#culture

No words

It's going to be tough to right the ship after being so anti-customer for decades now.

I used Verizon cellphone service for a year in the late 1990's for sales position and was so put off by the overall experience I switched at first opportunity back to AT&T. In the mid-2010's I tried Fios and had the same terrible experience. Different LOB, same BS.

Verizon has a bad reputation with customers that will be difficult to shake off with promotions.

• So true, @b9+1ka9d2vw1*

What's AG up to in Washington?

Thank you for continuing to share the college experiences of your wealthy, well connected children. It is incredibly relatable content.

What do these people actually create? What do they deliver ? GR10 plus and all I see is blah blah lunch blah blah

Do you all get any perks? We're a core team in Brokerage, responsible for one of Abby's three goals flashing on the TV these days. Yet, no team lunches whatsoever. After our persistent complaints, our scrum master (great guy!) organized a Pizza team lunch, out of his own pocket later we learned!

Meanwhile, other perks such as AWS ReInvent tickets, this and that training camps... the leaders are kept among themselves.

Wondering is it the norm or where I am su-ks?

Overall, being let go may be a blessing in disguise. Citi does not want people who WANT to be here but rather people who NEED to be here. People need a job that goes without saying after all you gotta pay the bills. Citi though, wants people who are really desperate like really lean on the insurance. This way management has more increased leverage against you. They can squeeze in the long hours all the while strongly insinuating to not make a big deal about it after all “you really need this job, so don’t rock the boat. How’s that insurance working for you that you really need.” Its always a tongue in cheek comment that’s uncomfortably laughed at, at the time, but the implication is still there.

There’s a mental formula that’s assessed I believe. The more kids you have, the more dependent you are on insurance, the more bills you have…..the more “they got you right where they want you”. The pressure can really be applied. Usually summed up with berating you in public on team calls so that the others can see and know to step in line or else.

I’ve been in 5 different teams over the years and have cycled through 9 different managers. Two of them were really awesome but they too saw the systemic toxicity and left to go elsewhere. The other 7 managers stuck around where they can thrive and their skills (bully tactics) are appreciated and leverages quite readily.

They’re NOT choosing our uninspiring merchandising & they’re NOT choosing our prohibitively expensive prices. We 👏 aren’t 👏 competitive 👏.

Just once I’d like to see an earnings call that goes “We missed the mark.” Instead of blaming our performance on external factors.

The reality of SOLV financials is gruesome. Revenue just north of 8 billion. Debt north of 5 billion. Bryan is a grossly incompetent and overpaid clown but he was dealt a bad hand thanks to Mike Roman. How 3M saddled a HC spin less than 25 percent of the original company was a master play in financial engineering.

Even after the only smart move Hanson could do in spinning off Filtration, his card deck is full of low cards. No aces of trump left. He's being pressured by a rich guy who may not live out the next four years of the "Solventum Way" given he's already 83.

The poster who wished SOLV had never been spun off is right. As bad as 3M is being run, at least the stock price has doubled under Bill Brown.

If you are still working at SOLV and see things differently, please pass the gummies. The layoffs will accelerate and not just be a Frank Shirley Christmas bonus special. No way can Bryan grow the top line when he's obsessed with cutting costs. The one good chance HCBG ever had of being special died when Bryan listened to the guy on the yacht instead of going all in for growth.

Meanwhile, cousin Eddie is getting the long desired management position he's always wanted, reporting directly to Heather. The two would make a great tag team in the WWF of overpaid and overweight execs.

Q used be be better than this.

i really mean it. Unfortunately no one is going to try to fix. some says 'leave company'. but those are just less than 5 or 10 yrs. and yes CA really need to do something about middle managers than asking all these useless feedback thing.

i see a lot of ppls to have zero loyal to this company but money.

Is it me or does our employee base consist primarily of HR Karens with 80s haircuts and has-beens with inferiority complexes? In the last several months with 5/3rd’s acquisition of Comerica, we’ve been bumped out of the top 20. Desperation is mounting..

one who collect all stats from others and act like he does control everything gets recognition while who do fu--ing hand-on working gets nothing. so CA said we have better culture? are you sure? my question is. my question to CA is.. do you really wan to fix problem or not.

Shell Canada builds a community focused on people - The Globe and Mail https://share.google/yPwIEITDo6nvknHvM

Anyone been around these leaders or has seen the team dynamics and morals? Everyone of leaders must go, they are that bad and toxic. Shrunk the business and unable to maintain margins.

VZ in the house. I got tired of the doom posting in in VZ forum. TMO seems like such a nice company.. haha. NOT. Telco su-ks everywhere i guess.

Same id--ts are just moving around from one place to another and calling it turn around. NO no more turn around. We want the id--ts are OUT. No layoff to them.

Speaking strictly as a customer, Verizon's culture is 100% anti-customer.

Twice a year price increases...declining value for what paid...endless prompts to attempt to reach live help...nasty customer service reps...inflexiblility to address customer issues...hidden fees & charges...terrible website...repeated requests for security passwords...the list goes on & on!

TRUTHFULLY, this is way beyond blaming Verizon leadership. Some heads need to roll at every level to begin to root out a systemic anti-customer corporate wide culture!

Hess had the best lunch cafeteria ever…

Big, big kudos to the chief and all kitchen staff!

One of the amazing things about working at Progress is that every November you get to wonder if you are on the list to be laid off. Yup, an entire company culture built around who gets let go this year right before the holidays. And to make it even better, none of the c suite executives responsible for the company doing so poorly ever get let go. The c suite boys club continues to bring in millions for themselves while investors (stock down almost 50% this year) and everyday employees get the brunt of their non existent management acumen.

It’s disheartening to hear what’s happening with the converse team being left hanging with their fingers crossed and no clue what, who, or when, layoffs will impact. Why do this for so long dragging it out with no communication? Folks in VP and director level seats seem to be the problem and the real contributors are disregarded and silenced. Things aren’t looking good.

And it is real bad. bad coffee machines and no raises

After all this i kind of want to get severance. It would be a nice chunk of money. Plus I can get a job pretty quick and get used to it while getting paid from verizon. I think I want to get severance now. I don't know if I want to stay with verizon long term like I thought I wanted after this. I think the culture is about to be toxic and I mean toxic as in nothing is ever going to be good enough.

I guess when the thought of losing your job is gone, you can go back to being a POS

We started the town hall strong, but things took a turn once the conversation shifted to “culture” and how we plan to integrate it into everything. It was disappointing to hear how culture and sentiment were being framed.

Culture isn’t a buzzword or something you sprinkle on top of initiatives it’s what employees feel when they walk through the doors every day. It’s reflected in how we support people, how decisions are made, and how work actually gets done.

Right now, we don’t have a defined culture strategy or a competitive differentiator, so saying we’re doing “market-based culture” rings hollow. And leaning heavily on AI because it sounds innovative doesn’t address the real issue: we haven’t clarified who we are, what we stand for, or how we create an employee experience people can trust.
AT&T is not culturally where it needs to be. Culture is shaped by systems, leadership behavior, consistent norms, and shared meaning—and right now those elements aren’t aligned or clearly defined.

Photo shoots, Pulse Surveys, Volunteering, Reorg Adjustments, Infinite Smiles & Cheerleading & Positivity.... Master these and you are all good.

It began, as these things often do, with a badge scan and a fruit tray.

Robin Vince and the Executive Committee descended upon Lake Mary two weeks ago, bringing with them a whirlwind of strategic platitudes, pre-cleared talking points, and a palpable sense of curated warmth. The site was abuzz. Floors were vacuumed. Acronyms were polished. Someone even replaced the “Out of Order” sign on the espresso machine with “Temporarily Visioning a Better Brew.”

The town hall began promptly, or as it’s known in EC time, at “Empathy O’Clock.” Robin opened with a heartfelt nod to “the incredible work happening here,” followed by a 17-minute meditation on resilience, stakeholder trust, and the importance of “showing up”—which, ironically, most of the EC had not done since the last earnings call.

The Q&A was pre-screened, of course. No questions about layoffs, offshoring, or why the new “Agile Transformation Hub” is just a SharePoint folder with a GIF of a hamster on a wheel. Instead, we heard about “listening deeply,” “leading with heart,” and “unlocking the power of our people”—phrases that sound profound until you realize they mean absolutely nothing and cost nothing to say.

Enter James Legrand, our site lead and resident Zen Buddha philosopher-king of LinkedIn. Within hours, his post appeared:

"Leadership is not a destination. It is a sunrise reflected in the eyes of those we serve. Grateful for Robin's visit and the reminder that empathy is a verb."

What does that mean? No one knows. But it got 247 likes, mostly from new recent new hire analysts and people who also post about “intentional gratitude” and “the ROI of kindness.”

One associate commented, “So true, James. I felt the empathy in the hallway.” Another chapped lips sympathizer fabio-sly replied, “I didn’t see Robin but I felt him.” We’re still unsure if that was metaphorical or HR-worthy.

Meanwhile, back at our desks, nothing changed. The org chart still resembles a game of Jenga played during an earthquake. The “transformation” roadmap is now in version 6.2b. And the only thing cascading is the mandatory empathy training module, which now includes a quiz on “active listening postures.”

But hey—Robin gestured (while admiring his new Rolex). The EC smiled. James posted. And somewhere, a hamster keeps running and more jobs are lost in this heartless and unemotional chaos.

If only the CEO wishes he could click his heels and go back, monetise the GUI, mouse, ethernet and PC and things would be a whole lot different. 👠 👠

Does the constant begging for AI ideas, use cases, prompts, and more drove anyone else crazy?

As someone who is very proficient with AI, (through taking classes, learning it, using it, etc,) I’m not sharing my knowledge/competence/learnings with the company at large outside what is required by my position. Why should they benefit from a knowledge base I built on my own time?

VZ “family” throwing each other under the bus — making arguments for why others should be cut while justifying their OWN existence. 🚢 🧊 Can’t you see we are ALL on a sinking ship? The VZ layoffs have only just begun ……. 🛟

Can somebody please explain why they're being so cagy with information? What would it hurt to provide us with some clarity? What do they gain by keeping us in the dark, other than reducing productivity and further eroding morale that has already hit rock bottom?

Will Belk corporate throw their lavish holiday party again? While stores can’t budget for basic supplies, much needed maintenance and more than one or two fitting rooms open?

Tom Brady told us we were the best in the business a year ago. Was that fake news? Since then we’ve done meaningful pulse surveys, volunteering, moments that matter such as endless reorgs, had a successful RTO rollout, and photo shoots. We bring our whole selves to work and take guilt free vacations. Our customers love us. And we’re going to win the holidays with our great products and services. Don’t tell me we’ve been lied to!

Have you seen the discounts on Nike.com? Earlier than usually with higher discounts than ever. Pinnacle product like alphafly 3 and new introductions like Metcon are offered there in a way that it hurts to see. That together with the removal of wellness week and 4 week work from abroad shows that Nike is on a bad trajectory , worse than anticipated.

Haskers mentor was Dave Calhoun (look it up they worked with eachother at Nielsen). You know the guy who got grilled in senate hearing because Boeing planes were falling out of the sky. Dave and the infamous Jack Welch worked with eachother at GE and people consider him to be jacks protégée. Jack Welch invented stacked ranking and cutting bottom 10% and was infamous for layoffs at GE. It all makes sense now. This dump isn’t just typical corporate but what makes it worse is the CEO is manufactured by psychos and outdated practices.

We appreciate your sacrifice to help us older retireries collect for many years to come. Get back into those office cubicles and make JF proud.

Turn it around employees. Zero identity or evolution.

To EH: this isn’t 2010. Try something new for once. The old playbook is dusty.

Fondly,
Former shareholder

I want to say that I like and trust EH and think he's what we need. All of that. But comms handing him a card that says the chat was being mean was strange in a way that I think illustrates something. I remember seeing a lot of shock and surprise in the chat, but no one was expressing anything inappropriate I don't think. So them giving him a card and getting him to cry is just odd. What did that card tell him we were even saying?

I think it speaks to a sense across Nike that we can't process things or have human responses to big news. If Comms didn't want shocked emojis in the chat, they should have just sent an email. I'm not saying we're in the "we don't tolerate dissent" zone (yet), but that is the vibe Comms seems to be sending, intentionally or not. If I could tell EH/Comms one thing it would be: you can be shocked at somewhat shocking news and still believe in our mission. We've still got so much of our comeback journey left. It's going to be important for leadership not to confuse being a person with not caring about this place.

Salaried workers have big egos and think they're better than everyone else and management will see that and treat them well. They think unions are just to protect lazy losers, when it's really just about fair treatment. Bad employees in a union can still be fired.