Is it just me or do many old-timers here tend to wear rose-colored glasses when thinking about AT&T's past? I see so many posts talking about the good old days and I can't help but ask, what good old days? I've been here for more than two decades. In that time, we've always had layoffs. Always. We've also always had c-appy management and were always being passed over for the bosses cousin/friend/whatever who barely ever did any work.
So where are these good old times you keep bringing up?
Anyone else fondly remember working late to make sure those kids got those adl’s for Christmas
All of these stories are more of a reflection of the times in our country than AT&T as a company.
Randy came from SBC, he was Whitacre's right hand man.
It went to the c-apper when whitaker let these id–ts from the old at&t stay in management!!! Worked for southwestern bell and it was always customer first and the pay was good and the incentives were great!
Changed names to SBC then was still ok but when we bought att with its dead weight management and id–ts like randy........so yes it was good even when we were still sbc
The AT&T acquisition and leaving AT&T managers in place was a huge mistake. Their “leadership” ran their company into the ground.
WOW, lots of truth going on in this thread, and I agree with almost all of it. The good old days have indeed vanished and what a shame, the leadership have steered this thing right in to the DITCH.........shaking my head while I cash the checks anyway.......
No rose colored glasses here ... they pay me, I work ... end of story.
Hey OP,
At 20 years employment you are an old-timer and not some youngster. Maybe your skill level is not what you imagine it to be. It happens.
I started in Labs then Tech Dev in 95 . The company was great to work for and we never experienced layoffs and I never felt that job security was threatened. Travelled a lot, took a lot of legit Tech courses in actual classrooms. Great holiday parties. social clubs etc. It truly was a great company to work for with a lot of really well educated, technical, diverse and interesting colleagues. Management were well respected for the most part and a much different environment. I made a lot of good friends and still keep in-touch. Unfortunately, the vast majority retired, moved on or were laid off. I had many opportunities to leave but stayed as it really was a great environment and the work was innovative and stimulating.
I started in 2020. Not that long ago, in the scheme of things, but even then things were pretty good. I noticed the wheels started falling off around 2007, when they flooded the company with H1Bs. It has been steadily downhill since then. The present day situation is absolutely horrid.
"Those id–ts in HR should come here and read this thread. This company doesn't have a Culture issue, it has a leadership issue."
HR is management and have no power. They are part of the problem.
My having been a salaried employee in information technology - whatever the org name was - from '87 to 2015 was hard work delivering systems supporting the business. On call for decades anytime. Forget about picnics, BBQs, etc. What counted was job security and comparable market-driven pay with 401k matching. Since the mid-1990's there were threatened and real layoffs all the time. I had to interview with two managers for my same job and was asked if I'd take a pay cut (Not!). Either you had a job and made money or you didn't. There never was a point where you could relax and think you had a few years of security. Bogus.
you are correct - to many old timers with rose colored glasses. just get in security or get a security certificate and you are golden. lol
Old days were real... ... the people made work fun... got things done the first time on time... it was quality before quantity... no moving the due date in just because... sups knew the job But trusted the workers... ... we were family... fought like family but was tight like family... ... then it slowly changed... the culture changed... all about productivity... get it done yesterday... cut the workforce yet increase the workload... sups told to ride and push the workers... quality went down... due dates past due before you got the job... morale went down... people stopped caring... knowledge left with each retirement or job transfer... company stopped training... everything was OJT ... on job training by your peers... yet the trainers were still learning the job... bad habits passed down... hiring off the streets for leadership positions... couldn’t do the job yet told you how to do it... time increments for every part of the job... blue sky but not applicable to the actual outside conditions... workers beat down and burn out... I went from caring to leave me alone over a 40yr career in the same work group... I was a tech then management... the problem is the leadership from above district... district on down has to deal with unrealistic expectations and unobtainable targets... ... the old days ... we had a blast... current employees will never have our experience and fun... good luck all ... PEACE OUT... !!!
Wonder if anybody can share if there are any "Good old days" in the SWBT region between 1984 (AT&T broke up) and 1997 (PB/NB->SBC) ?
ATT Wireless - lobster dinner at holiday party.
SBC/AT&T - no budget for pens and notebooks. No budget for dish soap, better put your soiled tupperware in a hazmat bag to bring home.
I started 35 years ago and the layoff process started way back then shortly after divestiture. It has been an ongoing battle to keep my head above water, but I managed to do so and so far, the outlook is good at this point! No layoff in sight in this IT organization...looking good for now!
Those id–ts in HR should come here and read this thread. This company doesn't have a Culture issue, it has a leadership issue.
In the 80's and early 90's the company (Ameritech) would sponsor "Family Day" on a Saturday. You could chose between Great America, A Brewers Game, The Milwaukee Zoo, or an Amusement Park. They paid for you and your family's tickets, chartered buses. They also used to have Craft Seminars, where the 2nd,3rd and 4th level would have an all day meeting at a central location. In the winter as a respite from the cold. Multiple days as obviously not everyone can not be working. They'd hand out good bling, pay for a nice lunch at a local restaurant, and answer questions-even the tough ones.
You always had to work and were measured. We used to have "units". So many for a drop, so many for a jack. But once SBC took over things went spreadsheet in a hurry. And went to heII
@qoz+16rKmxqX is a true survivor.
He/she gets it and will make it.
I started working for Ameritech in 1992. Work environment was great, I liked the people I was working with, we got tons of training, 1st and 2nd level managers knew everything about the jobs and people doing them. There were a*holes here and there as with any large organization, but overall a good place to work and I was never ashamed to tell anyone I worked for the phone company. We would go out to do things after work once in a while like bowling or hit up a restaurant. The company paid for Christmas parties and treated employees to pizza once in a while. Things started to slide after the SBC merger, slowly at first, but morale began to deteriorate as time went by. Reorganization changed the character of work groups, 1st level managers were thrown in that had no clue what the job(s) were and no incentive to learn, just to maintain their metrics so they would get a bonus, 2nd levels were even worse. Once SBC acquired AT&T, it was the end of any type of support or direction from the company, just a lot of "vision" and "messaging", empty corporate blather that changed year to year but all meant essentially the same thing, nothing but hot air, and every man and woman for their self. I am bargained-for so I will wait them out; I plan to squeeze every penny I can out of this soulless entity until they have to compensate me for surplussing me. Till then I will do my job, but that's all they get from me. If conversation socially turns to work, I keep my mouth shut, I don't want to talk about this place or what I do while I'm here.
There have been good and bad times over the decades since the breakup of the Bell system. Much depended on the company you were with as the industry experienced unprecedented change.
I retired last year after 40 years. Started with one of the Bells a few years before the breakup, went to the equipment side of the business for a few years after the breakup (what became Lucent/Avaya) and then ended up with legacy AT&T and the current AT&T. Where I was, force reductions were constant from the mid 1990s until T was bought in 2005 - similar to the last few years.
What has changed over the last 20 years or so is that benefits have been steadily eroded, real pay increases have been minimal or non-existent and the constant barrage of corporate propaganda has intensified. At the same time executive compensation has risen to obscene levels and most companies care more about how Wall Street views them than about how their employees do.
2 decades?
Cute.
In the late 70's and 80's the company was vastly better.
They actually seemed to be responsible and give a sh– about workers.
Then we met SBC.
For me, the good ole day's lasted until 2007 when SBC bought BellSouth. To be honest, the work was much more challenging & stressful, and hours were longer, but it was still more enjoyable. The urgency placed to repair outages was much higher, and we took pride when we got service restored. We jumped on natural disasters like floods & hurricanes, and we kept the network running. Personally, I felt like I made a contribution, and my efforts were appreciated. I felt my life's time was spent on something worthwhile.
Beyond that, there was a social aspect. We had pizza days and BBQ cookouts. We organized events to raise money for charity. The company provided holiday meals. We had annual retreats where we got to meet and interact with our peers from other cities (there was no Zoom, Skype, or FaceTime back then.)
Flash forward to today. Lack of focus, constant transforming, and changing priorities by the C-Suite. Constant, never-ending layoffs as they try to reduce the debt from multiple acquisitions while the stock price languishes. Most of my colleagues are gone. Retirement benefits are capped or eliminated completely. Hell, they don't even provide coffee to the office anymore. I guess a nickel per cup is too much to spend, but let's spend millions refurbishing Dallas so the execs can look good for the news.
Correct, T always pulled a lot of $hit.
Back in the day, you would get a phone call from your mis-manager at 4PM on a Friday saying that your job is in some other state starting Monday, SHOULD YOU STILL WANT IT.
And of course T would "rebadge" hundreds, whole buildings at a time to some other company, just like today.
The MAJOR difference? In the "old" days if you were pension eligable, you got a decent pension compared with today. And if you really got whacked, the severance was two years salary.
Many of the executives were just as phony and corrupt and Ratty and Stinky.
The good old days doesn't mean the work wasn't hard. The difference I see is that today you are more likely to work for someone that has no skills in what you do or understand it. There is a constant threat to getting surplussed regardless of your skills are delivery. Promotions and progressions have all stopped unless you are in a favored class. There was also a possibility for a job as long as you worked hard. All of that has changed.
Good old days were 1985-1995. My first ten years. Many company outings, picnics, and such that showed appreciation for employees. 1996 to now has its ups and downs but overall pretty good.
The good ole days where my 1980 to about 2005. We had group outings to all kinds of venues. We where respected for our work. The customer was our focus. Then about 2010 and until I retired after SWB took us over all down hill. They where number driven and the quality of service was a afterthought. This went against my whole career that the customer mattered. I believed after all no customers leads to less jobs.🤑🤑
The “Good Old Days” were pre-1997. And yes, it has been downhill since then, culminating in the disaster in which we currently find ourselves.