I think the union has a large part of the transition. The union certainly has certainly allowed entry level retail workers to make good money, have solid benefits, and has allowed senior employees unheard of work/life balance in the retail industry. On the flipside, it has paralyzed their retail channel to adapt in a time where there is so much outside pressure on retail profitability. Want to change direction? You'll have a heck of a time doing that with a bargained workforce. Bargained employees don't like to be told that they need to do something different - regardless of what it is. Want do staff properly for peak hours and times? Not in a bargained workforce. Peak hours are when you most experienced staff wants off. Attract new talent? No bueno.. You could be the biggest asset to the business, but "John", the toxic employee that has stuck around nagging for 20 years, will get the benefit based on seniority. There is limited way to reward performance in an entitled environment. Need flexibility to take care of life issues? Well, many retail jobs work w schedules, make changes, swap shifts, or work as a team to allow you to take care of each other. However, in COR you cannot edit that schedule, reps won swap shifts to prove a point, and you're locked in. Union will tell you that's AT&T's fault for not allowing more sick days whatever - however these ridged rules come from a need to be "fair" for union needs. Don't like being micromanaged? Well, if you can't hold accountability on results - you look at behaviors. When you start managing behaviors you invite micromanagement.
Then profitability... I mean it's retail... go find some other retail jobs that treat retail workers better. Hell, go find another bargained workforce in retail. It's far and few between. The money to do that isn't the best business decision. I'd be looking to be competitive in the marketplace and find a new process as well. Hence the IHX, BAT, Mobile Retail, AR, and Ignite programs. It s—s for those who put all their eggs in one basket and thought a retail job was going to be their career, however you have to be realistic.
I left COR after many years on both sides - RSC and Management. I can tell you that there is a lot of money out there in the world of Solution Providers. Maybe not AR vs COR. It also is a lot different working for a small company. However, you certainly can get paid significantly more still working w AT&T solutions on the other side of the fence. I didnt beleive it. I held off for a long time. It took some real investigation and seeing some of the pay stubs, however it's real... So, don't look at some of these AR employees and think your s–t doesn't stink. They might just be onto something that you're blind to see. Likewise - I can say there are a LOT of AR stores that do some wild stuff.... lol. Woo some of the escalations we saw that originated from AR you wouldn't beleive. No one is perfect in this world! Lol