Thread regarding AT&T Inc. layoffs

Hostile work environments are the norm in AT&T?

My friend who is a trainer for DTV was just written up for insubordination because she can't personally afford to travel to train at vendor sites since they moved her to salary, didn't raise her pay, and so can't get OT anymore for the days traveling to and from sites. She does not have family in the area and has to pay for her dogs to be in a dog kennel place when she is gone. She was told that by not traveling whenever and wherever they want for any amount of time that she is subject to disciplinary action for refusing a "directive" from her boss. They don't even pay DTV trainers the minimum they pay AT&T trainers for our "territory or region." She said that at least when she was hourly she could get OT to help cover some of the costs to her personally, but that it still never completely covered it. She's pretty upset because she says they were never told traveling would be mandatory until after Jan. 1, 2017, and they do not have mandatory travel in her DTV trainer job description. She hasn't traveled since her last trip when she got back at the end of April when they changed everything. How can they write her up for something that would make her pay personally to go to work, especially since she does not get paid the same as AT&T trainers doing the exact same job? I think she is going to see an employment lawyer to see if she has options. The stress and anxiety of people at DTV must be off the charts at this point. AT&T does not care about their employees at all, it would seem.

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| 3141 views | | 16 replies (last October 10, 2017)
Post ID: @OP+I26znVu

16 replies (most recent on top)

My hubby has worked for AT&T for over 20 years. Back when it was Southwestern Bell he loved his job and the managers (he's a CST - Cut Cable). His 1st and 2nd line are horrible. Have created a terribly hostile work environment and they do not care. They keep all of the CSTs in their garage "tee'd up" for firing. 2 months ago when my husband's 1st line stuck his finger in my hubby's face and told him to "shut his f'ing mouth (he used the whole word), my hubby had enough. Called the 3rd party hotline to report the incident. Took less than 2 months for them to fire him. Waiting on a meeting with the union but you know how long that can take...meanwhile, we still pay our bills and go on with life the best we know how.

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Post ID: @7Evpl+I26znVu

You Matter.....What a Joke!!....only thing the T cares about is their 💰💰💰

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Post ID: @hmhz+I26znVu

We are looking for work outside this company! To act like we are just whining and not taking some action is insulting. However, there are some of us that cannot be without a paycheck, and if you think jobs are plentiful out there, you've been drinking the federal government's Kool-Aid. Especially those of us with single incomes. Move along with your "you only live once" bull...

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Post ID: @frgc+I26znVu

Why those posting comments here are not finding the next career in another company? All this energy for a company that does not care about you, Truth is that If you dare nothing then when the day is over,nothing is all you will have gained, you only live once make your decisions count !

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Post ID: @bnvz+I26znVu

It's bad now, just think what it will be like in the next year or so. The closer to 2020, I believe the more risks leadership will be willing to take and that includes mgrs going off script and doing dirty deeds.

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Post ID: @4aym+I26znVu

The toxic business environment brought on by AT&Ts, managers due to the mergers, acquisitions, reorganizations, and spinoffs has provided impetus to the growing number of cases involving discrimination, Performance appraisal retaliation is frequently a part of their plan to bridge labor laws and employment protections to older workers. The release waiver that every employee must sign in exchange for a severance package typically 6 months salary,

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Post ID: @4nzf+I26znVu

Just 100 ? expect a lot more as we move to 2020. The word from inside HR is other than wireless and support for wireless most will be gone or working for another company doing the wireline.

People in Verizon in California and Texas said "not possible" Two guesses what happened.

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Post ID: @4ipn+I26znVu

I can certainly agree with that! I was with the company as a manager (non salary) in IT and NP&E for the last 20 years and have seen the company change from Pacific Bell to SBC/Pacific Bell to SBC, ultimately to AT&T. During this time I had 7 different titles, 8 different work locations and only chose to transfer or promote 3 times out of those 7 title changes. The other 4 times, I was laid off twice, Outsourced once and finally surplus. What finally got me out was the company creating a new ranking and rating system 5 years ago that forced AM's to rank the team members from Exceeds, Meets, Meets some and a lower rating. I was told that they were not allowed to rank everyone meets or exceeds even if his whole team was exceeding performance standards! (I was and we were!) Ultimately our overall department success in the west resulted in our VP getting promoted and taking over the nation! For 100+ of my fellow engineers around the country, it resulted in surplus. How's that for a hostile environment!?

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Post ID: @3nbu+I26znVu

Planning to work here? Difficult to get promoted due to almost constant hiring freezes, constant layoffs ( called surplus), never ending reorganization, company values have not caught up with the times. Work-life balance can be hard to achieve as organizations shrink, but workload stays same or grows, leaving people who remain with increasingly heavy workloads, onlysmart people and achievers the ones that can adapt and offer value are leaving for companies better structured, they are nt waiting like many of us.

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Post ID: @2pdm+I26znVu

Unrealistic expectation of exceeding 98% productivity daily when many variables are out of your control, out technical support team can't never finish a project, or provide guideance in all aspects of the wireline products we support,bICB pricing what a joke, Area managers can't support us, they don't know product, There is an unwritten culture to fudge your time worked, work through lunches, can make up for lost time and productivity. If you are ethical and work by the book you will find yourself on the fast track to get fired. They will do whatever is takes to get rid of you such as assigning bad or difficult jobs to you, have you excessively audited 2-3 times a week by Managers will call you out in morning meetings in front of others and treat you with little respect. I have worked for large corporations before and never experienced a hostile work environment such as this one, poisonous and toxic environment.

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Post ID: @2ios+I26znVu

I'm not sure if the DTV trainers are management employees or not but the boss sounds lie a complete ass I agree that it is only to protect his/her job that the boss is pushing like that. Also it may simply be the way to get rid of people and say it was their decision to leave or not do the job as required.

if in the management ranks I would call het next level of management and simply ask when the changes are actually in effect.

The other method is to call HR and claim discrimination because of gender. ATT HR is very very cautious when these statements are made.

I once was told by a boss that he could fire me if he felt like it and no one would care.

I said yes he could and if he did I would loose my home , my livelihood, even possibly my family. I would have virtually nothing. His reply was yep and don't forget it. I then said let me tell you how it will be then. I will have nothing and nothing to loose. If I have nothing to loose then guess what I would do to you. He walked away and never talked to me again. He changed locations the following month.

sometimes you have to stand your ground. I'm not suggesting this approach but it sounds like the next step for her boss is to fire her for cause. she has to act first. Call HR

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Post ID: @2qyo+I26znVu

Seeing a lawyer is wise. I wonder if legal or HR could get involved. This sounds like a manager maybe went "off script" so to speak and didn't seek legal or HR advisement. Alot of that going around with managers trying to protect their OWN jobs. Its def. the house that Randall built. There are social costs to layoffs, that no one wants to talk about. It makes an already bad culture, worse. Now is the time to clean some of this crap up. Or at least be willing to pay the costs of low morale, turn over, low production. If its worth it to ATT then its time to for employees impacted to start soul searching.

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Post ID: @1oez+I26znVu

Seen it more and more since the takeover few years ago, management totally unprepared to manage technical issues,resorted to back stabbing in most segments

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Post ID: @1ozx+I26znVu

My boss told me I had to move 3 states away over a weekend. She literally told me on a Friday afternoon and told me I had to report to the new office by Monday morning. AT&T is a horrible, awful place. Luckily HR stepped in and I requested to be part of the lay-off. Life has been a million times better since leaving.

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Post ID: @1skp+I26znVu

AT&T publicly brags how it values a "home-work life balance". It's total bullsh-t! AT&T doesn't care about your personal life or your satisfaction with your employment. What you're beginning to see, and what you will continue to see, is AT&T making it hard for its employees. My group for example was participating in the AT&T Flex Worker Policy and working remotely a few days a week from a home office. New VP in place, Flex Working gone! Now rumors are spreading that our new VP is a "Head Count Cutter in Chief". If that's the case then making our job miserable will be an easy way for him to accomplish his goals. What you're starting to see, and what I believe we'll all see going in to 2017, is AT&T automating and cutting head count in very surgical ways. AT&T doesn't have the capabilities itself to automate job functions so they're beginning to look outside the company to partner with leaders in the automation field-and they're not the only ones. This push for automation is infecting all kinds of companies in our industry and outside of it. A lot of people don't talk about it but we are headed towards some scary stuff happening in the near future.

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Post ID: @1xfg+I26znVu

Yeah, sorry - nothing about this sounds unusual for the way things go in the company.

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Post ID: @1gef+I26znVu

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