If we want to be bold cut management positions or pay (or both) 50% so we keep middle class craft jobs that actually do work in the company. Management does nothing but sit in an office all day doing fake work that doesn’t matter.
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i spent 4 years as a service rep, about 17 as a splicer and have been mgt for about 3.5. I promise, even though my job is "sitting behind a desk" I work as hard, in most cases harder, 90% of the outside guys. The worthless mgrs are the excepting not the rule.
@blv+15l8p36e ..”Oh what I wouldn’t give for a A-hole boss that knew the job and could hold someone accountable”. Haha haha!!! I knew the job as well or better than any of my techs and held them accountable (micro-managed them would be the correct term) like you said and they absolutely hated my guts for 5 years. IMO you can’t win with the union either way. If you are a competent manager who used to be a tech or just have a strong technical background in general and micro-manage them from a technical aspect, they’ll hate you, challenge you at every turn, get upset when you intervene when they make poor decisions regarding company policy or don’t have the customers best interest in mind, etc. If you just back and let them do whatever they want and/or don’t have a technical background and cannot/do not support them from a technical aspect, they will accuse you of being a lazy manager who doesn’t know how to do there job and is generally useless. You can’t win either way so I chose the “rule with an iron fist” path since my technical background and previous experience performing the same functions as a tech (and a good one at that) helped me tightly control scorecard metrics and customer experience. Like I said, they despised me.
Problem with the term "management" is any non union job is considered management and I can assure you they used me up until I was let go. My actual manager did nothing as what was my team lead at the time did our reviews, one on ones, etc etc...Only had to speak to my actual manager once a year so what good was that level of management? None I can assure you but we also were forced to take Contingency Planning training on top of still doing our regular work in case the union went on strike...Trust me the lower level worker bee "management" was treated like sh– just the same as anyone else
Managers are like tits on a bull. Useless reckon.
How about "management" provide and produce something that remotely looks likes training on the new technologies. What we have in PLE is junk.
How about cut some craft jobs so maybe our health insurance costs will quit rising?
I am a mobility wireless tech and 75% (being generous) of the techs in my workgroup are completely worthless. Most of them 20+ year techs from mergers and they cannot complete a single job without a helper ticket. They cannot do basic provisioning, can’t sweep lines, can’t test fiber, can’t interface locally with with the equipment (SIADS, MPR, LTE, UMTS). It’s beyond pathetic. But they are allowed to be worthless because we have a POS former LL boss who doesn’t understand a thing about wireless. Oh what I wouldn’t give for a A-hole boss that knew the job and could hold someone accountable. I don’t expect this lay-off to be hard on our tech count and I feel for those affected but there is a very serious lack of accountability and talent at this dumpster fire.
Typical cry baby technician mentality. Is there terrible lazy do nothing management out there? Absolutely. Let’s not act like there aren’t lazy techs who are terrible at their jobs. You techs cry and complain about your peers 24/7. I was a tech for over 10 years and have been a manager for about 8. I’d go back to being a tech any day. Way easier to be a tech, you only have to worry about yourself. You don’t have to deal with a bunch of cry babies who complain about doing their job everyday and expect that they should be able to not do what the company pays them to do. Not to mention you don’t have to deal with swallowing the pill upper management rams down our throats and we have to turn around to you with a straight face. Oh and let’s not forget that when you get back to the garage your day is done. Ours isn’t. You should grow up instead of wishing people lose their jobs because they have a different title then you, loser.
Work depends on where you live, I’m in a metropolitan area and we are busy. Connecting overtime nearly every day and forced regular. No I&R techs have been replaced for a few years though, if someone transfers, retires or dies they haven’t been replaced. Attrition is the norm.
Have to cut vp and above too for it to work.
I am sure management will get cut too but the reality is the work load continues to dry up. We don’t need the quantity of techs we have due to the company not selling certain products like pots, dsl or uverse. Nobody wants that technology anymore but that’s all copper is good for. The company does not want to fix, maintain antiquated technology. They want fiber and wireless and that’s about it.
You don’t think craft is bloated? I can’t tell you how many times I hit the button and get no dispatchable jobs. This OP is an id–t.
duh..troll
Along the same business strategy the OP suggests, maybe swing the pendulum to the other side and dump the direct reports and go strictly Contractors. There would be less real estate expense, zero vehicle expense and zero accusations of incompetence. An action like that would take the Company out of debt.
Mgt. is too bloated! All the layers of AVPs,VPs,SVPs have driven the company into the ground. Most don’t have any technical expertise, and would be hard pressed to install products in their own home. Most only have 2 or 3 direct reports and spend most of their time originating convoluted and contradictory strategies!! Management dysfunction has finally caught up with AT&T!! Institute at least a 12:1 span of control and downgrade all management by one level!!
LOL, many craft make more money than many management. Are you advocating cutting those craft pay too? I am management level, i don’t just do nothing. Stop the class warfare.
Yep would be a great plan including both and above