Thread regarding AT&T layoffs

You may be unwittingly setting yourself up for being laid off, and that will be very hard to prove if you were to try and sue AT&T. Also, something to keep in mind, if you get axed, and more than likely a severance, in that paperwork, in exchange for the severance you can't sue them. So, there is all that to consider.

@7iqz+138a3PpH - thanks SO much for the insight. I was leaning more toward work at home accommodations. I’m just starting the accommodation process and my doctor has stated permanent work at home accommodations with my health issue. Luckily I’m not bad enough to take disability, as I can still work, but my condition limits my ability to come into and efficiently work in the office. But not sure how my manager/workgroup/org will accommodate since most of our org, as far as I know, is FTO (that whole “collaboration drive” the last couple years). I don’t know anyone with, and didn’t know if anyone was able to obtain, permanent work accommodations with the current work climate. Not sure how this will affect my future at the company; I only have a couple more years to hit MR75. But I’m not in a client facing role and there’s no one at my work location I work with on a daily basis and all my meetings are via conference call. I have been either FOW or TW most of my career until the last couple years when the VP changed us all to FTO. Luckily my manager has let me WFH while I pursue the accommodation but it’s not the norm at all as I have to have this accommodation documented due to our workgroup “rules”. I think our SVP doesn’t care but they left it up to the VP — and our VP does. There’s some I suspect in our larger org that have work accommodations but not sure if they would say anyway and still show as FTO. I work with people in other orgs on a regular basis that work from home full time (FOW or TW) but not sure if it’s due to work accommodations or if it’s just their org is more laid back.

@7syr+138a3PpH, what do you mean, like wheelchair accessibility or something along that line? Often from what I have seen as well as known, most people with enough certain health disabilities, are allowed to work from home. As their home, along with company laptop, keyboard, mouse, etc, are ergonomic to help meet that persons various accommodations of health needs. I have heard of some isolated cases, where people have gotten so ill from obesity, diabetes, fibromyalgia, migraines, etc, proven by a litany of doctors, where they went on disability. And that will end one up in their home.

Do any of you have, or, are pursuing, work accommodations for your health issues? Is it easy to obtain? Or do you know any employees that have existing work accommodations?

In Ohio they don't say " I got Diabetes" they say " I got the Shuga"

They want your health to be continously poor in hopes you'll decease earlier than normal,. Why else would the company designate themself as the beneficiary on their provided life insurance plans (unless you know to change it)

it isn't all what you eat - all kinds of healthy food can have adverse effects on you too and you can work out everyday but if you are stressed out from your work because it is toxic and it is effecting your health whether you work out or not it is best to think of you first and leave the company if you can. I know I did and my health did a complete 180 even though I am fit and work out and eat healthy. stress can effect your body no matter how healthy you are. once I left the manage your manager games and all the childish crud that goes with working at att my health improved dramatically. some people are just built that way where they are all in with their career. but now I am all in with my new employer and it is paying off and then some.

There’s no excuse for high blood pressure or being overweight. Take some pride in your own well being and don’t blame it on AT&T. Get active whe your not at work, it’s a great stress reliever. We are all stressed about all the layoffs etc, but don’t let that be the excuse to let health deteriorate. Do some meal prep so you don’t have to eat out all the time, it’s not that hard you just have to want to do it. Change is hard, but if you’re not willing to make any changes, the vicious cycle will continue.

If your weight and cholesterol are too high, that’s your own fault for not eating healthy. You literally are what you eat and your diet is the most important thing to your health.

Gaggle of desk jockeys?

Why is it always people who work at desks vs. People in the field? It's not a f—ing competition. We are all in this sh–hole layoff c-ap together and its stressful on all of us. Just because someone works at a desk, doesnt mean it's not stressful as hell. Field work is hard as hell, and it's very stressful. But please, let's not knock the fact that desk jobs have stress, deadlines, and half a– managers too.

The forefathers would of had a bigger problem with att than any of us.

What do we know about our forefathers? Read historical texts and poetry of the founders of western civilization would be a good start.

Mental abuse is just as bad physical abuse and can be delivered by women and men equally. You can be thin as a rail and have all the problems listed. It isn’t weight associated. My mother in law weighs like 90 pounds and has high cholesterol. It just happens and all the exercise in world can’t stop it.

Could be everyone you know is on blood pressure medication and antidepressants is due to you all being overweight and thus acting all Emo McGee Quit the fast food and go work out.

What do you folks know anything about our forefathers. I am sure they are rolling around in their graves at how att treats their employees who spent their life working their behinds off for the company.

Agree

I wager our forefathers are spinning in their grave having to bear witness to such moaning and groaning from a gaggle of desk jockeys.
Such is the modern world.

I've been with the company over 20 years now, 15 years elsewhere before. Most the people I know are on HBP meds, statins, and antidepressants. They're all overweight, and many are diabetics. Many have had relationship issues of different types, and their jobs issues was a cornerstone factor. Almost are all highly stressed, full of anxiety, and it's been sustained for several decades. When people here who know, call this place toxic, that toxicity results in so many of us having poor health. All this seems to be affecting mostly the level 1, 2 people, some level 3, however the higher up the rung, the less they suffer from the various health maladies of the real working-class people. The health issues of the Level 1,2 describe me too. I take a lot of ownership, responsibility and accountability for my own words and actions, however, there is a fair amount of ownership, responsibility and accountability that undeniably lays squarely on the shoulders of AT&T, the leadership and your direct managers. Micro-management, toxic management, clueless mismanagement, friends and family/LDP taking your comeuppance again and again, corporate based PTSD, corporate based Stockholm Syndrome, all the various forms of abuse used to ‘manage’ you. You Matter. Your Health Matters. They feel they can put up a Website to squash all the issues you’ll suffer from their mismanagement, malpractice, negligence, toxicity, abuse, etc that leads directly to your poor health, right before they kick you out with a surplus, MVO or a simple rebadge.

Yeah I was hired for my engineering technical expertise which included future cloud technologies but I was exposed to the manage your manager crud and took my skills elsewhere. Att doesn’t care what you know but how to play girly manage your manager games which have nothing to do with the business.

24/7 is true because of all the micro degree crud you have to take on your own time just so you can lose your job later.

Att is a childish place and has no clue how to treat it workers unless they are family and friends.

Yeah I have seen some great technical knowledge workers leave while they keep great paper shufflers - guess it all who you know or related to.

Manage your manager = fight for your work - which is total bs so yes victim of mismanagement.

More victim mentality. Pitiful!

Bs to the people who say we take responsibility. I left and I am given work and do it and have gotten a promotion already and all my problems went away when I left att. Att does not know how to manage people or give the work to the appropriate people. Att is a screwed up place and now that I left I know this to be a fact. Plain and simple. Att is a dysfunctional company and needs major housecleaning on all levels.

When just ok is not ok!

30 yrs in, every one with an oncall responsibility. i take no medications and just had a stellar annual physical. But.....I watch my caloric intake, work out on a regular basis and eliminated caffeine which has drastically changed my sleep. recognize work for what it is, a means to an end. take care of yourself...

Stop complaining. This is USA!!! You were free to work for any other company you wanted. No one stopped you. It was your choice to stay and therefore, you also chose to work 24x7. If you didn't like it, you could have walked out and found another 9-5 job. Think how lucky you were to have this job. You were able to feed yourself, your family, your animals, educate your kids, pay the mortgage, go on vacations when possible. Have you ever compare your life and work in USA with other poor foreign countries? Do you know how grateful a foreigner would have been to have your job? Just to live in this country is a luxury. Go and live in a foreign country in the poorest village and see if you can survive even one night. Only then you will appreciate the power of living in this beautiful free country. So please stop complaining about how much and how hard you had to work. It was your choice and you chose it freely.

After 21 years (8 in an office and the rest outside) I still feel great!

Take care of yourself and don’t let the job define you.

How many times this has been discussed. Att is a company of rules & policies. For everything, even for going to the bathroom! Follow all the rules as stated. Lunch time is 1 hr? Take the full hr. Work schedules are 9-5? Do 9-5 not less not more. The company requires you to do your job on a safely manner? Do it safely, no matter what your manager says. Remember the att creed...

If you’re on lunch, you’re on lunch. If you’re on break you’re on break. The managers going to to get fired, not you. Take it easy, and go home at five.

"Ggiving it my all to the company" resulted in stress fracture, torn meniscus in both knees, high cholesterol because of always eating on the run, working ungodly hours and been on call 24x7x365 days plus three hernias from carrying loads off/on trucks and ladders plus tons of stress. Since I left the company, less worries and stress and now I can truly enjoy myself.

@1mey - Long or short term disability?

Yep I’ve worked with quite a few that were on high blood pressure medicine too as well a few that have had strokes.

Go out on disability. I am!

I went to my doc, having various health issues. He said, “I don’t know where you work, but you need to quit...it’s k–ling you.” He then asked where I worked so I told him....he responded shaking his head, “ I should have known.”

Funny thing is I never talked to him about work or feeling stressed. I was young and naive and didn’t take the advice seriously at the time. I wish I would have....

While most at AT&T deal with some of level of dysfunction, most don't deal with the level you are talking about. I sure don't. But I think the best question you ask, "Why did YOU do that?"

Some of this we have to take responsibility for. I see colleagues taking lunch every day, going to the gym, taking walks outside during the day and leaving early on Friday's etc. I can't remember the last time I took a lunch hour (it has been years) and I generally work 10 hours a day. I told myself in the New Year this has got to stop as the only person I am hurting is myself! These same people who take/use all these perks are still employed....I have seen countless others very dedicated who k–l themselves and have been outsourced or FMP'd. So who is the fool?

✋🏻 Autoimmune disorders from 20+ years of chronic stress

just about everyone I know is on blood pressure medicine and and antidepressants