Thread regarding Verizon Wireless layoffs

Believe your own eyes

I am a long term Verizon employee who applied for a job years ago because I truly believed it was the best carrier to work for, and for many years I continued to believe that. There have been many observe it with your own eyes situations where Verizon telegraphed its punches for all to see.

  • - Years of poor fleet maintenance and no budget to support replacement vehicles.
  • - Multiple years of network neglect sold as prioritization of repair put in place as a cost cutting measure, at the expense of the customer.
  • - Offshoring of jobs as a cost cutting measure.
  • - Launching 5G MMW on lighting poles that have a foot print so small they will never return on the investment.
  • - Trying to compete with content companies while ignoring the core business.
  • - Everyone knows that the discussion of race, religion, politics, s-xuality, etc... does not belong in the work place. Yet upper management has decided to try to cover themselves with this false blanket of corporate goodness that they spend a fortune on maintaining and servicing for the sole purpose of taking the focus off of how they really conduct themselves.
  • - Hiring practices that prioritize protected status over qualifications or performance.
  • - The C.E.O caught on a hot mike saying the Verizon stock price is "sh-t". Not a proud moment or in any way the actions of someone cloaked in the inclusiveness of goodness.
  • - All that the C.E.O. had to say is that we have more work to do, and there will be some job cuts done with dignity. No plan, or direction for the future. This is not a man of vision!
  • - Taking advantage of work from home has been utilized to cut costs for the company, and it is an easy sell to employees because who would not want to save money on commute time, lunch, etc... but everyone knows that we lost some individual accountability, face to face group collaboration, and its eroding people skills. This toxic decision will cause quality issues for years to come.
  • - Layoffs that target employee tenure "age discrimination" to achieve cost reductions. Attempts to disparage the unions employees. See what you can get away with when you manufacture fake goodness and inclusiveness by spending lots of money promoting the latest social agenda, and voluntelling your employees to spend their time on whatever social agenda you decide they should be part of.
  • - The promotion of front line management that does not posses either telecom technical skills or education. Lots of MBA's from online schools. with little or no history of hands on field experience, compounded by Layoff the craft employee to save money while retaining the top heavy management structure.

It's really not hard to see why things are not going well!

by
| 3232 views | | 13 replies (last November 30, 2022) | Reply
Post ID: @OP+1jsEov33

13 replies (most recent on top)

I am d-mb A F but I have so many badges on my profile that I feel important. One day I will be CEO even tho I graduated from a cr-p online school. It’s nice to be in a protected status so I can get a free pass to everything!

by
| | Reply
Post ID: @vnmz+1jsEov33

100% correct on the ageism and riffing of dedicated employees who cared and had significant knowledge and leadership skills. It is leaving major gaps

by
| | Reply
Post ID: @vefr+1jsEov33

@1iln+1jsEov33
Ignorance at its best!
I have been both online and on campus student and the “rigor” and quality of education depends on the School accreditations, not the format in which the program is delivered. Most State Universities, even the most prestigious schools like Stafford and Harvard now offer online MBA programs, and let me tell ya, they can be more demanding than on campus as it requires a great deal of self discipline to be successful.

by
| | Reply
Post ID: @1tup+1jsEov33

@1jdm+1jsEov33

If you think the rigor of these online MBAs teaches the same thing or shows the same dedication as a two year MBA on campus where you sacrifice 2 years of pay idk what to tell you.

That's exactly the problem at Verizon. It's all box checking with no understanding of the underlying value or substance.

by
| | Reply
Post ID: @1iln+1jsEov33

As 1 of the 1s hit in last week's "reduction", and a veteran of this industry (Software Engineering) for 43 (almost uninterrupted) years, I feel there are truths in all of these posts, and the truth is always somewhere in the middle. Yes, the folks that were cut were deemed "redundant" (to the business, or whateve), while at the same time, intrinsic to the business for (in my case) the previous 8 years. The two (2) most poignant facts for me in all this are 1) we've made multiple billion$s/quarter PROFIT since I've been, 2) and that based on decisions of business-folks, not engineers. Then, the business they promote, go nowhere, they don't champion their own initiatives, then render "redundant" those they hire to implement their "visions". And the programs rarely fail on the implementation. Bottom-line -- greed & power/control rule the day! Always have, always will. And THAT is why folks get an MBA -- 'coz they realize that bottom-line.

by
| | Reply
Post ID: @1jvq+1jsEov33

Sounds like the OP is stuck in the 80’s and bitter of the fact that now there are more options than ever for those that want to get ahead. Getting an MBA (or any degree) means more than “just time going to school” it shows the individual’s dedication, commitment, and desire to advance professionally.

“ Lots of MBA's from online schools. with little or no history of hands on field experience” … this one here tells me how out of touch the OP is - WFH and Online schools are allowing people to get an education while gaining experience and making a living - how can anybody perceive this as a disadvantage? .

by
| | Reply
Post ID: @1jdm+1jsEov33

While you make some valid points, you seem to be pretty disgruntled. Yes, there were trade-offs when Verizon switched to the work-from-home model ( as there are for every large company) but the majority of employees want it and I think Verizon has been very accommodating in supporting it. It's the small minority that wants to return to the office full-time. In fact, the large tech companies (all companies) trying to implement a heavy return-to-work schedule have faced extreme blowback from their employees in every instance.
There's no question that the amount of off-shoring is to save money, but this is the world we live in now.
I completely agree that there is way too much effort and attention on the company trying to be PC, and get tired of their self-serving onslaught of emails. But overall, Verizon is a pretty good place to work. They have a very generous benefits plan and an extremely generous time off policy and the only limits to the training opportunities are the employees who don't take advantage of them.

by
| | Reply
Post ID: @1fxc+1jsEov33

Critical of online degrees? Meh. I was able to learn from Iraq, Afghanistan while serving my country. Maybe it isn't the best education but it got me here with you.

You needed someone to hold your hand and a safe building to learn in.

I studied during indirect fire attacks.

by
| | Reply
Post ID: @1oxt+1jsEov33

Nice Post - Well documented and a whole lot of truth.

"Layoffs that target employee tenure "age discrimination" to achieve cost reductions."

This one hurts a great deal. Loyalty means a great deal to many of us. I watched two great workers get hit. They're both over 50 and I am sure high up in their salary band. Each of them cared about the job they performed. It bothers me.

by
| | Reply
Post ID: @1uwo+1jsEov33

Hiring business degrees to lead engineering craft groups is like hiring a proctologist to perform your brain surgery. BSEE is what should be filling those positions. If your MBA is so valuable, why aren't you working in that capacity. Just more quota filling to promote agendas.

by
| | Reply
Post ID: @1vns+1jsEov33

No worries quite a few "blackbelts" in leadership roles also. I am sure they know what is best.

by
| | Reply
Post ID: @1aeu+1jsEov33

An MBA means nothing but you spent time going to school. The only reason you get an MBA is for the network, and you choosing the online aspect to harp on proves you know little about education. Unfortunately, you're probably one of those who didn't even get a bachelor's degree complaining about the way things are going.

by
| | Reply
Post ID: @1nyo+1jsEov33

Return to the office. Working from home is making it easier for the powers within to send the work overseas. Little by little ,jobs will be lost.

by
| | Reply
Post ID: @smu+1jsEov33

Post a reply

: