What can be done to change the culture to toward pushing for better benefits for employees (WFH, better raises and pay, etc.) and moving away from employees policing each other? It seems half the posts here are employees fighting each other rather than addressing the root problems that leadership causes.
21 replies (most recent on top)
Stankey and Friend's "culture" is nothing more than gaslighting the employees. We, the employees, have no ability to change it or register our displeasure, with one exception, and that's to leave.
Legg said it - "if you don't like it, leave."
I think AT&T is going to be hurt by the employee reduction measures going on, but I think what might sink AT&T is an improvement in the job market. I think a huge number of employees that can are sticking with AT&T just because the market is so bad, and they aren't going to forget how we are being treated now. When jobs are available again, I think there's going to be a huge exodus. My advice, to each and every person that leaves at that point? Give no notice. Give a simple "Today was my last day" and hand over your badge and laptop.
To the guy below me… so basically what T looked like pre- Covid?
If I was CEO, remote status for knowledge workers would be the employee's choice unless on a PIP. If you want a dedicated office cube, you would be expected to be in it 2-3 days per week, otherwise you would only be expected to be in office for occasional in-person meetings. CRE would be in control of compliance to office space use and their edict would be to keep the footprint down by making non-office users virtual and closing leased locations whenever possible. This would remove the foolish waste of time of micromanaging presence, and save millions in CRE leases. Management would be expected to come up with productivity measures and terminate underperforming workers who abuse the WFH system, rather than punishing the productive workers. Once in place, the management tree would be flattened from 6 levels to 3 and cuts could be made to all nanny-HR departments that depend on in-office conflict to exist.
Too bad this ain't a democracy.
“ They could start by doing a survey.“
They did a very expensive McKinsey OHI (Organizational Health Index) survey last year and Stank promised to share the results. Stank reneged on that promise, and now has his minions telling us they didn’t want to “confuse” us by sharing the results. It’s really UFB.
white collar union!
I think office workers unionizing across multiple industries and companies would send quite a message. Too many L2 office workers feel they are better because they are salary and living in la la land. Most of us are getting played, cr-ppy benefits, low to no raises, a lot of people having to work egregious hours. If not now, then when? It’s not just ATT it’s a lot of companies. Conditions are worse than they’ve ever been for us.
How about you embrace the business end of a hunting rifle?
When you have this type of top down micromanaging the only solution is to change leadership. Not just the CEO, everyone SVP and above.
Nothing will change until Stankey is removed.
That’s how you change the culture. Get rid of Stankey!
Honestly, reinstating full virtual/remote work for those who are able would solve about 80% of the "culture" problems at AT&T. The C-suite is well aware of this fact. Frankly it all seems like one big gas lighting experiment that they won't fess up to this. They are testing all their underlings to see who will tell the Emperor he has no clothes.
I wonder what the opinion of AT&T is from people outside the company is?
Will not happen at T. If this is a needed change for your work life, leave and find a new employer. I started in 90 and it was cut throat then. You just didn’t have the unfettered hate. Efforts to make a change here is wasted. Just move on.
Everything that leadership does in the last few years in designed to make you want to leave the company. The profit margin per employee is smaller than our competitors, which makes the Stank mad and makes his pockets feel empty. Stank, the C-suite collaborators, and the board of directors, are more than happy to simultaneously toute AT&T culture pilars while completely destroy them to achieve their headcount goals. RTO is a surplus tool, there is no negotiation with leadership on it to try to improve employees work-life balance.
WTF!!! Culture? Are you kidding me. This AT&T clown show has no interest in any culture except the SBC fear and intimidation culture. This C suite dumpster fire doesn’t give a sh-t about anything except enriching themselves through their plunder of once great assets. So, remember, there has been a culture at AT&T since it’s take over by SBC and it will remain the same until the end.
“They could start by doing a survey.”
They could start by actually publishing and addressing the culture concerns from the touted “Culture survey” that they did in 2024.
At some point it's become impossible to fix and I believe they've created that threshold. The way they've treated just about everyone has left an ugly taste that won't go away no matter how they try to white wash it. The only immediate thing they can do is chop out the executive suite one by one and start over with those because until the stank is gone, nobody will listen to their "how great things are" powerpoints. And if the solution after he's gone is to just push everyone else up, that won't accomplish anything either. The whole top needs to go one by one.
The only thing that will change the culture is the firing of John Stankey and Jeremy Legg. Hauling their as--s up in front of congress to answer to their decimation of the older white employees would be a great final chapter to their tyranny.
They could start by doing a survey.
Many of the people who reply seem to be hired by the corporation to reply negatively to anything that does not support the direction of the the C-Suite, regardless of how detrimental it is to the culture of the company. The only way to get change is for the BoD to fire Stankey or for the L1/L2s who are not really managers to join a union. It is a sad state that Stankey has created.
We all need to embrace RTO.
Slight correction: more than half the posts are from men women acting as 3rd graders who are not here for a discussion at all. They just want to land a virtual juvenile punch and think they’re clever.
You’ll see as they will follow you OP and my reply.