do you speak Hindi? What caste are you? The answers to these will make a vast difference in your Dallas HQ experience.
I don't think this is real, but I will play along.
" Is it really as bad as everyone makes it out to be. "
Have you read the email from the CEO to his employees sent on August 4?
Does his tone and demeanor in that email scream to you, "oh this is a guy I would go to battle for?"
Do you get the impression that it's a super healthy corporate culture here at T?
After reading that email, do you feel AT&T leadership feels their employees are priority number 1?
Head for zee hills.
Quickly.
It may be (or was) a great place to start your career, but as the CEO himself said..he does not expect people to stick around and finish their careers here. Just use it as a first job, and you will be Marketing Driven elsewhere.
RUN
Very true in NEW JERSEY! Piscataway Bedminster, Morristown eta eta. Labor Union COMMUNICATION WORKERS OF AMERICA used to get tons of grievances from workers. If one is Caucasian .trouble from management...a complaint filed by "fellow employee" via EEO or directly to "management"...... CONFERENCE ROOM! New Jersey AT&T was really into getting minorities promoted into management.. Started back in the 1980's. CWA played along with AT&T management. I had to file a number of grievances....woopy Doo CWA!
It depends on who your boss is, who their boss is, and your business unit. I’ve had both good and bad at ATT. The good thing is there’s usually opportunity to move around within the company. So if you’re not liking your current team, just keep your head down, do good work, build a good reputation, watch the job openings and apply when you see something you like.
run
It’s toxic. The toxicity has nothing to do with 5 days in office. It’s the most toxic environment I have ever experienced.