What are your thoughts on how they will enforce going into the office? If I continue to work from home, will that make me a target for layoff or will they fire me? How common are firings at AT&T?
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If you have not been officially told to report to an office by your Manager, I don't see that anyone is WFH should be affected. However, we all know that we are all just like that boardwalk game where the ducks go in circles and one gets taken down. All this "collaboration" is BS. Bringing people back into an office who did VO, telecommute, WFH, whatever you want to call it, is simply to reduce headcount. At the same time, it is pitting people against each other. Contractors who must report 5 days a week are screwed. Employees get one day home. People are in open spaces with dirty, germ ridden desks. Complaints of background noise on conference calls, no privacy, no way to concentrate. Stressed from sitting in traffic, stressed from thinking of the commute home in more traffic. Just waiting for that call or email that you are surplus. What a wonderful world we live in now. Just collect the paycheck and count down your 8 hours and ride it out. No reason to care about this company because no one cares about the employees.
@ hey is probably correct - if your org is told to cut budget from up above all all they have to do is "eliminate your position" on the quarterly layoffs ... end of story. you are either on a good list or a bad list by now.
I'm confused as to why people don't just show up to your assigned work location? If you're an approved telecommuter and your VP and above approved your telecommuting arrangement, then you are work from home until they dissolve the arrangement, in which case the policy change would be communicated. If you are not approved work from home and you are working from home then you are already in violation. It's a little bizarre for folks to "worry" about the potential of being fired for working for home. You'll only be fired if you're out of compliance with your job and they can exercise that option whether they wish to downsize resources or not.
Go to IBM and Bank of America boards and ask them know banning "Working from Home" worked out for them.
IBM invented the concept and then went 180 on it.
Both are horrible employers.
Yeah at this point the upper upper folks already have a list pulled from web phone, VPN and badge swipes. This is beyond your 4th and 5th level. It’s coming from Texas. And your rating and ranking is meaningless.
I’m trying and complying as best I can. But when I go in it’s so miserable I only stay an hour or so. I’m forked anyway so I don’t care
Obviously the only way they can ‘enforce’ it is by firing you, no one can say they will or won’t, but you will be putting yourself on the front line. I am going to start going back 3 days per week just for face value, but figure I’m already either on the list or not by now for the 28th.
ATT is not only looking to downsize but it is also looking to have people located only within certain states and what they call collaboration zones
Unless you’re commuting to a Collaboration zone... there’s no point or making a change. Current CRE buildings will be sold off and leases let go on buildings that are up from now through 2022. Go look up all workspace 2020 info on CRE and tSpace about the plan. All this information is available to you and it’s been there for years.
If you were authorized VO privileges, you have the AT&T Telecommute Agreement form which you filled out and had approved by your orgs VP. If your management has now instructed you to begin reporting to a specific work location, all that needs to be done is for them to rescind the Telecommute agreement. Failure to report to a specific work location as instructed then could be treated as Code of Conduct violation with any appropriate discipline administered up to and including dismissal from service. While that is the max hardline approach the company COULD take, you would be wise to be governed accordingly nonetheless.
Have WFH half my career at T, asked many times recently, current manager 'has not heard a word' about no WFH policy. Figure I'm fiarly well-f@#ked at this point.
OP...Keep working from home and let us know how that goes for you in terms of your employment with T. I've always been curious to see how far one could go without sacrificing my personal employment with the company.
ATT is looking to downsize - you'll give them a reason to get rid of you without paying a severance package. I'm certain they will look at the VPN logs and building swipes once the policy is enforced - it will be up to your boss what to do with that information.
I know that's how they can tell if you are going into the office or working from home. But I am wondering what they will do if I still work from home most days.
VPN access and building swipes (where applicable)