Because of this, I wanted to leave the company shortly after I started working here:
The hardest part, in my opinion, is feeling that your work doesn’t really matter. You will work on a project for months for it to die. After a while, it can become soul-crushing if you don’t keep a good perspective.
Eventually I realized that this feeling that my work doesn’t really matter would follow me as long as I work here.
(Quot: @2pzj+19Eua5uH )
Who cares if it matters??? As long as they stay in business for as long as we wish to milk it!
I have been given no incentive to work hard anymore. 0% merit, cut in salary range so I get paid less, benefits cut, new opportunities an promotions given based on affirmative action goals and whose rear you kiss, office space was crowded and noisy when we worked in the office, no work supplies or admin support, worthless AVP and VP who know nothing about day to day operations and cut expenses as if It's coming out of their pocket, hvd connection that continuously fails and helpdesk has to reset, laying off workers once they get to 55 and claim it isn't age discrimination, retirement benefits cut, asking employees to donate to CPAC and Giving Campaign so AT&T can get political and PR benefits (basically taking some of my pay and using it to benefit T), ..... plenty more reasons to not have any reason to care for a company that doesn't care for you.
We pretend to work they pretend to pay us
I still care as I guess it is just ingrained in me as is my work ethic but I see on a daily basis those around me just do not care anymore about the work. People are just going through the motions in meetings and do the bare minimum. Sure they show up for the right mtgs and when they need to so it appears they are on top of things. All smoke and mirrors and very frustrating for those of us trying to get things done with non-responsive employees. This is also not in just my org as I see it in the majority of orgs I interface with on a daily basis. The majority of these d—beats are not even the pre-retirees. I work with a few older folks who have already identified they will leave at the end of the year but at least they are still putting in the effort and available. I wonder what this place will be like in 2022,
@nnd+19Hs55YC,
"Why do you care? Are you getting paid? That's all that matters."
I always took pride in my work and craftmanship.
But I wasn't naïve enough to believe for a second it was appreciated except for customers or would be rewarded except by the $$$.
It was a means of income. I could control how much I made.
The only "fullfillment" I sought was my pension, 401K and checking account.
I never bought in to the "Team" BS. 360 evaluations. Quality of Worklife, YOU MATTER, Safety breakfasts, or any of the other insincere cr@p.
I workie.
You payee .
yep that is one of the reasons I left but mostly because the company is dying and this is probably a symptom of that.
@nnd+19Hs55YC,
"Why do you care? Are you getting paid? That's all that matters."
Actually, no, thats not all that matters. Yes, money is required for life's necessities, but it wasn't the only reason I chose to work here. I'm not out to cure diseases or save the world, but at one point I could take pride in my work. There was a sense of fulfillment and contribution... that I did my part to keep the network running, and therefore I helped tens of thousands by keeping their data, their systems, and their phone calls connected. The work mattered, and it made peoples lives a little better even if they didn't know it.
I only get one life, and I want it to mean more than just collecting a paycheck. Guess I'm in the wrong job now, but I'm too old to start over and too disillusioned to care about AT&T anymore.
Comfort yourself with the realization that even if what you have done hasn't made a difference at least you didn't wreak havoc the way Stankey and Stephenson have. Their work was far more consequential than yours but in a bad way. :-)
If you want your work to matter you are at the wrong company. This is only company that I am aware of where your performance is not related to your bonus or raises.
Yeah they don't care. now I only care about my 401k and pension. 26 years and going strong. Just keep yes sir and yes ma'am. Deposit the check. Laugh all the way to retirement. Almost 2 million in those accounts and savings and stock. Yes Sir. Yes Maam. And screw Randall and Stankey thankyou very much.
The problem isn't that your work doesn't matter, but that it isn't valued in the least by management.
I've seen workers who dedicated countless hours to critical projects, often making things better than they were first described, who ended up getting miniscule raises, were overlooked for promotion, and more than a few who were laid off (one in 2020 and a few the before that).
That's what s—s. You can give time, blood, and all the dedication you have but are no more valued or respected than that bit of sc-ap paper Stinkhole uses to come up with new ways to insult employees.
Your work matters. But you don't
Went through the same thing six years back, seemed like you work really hard for weeks and months only to have funding cut and projects canceled, this went on for 3 years. It was frustrating and upsetting. But you need to learn to get over it and move on to the next thing. Fortunately it got better and past couple of years delivered some great projects, that felt good. Good luck!
If you want your work to matter, you might be in the wrong business.
Everyone is a cog in the system, easily replaceable, you won't be the beginning or the end of any product or service. This is way of abstraction, dumbing down, where the whole company is being run by spreadsheets, or collection of spreadsheets in databases. It is not designed give you work that matters, it's cut throat efficiency and polarizing locked down bureaucracy which frustrates all rational thought.
Most people that stay, find some sort of compromise and balance out the opportunity cost. If your soul can't take it, money really doesn't matter, get out as soon as you can. No judgement here, this place isn't for everyone.
Why do you care?
Are you getting paid? That's all that matters.
You can not, nor will, make a pinch of difference.
They will spend $50,000 to save a dime.
You people here for some self fulfillment or accolades or to make a difference will get a lesson in futility.
They don't care.
They don't know your name nor care to.
You don't matter.
You're not on a "team".
You are nothing more than a tool that will be tossed without a 2nd thought.
It's a job. You sell a part of your life for some $$$$. It's nothing more than that, and never has been or will be.
Divorce yourself emotionally from work and try to run them out of $$$$.
You'll never survive otherwise.
Why is this such a difficult concept for folks?
No, your work does not matter. The only thing that matters for outside techs is whether or not you 1) WiFi map the house, 2) force an app on customers, 3) upload true test results, 4) try to sell customers WiFi extenders whether they need them or not, and 5) do call behinds because you are charged with a bad survey even though the comments were directed at the company and not the tech. Our work/job is now COMPLIANCE, nothing more.