Does anyone know if there's another made up department somewhere in Texas thats just monitoring employees vpn usage? Also, anyone here outside ATO and still allowed to do vpn and telecommute? Which dept? McRotten is still tight lipped regarding telecommuting in ATO and special accommodation would require level 4 approval. What a joke! Colab zone is a pigsty!
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Why why why is there no consistent policy in ATO about WFH & VPN? So many rumors, so much misinformation. The problem starts at the top! If this is at "manager's discretion", what level of manager is it up to? Because our direct manager doesn't care where we work from, but apparently the levels above do. Why make people go into an office for no reason?? Besides the cost, stress of the commute, finding a place to sit, it's a waste!! Let us be the responsible adults we are, and those who aren't, they should be called out.
They aren’t checking vpn? Doubt that. We were told by our director to report to office 5 days week with limited exceptions approved by boss and you must document. After work from home for years, top performer, going the extra mile for the company, they are treating us like we can’t be trusted and have to go to a dirty ill equipped noisy crowded office with none of our team members. But it’s the same silo so there’s something that’s a benefit to the madness? Makes no sense. Unless they want to make you so uncomfortable you will quit and they don’t have to pay severance. Draw your own conclusions. That’s mine.
What collaboration? The vast majority of Tech Dev were outsourced to IBM. IBM folks 99% work from home....
Hellooooo….The vast majority of those in IT Tech Dev were "high performing team of professionals" and many with advanced degrees (double MBA's and PHD's) and that did not stop the company from getting rid of them...…..
They took away my flexibility to work from home and make me go to a dirty office with broken restrooms leaking pipes broken a/c and haphazard cleaning, wastebaskets not emptied and no soap towels or tissue in bathrooms. So I go put in 8 and leave whether everything is done or not. I put in tickets left and right to get stuff addressed. Oh and get this. You I’m the only one on my team who works in this city but I HAVE to go to an office to collaborate. With nobody. Except my team in other cities so it’s still phone laptop webex Skype and Q. Nobody listens. My boss doesn’t agree but is stuck in same boat. Stupid.
@10oI3uer-1czu you are 100% correct, I wish someone from management would listen to you!
I started working in my new engagement zone office recently. CRE told me to have my butt in that seat 60% of the time or I’d lose my spot. They also made the statement that CRE gets same reports that our leadership does regarding % in the building, VPN usage and card swipes. I believe that the collaboration/engagement project is only half the story, as CRE sells off buildings there is a strategic plan to shuffle people into remaining buildings.
Why can't there just be a single clear policy? Somebody make a decision here. Because it sure sounds like gaslighting or passing the buck to "lower managers".
It's long been a mystery to me why telecommuting is so hard at ATT. It's been that way for YEARS now. Some managers will let you, others won't.
If you're getting your job done (and since you've already got the tools to do it with a laptop, Skype, etc.!)... why can't people work from home or wherever?!?
There's no rhyme or reason to it.
I was at the VB open mic – to clarify what she said...
She does not look at the VPN usage reports and specifically said you can use VPN whenever you wish, and recognized that many folks need to use it while in the office to do their job. She did not give the all clear to WFH – she said it is up to the individual managers to establish the WFH policy that works best for them. In our case, Fea specifically said in his last TH that everyone is expected in the office 5 days a week. He went on to say that you will be sitting next to folks from other groups with a different WFH policy than his.
VB said that some managers may have been incorrectly using the "no VPN" message as a way to force people into the office everyday. Again she made it clear, VPN is allowed whenever needed and the WFH policy is at the manager's discretion.
Regarding the comment about Jeff being so tight lipped – I don't think we have heard anything significant from him since the infamous January email – I truly think they told him to not send anymore communications – he himself is responsible for the -13 NPS score that VB mentioned. I am almost certain even with the surplus events – had he not sent that email - people would have been more accepting of it – but the email he sent was just so lame and lacking in details and follow up explanation – hard to believe someone at the level would think it was appropriate.
Another comment about what VB said – no more surpluses for the remainder of the year - NEWS FLASH – she probably does not consider the recent outsourcing to IBM a surplus – but depending on your years of service and age it is worse than a surplus. No severance and no MTP for those that would qualify –
10oI3uer-tjr Do you honestly believe that T would investigate “all” of anything. You might pull all of the data but what is looked into is what falls outside of a acceptable range. I.E. speed limits. They are not going to map and compare every street in America to see If someone is driving 35 in a 30 mph block. Hit 80 mph and bells and whistles go off. Had to put one of my guys on discipline for being that stupid. Issue is that people get comfortable, keep on pushing the envelope and develop a pattern of stupidity.
Real estate has a report. The original/only purpose of it was for occupancy for real estate planning. Unfortunately it was created by someone in ATO and someone in leadership has just recently strong-armed the purpose and use of it, after it was guarded for many years. Real estate is in direct opposition, because that was not the intention of the report, but was overruled. I think it depends on your org’s management style and if they want to look at/use it or not. Unfortunately, I know, it’s been used in my org and some have been counseled. Of course before that they were pulling VPN % and 120-day badge non-use reports the last few years, anyway. Micromanaging at its finest. Definitely not consistent across ATO or the company. And our SVP eNPS was in the 30’s but oh “so much better than other telecoms”?????
Bloodworth is good. The snake Marachel actually is the one pushing the 5x a week collaboration... funny cause they're both under McElfresh. Check to see in another quarter if VB is still a VP. She'll get transferred somewhere like what they did to Arnoldi. They're well aware of failed scores on the latest enps and this is because they took away our flexibility... but they keep talking about their 5g, sdn and whatever.. eff the employees.
Last Wednesday, VB had an open mic. She made it extremely clear that VPN is NOT being checked. She went through n and on about how she thinks supervisors were misguided in pushing their employees back into the office in an attempt to protect them. Another VP DB was on the call and reiterated the same. No VPN is being checked and supervisors have the authority to use WFH as needed. She then spoke about the EPNS survey results. -13 was the score. No further layoffs for the year and she wants to rebuild the trust between leadership and employees. All parties made it very very clear. Working from home is permitted and not being checked.
This is what drove me nuts about the eliminating telecommuting action: it’s inconsistent. My boss told us that we had to badge in and log into the office network every day. But... we didn’t have to stay in the office all day.
Other folks I knew didn’t change their WFH routines at all. Others got in trouble for not coming into the office. Reading here, it sounds like many of you never missed a beat in WFH.
What have a rule if you’re not going to enforce it? Or at least be consistent about it?
spent a month going into a drop in area in 2016, too many limitations and too much noise (drop in is a break room where I am) Stopped going into the office. Was told they don't pull badge or vpn reports from my building since its not an engagement (aka collab) zone..Still here and working full time from home
Every badge swipe, vpn login, company vehicle start-stop-speed-miles, cell phone / computer usage is monitored. The day you don’t care about any of it is when the soon to-be fired manager sweats.
The BS that i dont get is, were we not collaborating before? We have a lot collaborating tools such as webex, q messenger, skype for business etc..etc. T is idealizing the idea of collaboration yet failed to provide a healthy place for it. Now its close to collaboration burnout.
In my office nothing has changed. Most work remote 1-2 days a week, some 4 or 5. We are a high performing team of professionals and have the attitude that if they want to get rid of us for badge swipes then we probably don’t want to work here and it is highly unlikely they would kick that many out because of it.
It's all nonsense. Just grin and say, "of course I am coming into the office" and then don't. Assuming you're like me and there is absolutely no one on your team in the office they are forcing you into 50 plus miles from your home. And If you think T is evolved enough to investigate all badge swipes against folks PTO, weather, etc and VPN time, well then you deserve what you get. Grin F them all the way>
I go in 2-3 days a week now. Previously FT at home. No one has said anything and I don’t sweat it. I put in my time.
Shake the tree and see who gets fed up and leaves. SAVES $$$
Cyf -yes conditions, because when i was hired, i was told my work schedule was flexible and i am able to remote work couple of times a week. It was the thing that enticed me.. so yes i accepted under those false pretences now at this point. I was able to do my job remotely and more and they knew my commute and hell i knew it as well and like i said, if theyve told me no remote and no flexibility, trust me, i would say flat out a NO. Now its like i got bait and switch. Hope u understand, i prefer not to waste 15hrs a week to drive.
The tremendous irony (and also mystery) to me is AT&T is a COMMUNICATIONS company. Enabling people to connect wherever they work or live.
Yet the employees have to...come into the office... to get their work done?
No one yet has given me a good reason for that line of thinking that doesn't reek of BS.
@Kif “conditions”
Like what, showing up to work 5 days a week even if it’s an hour or more drive to get there?
Just do it for year or two and I’d bet money they’ll sell more buildings and start forcing people to work from home again... hang in there
I’m pretty sure they want a certain percentage to leave voluntarily, believe this to be a calculated plan.
- seems to be working
Funny how this years LwD had an entire segment on how to work with Generation Z/Millennials and the new paradigms they are setting for expectations within the workplace. Wake up T, remote work w/flexible schedules is one of those things! You can't just cherry pick the stuff you like and have a kool-aid party to get everybody on board with only those cherry picked items. You are digging your own grave if nobody will work for you!
Kxb - if i had known these conditions, i wouldn't have accepted the job. The flexibility was there so i accepted, now they took it away, so i am out. Goodluck to everyone. My commute is 64 miles a day. Spent too much money on gas, due for another oil change, brakes started to vibrate and my steering wheels too. Too many times almost got into an accident driving the freeway. Oh well. Time to move on.
I’m in ATO, used to VPN from home few days a week with approval. Every since McElfresh email and surplus in 1st qtr I have been in office 5 days a week, haven’t used VPN one minute. Everyone in my group is now FTO and sounds like everyone under our AVP will be as well by end of the year.
Why take the chance with VPN right now?