Thread regarding Wells Fargo & Co. layoffs

22 years? So you actually don’t know what it’s like anywhere else. Congratulations you’ve adapted to systems and processes that have been EoL elsewhere a decade ago.

On my way in I was given a choice of BYoD or company device. I chose BYoD. Not because I’m a s— up, but because thats where things have been heading for a decade. Never heard anyone complain about BYoD before joining here.

Adapt or die??? Wells will be so happy that you'll provide your own phone, computer and work for minimum wage. I'd rather ask a legitimate question and get fired for it (not likely) than be "the little employee that will" take whatever without any. I've always questioned what doesn't make sense.. been here 22 years and have adapted fantastically . S—ups are aways the first out the door.

You either adapt or you die! Go find another job if you don’t like it!

@1fds Yes, folks on this site can be harsh, and there are nasty spats amongst the responders that really aren't about the OP at all. But to be fair, you didn't just ask a simple question. You rationalized why you think you should be an exception to the new rule, and that's touchy because anytime WF tries to implement a cost-reduction measure, it's unpopular. Then individuals and groups start asking for an exception. Some get one, many don't... and everyone is ticked off about the unfairness of that.

Not everyone at WF is allowed to telecommute, so when someone gets that privilege (it's not a right) and implies as you did that they will simply be unreachable if WF doesn't pay for their work cell phone in addition to their laptops etc...

I understand why people don't like BYOD or sharing their personal cell phone numbers widely, but the company plans to cut up to 25% of employees. I don't understand the shock and outrage when they go after discretionary expenses like this as well. Some on this string would rather pay for a cheap work phone as was suggested, if it means fewer layoffs overall.

There is no MDM on the device. It’s a container.

@1xok+171002AE the BlackBerry mdm can allow them to log text messages on your phone. I know first hand.

You do not have control over your phones now. If you follow tech at all you'll know that the apps you install are doing all kinds of mischief in the background.

And if they're not now, after a company buys up the app, they will later.

Wells has clearly made the decision that the cost savings of BYOD is more than the liability of data compromise or hacking, and they can probably limit the damage if they keep up on the security.

The problem is that security is expensive, and even for a well locked down system, company's lose focus over time.

BYOD is just management whining about security requiring them to carry two devices.

Another in a long list of bad decisions by Wells management.

@1fds, I wouldn't think twice about Mr. Snowflake. He is a bitter, old-timer that is stale and just needs to retire.

Wow! A lot of harsh aggressive responses - and the snowflake remark was very telling. I posted a simple question. No, I do not want my personal phone number posted on Teamworks. No, I don't want to pay for a phone for Wells Fargo. Perhaps, the correct approach would have been to provide them to employees without an office location. Everyone has a right to their opinion but seriously do not understand the reason for the negatively. I asked a simple question regarding whether ANYONE KNOWS if there will be exceptions. Apparently, nobody does.

BYOD is pretty much standard practice in large corporate workplaces these days. Wells Fargo, as usual, is behind the curve.

@1hhv If they change the policy, or add more policies, then you can just delete the profiles and viola it is all gone.

The company is not in control of your device. Geez, why is this so hard for you all to understand?

@1xok Simple configuration change unbeknown to the user in MDM can change that. In addition, if a lawsuit happens, your personal device is now in scope.

What a bunch of crybabies!

I mean if a company provided mobile phone is the last straw you probably should have left years ago. But I’m guessing you are waiting for the “package”. All the while, you are making your life, your family’s life and your coworkers life miserable. No amount of money is worth misery.

BYOD is not bad. A lot of you clearly have no idea how BYOD works, what data can be accessed by the company, and what data can be wiped.

You install the Blackberry UEM Client, which handles the corporate policies and authentication of other apps. These apps, including UEM, are restricted to a container. The only thing that is controlled outside of the containers is one simple check to ensure the device has an adequate passcode and a recent OS version.

Wells Fargo does NOT control the apps that you install on your device.

More importantly, Wells Fargo CAN NOT wipe your device! Period! They can only wipe the UEM Client, and any app that was installed from the UEM Client. The rest of YOUR device remains intact.

Seriously, educate yourself before you go off making stupid, unfounded statements that are untrue. If you can't do that, enjoy your the program at your next employer.

who cares, my personal phone plan is unlimited

maybe you can drive for instacart to get extra money

You’re all a bunch of snowflakes. In the 10+ years I’ve worked here, Ive never been asked to get a corporate cell phone. And, I manage people on both coasts. If you’re worried about no longer being able to reply to emails on your PTO, you’ve been the fool all along for doing so. No job in this company is so important that you need to be connected to it 24/7/365. No job. Calm down and give your egos a rest.

I have a corporate phone and haven't heard a thing about them taking it back. I am all for it, I don't like carrying 2 phones and my job requires me to be reachable 24/7 unfortunately. I initially started on BYOD but for some reason they stopped that about 3 years ago and gave me an Iphone. BYOD is not a big deal and nothing they can do outside of the app they install. Some of you watch to many conspiracy freaks and believe what they say.

And when you go 3 up to complain please copy and paste that conversation here, I would love to see how they tell you to hit the bricks.

The people who don’t think mandatory BYOD is a big deal don’t seem to work in jobs that require nonstandard working hours. That why they don’t think it’s a big deal. Work in technology and get your personal number put in a spreadsheet and sent to 300 people involved in a release. The day I had 4 different work people call my personal number AFTER a completed release on a Sunday was the day I said goodbye to giving any work people a personal number.

@pjh+171002AE

Right there with you on all fronts. I’m not releasing my personal cellphone number, ever. I’m not putting their app, container or anything on my personal device.

I don’t even bank with WF. Zero accounts with them, never have. I bank with their competitors. I don’t want WF having any insight into my finances, more or less my data, my location, or the remote ability to wipe my personal device. I don’t care what the BYOD Terms and Conditions says, I don’t trust WF at all.

Do you really, without a shadow of a doubt, trust that WF will not have your IMEI, SN, and all kinds of location data and app data running in the background, capturing your every move, conversations, texts and app data?

You want to reach me? Pay for the stupid phone. WF doesn’t want to pay for the phone then you will get 8 to 5 with a one hour lunch break and that is all and that is it. No more 60-70-80 hour work weeks, being available 24/7/365 for international business partners or anyone outside of Eastern Standard Time. I will love working a maximum of 40 hours a week and shut down at a decent hour, like 5 pm.

If my productivity or my teams productivity drops because of this, well then WF should have thought long and hard over this penny wise dollar foolish move. You were getting 20-40 hours of free overtime work from me a week. Not anymore.

How does this tie into the BCP and multiple call trees I’m on? Oh well, figure it the F out. Guess things will have to fail and fall thru the cracks.

I plan to do what a few have mentioned. Go to Walmart, get a cheap phone and give WF that number and use it only for calls. It will be powered off at 5 pm and on weekends. It will never leave my home. I do not need their stupid app tracking my location on that phone, I will never download it.

As it stands, I never take my Corp iPhone past my front door and it has NEVER been connected to my home network. Ever. I don’t even connect their laptop to my home network. I connect it to a Corporate VZW Jet Pack/Hot Spot. That’s how much I do not trust WF.

Resume is updated, external jobs applied for and LinkedIn profile polished.

I’m sick of this. Sick of it all. Every day, every week, it’s just breakdown after breakdown. Do more with less. I’m done. I got nothing left. I will gladly sign the Severance Package if it comes my way.

jlh! Seriously? "It starts with small conditioning like having employees pay for their phones and could end with employees paying their employer to work. " Ummm, I don't know anyone who would pay WF to work for them. I just don't even know how to respond to this comment.

@pjh+171002AE

The can’t wipe your phone. You use a blackberry app on your iPhone or android as a container. They have access to that container and that’s it.

Stop being paranoid and get into the 3rd decade of the millennium.

I use my work phone quite often on the weekend due to releases. Validations are notorious for going past the scheduled time. I can only imagine how much worse it will be after Technology layoffs. Sitting around your laptop waiting for the email to start validations will be just lovely. At least with your work phone, you got the 30 min window notice that validations will start or your received the “it’s pushed back” “it’s pushed back again” “it’s pushed back and will happen tomorrow (Sunday). Now you will literally have to stay close to your laptop.

I won’t add work email to my personal phone. Go read up on the number of stories out there of a company “wiping out your phone”.

I will just go with the flow, have limited availability on the weekends or after hours. If I’m at my children’s games or events, things will wait until I get back to my laptop. Resume and LinkedIn have been updated. It would be to everyone’s best interest to start looking for the next big thing. I’ve been with WF for 19 years. I’m frustrated with the direction of the company. Good luck to everyone out there.

I’ve been doing BYoD for 5 years at previous jobs and since being here. Wells by far is the least risky program due to the blackberry container. The others required me to have a MDM client and could wipe it if they wanted.

This is not a big deal and it’s not a slippery slope.

I tried carrying 2 phones about 12 years and it was way too much trouble.

You people are a bunch of paranoid crybabies that won’t know what to do when you have to work at another org. You’ll washout in 6 months.0

Everyone is going BYOD.

yea, not a big deal; we are all wfh now due to the pandemic

There is a lot of waste going on at WF. And I think a lot of employees that have corporate phones do not need them. It is waste! Let them start to clean up the mess and maybe along with that they will get rid of the cliques and old-timers who think they are entitled to such things.

Any company should pay for any service, device, etc. if it’s used for work, tracked by IT and accessed corporate data period. It starts with small conditioning like having employees pay for their phones and could end with employees paying their employer to work. Not paying for phones is a sign they’re trying to save cash, let’s just hope it stops here.

Ive been with WF for 7 yrs of which 3 yrs is full time telecommuting and on calls at least 5 hrs a day. I have never had a company phone and dont see the big issue. I have an unlimited personal cell plan so no added expense, dont have to keep up with 2 phns and only check email when online on laptop.

@ufj+171002AE - actually, unless you are getting the latest and greatest model, the company/line of business has the option to select a later model iPhone (typically the second newest version) and pays $0.00 for the phone itself. They aren’t paying retail pricing on phones like an average person would walking into an AT&T or a Verizon Store.

@vof, oh, of course. The tight little cliques of old-timers...

People keep raising the legal hold issue. Read the FAQ they will not take your phone. All the information regarding work emails is in the ‘“container.’” I know people will not believe this answer and say the company lies but that question and the BYOD agreement was specifically changed to address this concern.

Those using words like petty and whiny fail to grasp the slippery slope here, that’s fine, I’m sure you’ll be happy to also pay rent for your cube and insert a dollar to use the toilet.

Aggressively estimating 100000 bank paid mobile plans at 33 per month is $39 million annually. That’s .03% of the $10B in apparent cuts.

Remind me again about one year of Scharfs compensation... oh yeah, $36 million. It’s too much expense for employees, but not too much to pay one person.

Doesn’t everyone have a nationwide unlimited plan? C’mon people. Whiny and petty. Grow up

@rda Good idea. There are solutions without making a stink, and winding up with a target on your back. Employees are rightly frustrated and stressed, but this doesn't have to turn into a crisis.

@ufj Agree, if you got tons of after-hours or weekend calls/emails when WF paid for your phone, why would the volume change? If you need to be reachable outside work hours now, that's an expectation of your job. It's not based on who pays your Verizon bill. Refusing to take those calls/answer emails because of BYOD is just going to get you fired, or on the layoff list. Pick your poison, people.

Just get a cheap Consumer Cellular basic phone (it's like $20) and the service is about $20 a month. Use that for your BYOD. They wanted my group to forward our work phones to our personal phones, but I don't want work calls on my phone. I don't want to wonder who is calling and get stuck on a business call if I'm not even working. I had one client who would call me in the evenings. No way.

So does this mean since the company isn’t paying for cell phones, when I am on PTO I am on pto? No spending 1/2 my PTO responding to Emails? And when I come back I can spend 2 full days digging out of emails like the old days?

This feels like a time to keep your cards close to the vest, and your emotions in check, while you get all the facts. Rather than ask for an exception with highers-up, maybe ask for context. It's well established that Charlie isn't a fan of telecommuting in general so... is this the fight you really want to fight right now, and risk seeming entitled?

• BYOD is pretty common in other companies.
• Charlies isn't worried if folks quit (or get fired) over this, since it'll mean less severance. But it's primarily a straight-up cost cutting move, not a conspiracy. iPhones aren't cheap at this scale.
• If you happen to live in CA, this rule may not apply. You'd need to check.
• The argument that you will no longer be as reachable seems shaky. Ultimatums don't generally go down well. If you go the BYOD device route, just quietly set rules about when you'll answer work calls, or open the good container to check emails – same as you did with a WF purchased phone.

Carrying two phones is a hassle so this may turn out to not be so bad. A few of my colleagues have never paid for their personal cell phone – always used their WF device for both, on WF's dime. They should just be grateful to have gotten free a cell phone and service for as long as they did, and move one.

3 levels up used to be my manager... no afraid for my job because I asked him. For whatever reason our LOB isn't weird about stuff like that.

If you're being truthful, the only reasonable requirement is that you can be reached via voiced and paged when on call.

BYOD?? WTF!! These are all tactics and a way to get rid of people who cannot meet their NEW standards. Ofcourse they will expect to be able to reach you through your personal phone whenever they so desire. Having your employees pay for your remote business phone lines is not a cost effective strategy. It is called ABUSE!