Thread regarding AT&T layoffs

AT&T Employee Benefits Assessment

This is a detailed reply to the benefits list from @118j2Rvh

  • Health Insurance — High deductible, high premium
  • Dental Insurance — Standard dental coverage
  • Flexible Spending Account FSA — Standard offering at any employer
  • Vision Insurance — Eye Med, not accepted by many optometrists
  • Health Savings Account HAS — Standard offering at any employer
  • Life Insurance — Standard offering at any employer
  • Supplemental Life Insurance — Standard offering at any employer, group coverage at cost
  • Disability Insurance — Standard offering at any employer
  • Occupational Accident — Insurance Required by law
  • Health Care On-Site — Huh?
  • Mental Health Care — Huh?
  • Retiree Health & Medical — Is no longer affordable for many. Check the cost out
  • Accidental Death & Dismemberment Insurance — Standard offering at any employer.
  • Financial & Retirement — I don't know what this means.
  • Pension Plan — Ceased offering this sometime in the 90's
  • 401K Plan — Standard offering at any employer.
  • Retirement Plan — I don't know what this means.
  • Employee Stock Purchase Plan — I don't have this as a manager and I wouldn't buy it anyway
  • Performance Bonus — Is a joke calculated with fuzzy math, gets smaller every year
  • Stock Options — I don't have this as a manager and I wouldn't buy it anyway
  • Equity Incentive Plan — I don't have this as a manager and I wouldn't buy it anyway
  • Supplemental Workers' Compensation — I don't know what this means
  • Charitable Gift Matching — This is actually a good program
  • Family & Parenting — I don't know what this means
  • Maternity & Paternity Leave — There are laws mandating this
  • Work From Home — This is a joke, right?
  • Fertility Assistance — Whatever is included in the sub standard medical plan.
  • Dependent Care — Through the already covered FSA that is funded by employee
  • Adoption Assistance — Whatever is included in the sub standard medical plan.
  • Childcare — Huh? Is this implying free childcare? This is a lie.
  • Reduced or Flexible Hours — Depends on what you do, and your management.
  • Military Leave — Required by law
  • Family Medical Leave — Required by law
  • Unpaid Extended Leave — Its called a leave of absence.
  • Vacation & Time Off — Standard offering at any employer
  • Vacation & Paid Time Off — We just covered this
  • Sick Days — No such thing as a manager
  • Paid Holidays — Standard offering at any employer
  • Volunteer Time Off — Not really. And log your volunteering on your own time so they can take credit
  • Sabbatical — I don't know what this means
  • Bereavement — Leave You have PTO days as a manager; that's it
  • Perks & Discounts — All are available to the general public
  • Employee Discount — All are available to the general public (True Car, etc)
  • Free Lunch or Snacks — Huh? Where?
  • Employee Assistance Program — 1-800 number. Awesome.
  • Gym Membership — This is a lie.
  • Commuter Checks & Assistance — I don't know what this means.
  • Pet Friendly Workplace — This is a lie. Unless you have a service animal and that is required by law.
  • Mobile Phone Discount Stinks. — Go to T Mobile or Xfinity. I'm at $160
  • Company Car Huh? — This is a lie. Or I didn't get mine.
  • Company Social Events — Huh?
  • Travel Concierge — Huh?
  • Legal Assistance Group — Coverage through Met Life
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| 4015 views | | 12 replies (last September 28, 2019) | Reply
Post ID: @OP+11ej7vss

12 replies (most recent on top)

I went with Select-Med-Opt-3 Deductible $2500/5000 Copay 70% OOP-MAX $6750/13500 Premium $0
Good bankruptcy protection for healthy retirees. The dental was the DHMO at $3/month ─ try and get that rate once you reach 65 and they toss you onto AON. Vision was $4ind/$10/family for vision, but they had a no premium option.

The Select Med 3 had a out-of-Network max out of pocket of merely $27,000/54,000. Ka-ching.

That said, I'm not looking forward to Medicare. I was happy with AT&T. There was select-med-2 and 1 with lower deductibles and OOPs, and some other option at $400/month for the people with pre-existing conditions. There was choices.

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Post ID: @2uzo+11ej7vss

@nun
"Lots of mis-truths in this list. AT&T has always had better benefits than most other companies.
I know retiree healthcare can’t be beat anywhere".

OP here. Would love to know when you retired. I am 20+ years non bargained for (management). I am on my spouse's medical because our offerings to management are such high cost. They happen to work for a very large corporation as well. Their offerings are significantly better and less expensive. I can model what medical would cost me here at T if/ when I retire. It's significantly more (double) than what it is right now (if I had it...which again, I do not because it's so expensive).

"Mental health care is covered for employees".

As it is in most medical plans you would get through any employer at a lower cost.

"401 plan for new employees can’t be beat anywhere else I don’t think".

Think again. It's a standard 401K and match (80% of the first 6% of salary). It's not bad at all; again my point is that it's ok. It's fine. It's certainly not the "best anywhere".

"Employee health insurance is a pretty good deal."

Wrong again. As previously mentioned, it's prohibitively expensive (for management at least). Most craft still have a pretty good deal I am guessing.

All of this said, as another posted stated all of these benefits vary depending on legacy company you came from, if you're a retiree certainly when and from where you retired, etc.

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Post ID: @1oxh+11ej7vss

@bck
"You should have applied as craft. We get great benefits. What we get helps you get better."

OP here. As a manager of both craft and as an individual contributor for over 20+ years, I am aware. And good for you, I have no issues with it. They have been increasing management premiums and deductibles significantly and steadily over the years. They were pretty good in the 90's.

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Post ID: @1qxb+11ej7vss

Retiree medical costs will vary depending on when you started with company. It was changed at some point so that new hires had to pay 100% of the AT&T cost whereas earlier hires paid a subsidized cost when under 65. Once on Medicare only those that would have qualified for the subsidized insurance will receive funding of the Healthcare Reimbursement Account. This was the case for those classified as management.

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Post ID: @osz+11ej7vss

I started in Jan 2005 and get a pension. Why do you think it was discontinued in the 90s? It was discontinued after I was hired for mgmt and an extra % added to 401k matching

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Post ID: @xgj+11ej7vss
You guys need to get out more if you think T has great plans.

You should leave. Go get better health care benefits elsewhere.

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Post ID: @ywo+11ej7vss

SKrew you with your great Health Care plans.

When I was DirecTV my deductible for the whole family was $1500 with a lot of provider choices in my actual town all with a 80/20 split. Pr-scrip-ions were not subject to the deductible and were covered at 80% from day one.

Since being invaded by T, my same mid-level plan has premiums about 15% more than before, with deductibles at 3k per person - not 1500 for all and scripts are subject to the deductible so unless my wife has another heart attack - I will have paid full pop for every medical service with zero contributions from your wonderful employer provided plan. As for providers, it seems that T's Blue Cross Blue Shield of Freeking Illinois only accepts about 1% of the Providers in California where I live.

So just like the rest of our offerings - pay more and get less.

You guys need to get out more if you think T has great plans.

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Post ID: @bdy+11ej7vss

Also Jury Duty - mandated by law and company cannot fire you.

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Post ID: @rmp+11ej7vss

Hey OP... You should have applied as craft. We get great benefits. What we get helps you get better.

I have the higher premium but lower deductible plan. The higher premium is still dirt cheap compared to most offerings by other companies.

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Post ID: @bck+11ej7vss

Lots of mis-truths in this list. AT&T has always had better benefits than most other companies. I know retiree healthcare can’t be beat anywhere. I have shopped it, and if you are Medicare you could get everything with no cost. They do subsidize Medicare $2700 a year for anything beyond Medicare. Mental health care is covered for employees. 401 plan for new employees can’t be beat anywhere else I don’t think. Every company is getting out of the pension business. Employee health insurance is a pretty good deal.

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Post ID: @nun+11ej7vss

Whoever wrote this: THANKS!

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Post ID: @jhq+11ej7vss

I always have to laugh when anyone talks up the benefits - they're completely average. What employees have come to accept in this area is pretty sad.

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Post ID: @zan+11ej7vss

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